Old kids show from the 80's about two kids with a magical compass that took them to another world

Question

I remember watching this one show when I was a kid in the 80's/early 90's in Canada. It was a live-action show about these two kids and had some puppet/muppet-like characters, but it kind of had a dark/mysterious element to it. I can't remember too much about it except portions of some episodes, but the main characters were kids, and they had some mysterious artifact (kind of like a compass?) that took them to this other world where there were giants and other mysterious beings that we rarely saw. The two kids weren't the only one's going to this place either, they find out kids from all around the world that also had this same artifact (and they all fit together like a round puzzle?). I seem to recall that the giants in this other world were the ones who made the artifacts, and were dying/or in desperate need of the help of the kids.

A couple episodes I remember:

There was one where the leaves were falling, and the world was doomed to end as soon as the last leaf touched the ground, so they're trying to figure out how to prevent all the leaves from falling, but after a long and suspenseful episode (for a kid) the last leaf dramatically falls, but out of no where the main girl catches the leaf and saves the world (it was very exciting for my young self, and I remember being very impressed with the pretty girl for thinking to catch the leaf).

There was another episode where the kids meet these two old guys with long white hair (muppets) sullenly working in a mine/tunnel, they're in tattered old clothes working away with their pick axes or hammers and they are connected to each other at the beard. This long old white beard grows out of one of their faces right into the other's. The kids save the day by cutting the old guy's beard in the middle, freeing them from each other. They celebrate being free from their bonds and excitedly thank the kids, but after the kids leave they continue to work away, this time in much brighter spirits. Seemingly unbeknownst to them though, as they work, their beards slowly and subtly grow back together.

Anyone else remember this show?

Answer 1

You are one of the people who remembers the largely unknown and forgotten series Blizzard Island, which aired on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1988 (and was adapted into the movie "The Argon Quest" in 1990).

The series was created by Terry Angus and Stoney Ripley; at the time of production, Angus was on hiatus from Henson's Fraggle Rock (thus the strong muppet resemblance). He and Ripley created a test tape that was used to pitch the show to CBC, allowing the show to be produced.

Blizzard Island featured two kids, Tracey and Wayne Allen, who discovered a magical necklace in their home that, when the center piece was turned, transported them to the titular location, a dying world inhabited by muppet-like creatures. The necklace was a powerful artifact known as the "Necklace of Argon," and by delivering the necklace to the giant Argon, they would be able to save the world. Because of its power, other parties (the witch Sydney and Sir Python) pursue them in an attempt to take the necklace for their own benefit.

Both the episodes you describe are part of the series, though slightly different in detail. Episode 6, "The Bellringers of Argon," features two old men joined by a single white beard, who constantly argue until Tracey cuts their beard to separate them. Episode 9, "The Legend of the Last Leaf," is about a legend where the last leaf falling to the ground starts an endless winter.

Because it's not a well known series, very little information on it exists online even now; all of the above comes from Terry Angus's own website, which has a section dedicated to the show: Blizzard Island Home. The series itself was never released on home video (though homemade copies of it still exist), however, one creator's website does contain a brief synopsis of each episode and several photos (primarily from production). The other has uploaded some of the episodes to YouTube here. Based on your description, I'm confident in this being the series you remember.

Answer 2

This is a long shot but if it was a British TV production some of the elements you describe fit Into The Labyrinth. It was produced in the early 80's so could plausibly fit your timescale and featured modern day children assisting an ancient sorcerer as he attempted to regain a magic amulet. Although I cannot recall either the leaves or beards you mention I do recall the amulet was split into many sections and needed to be reassembled into a whole.

You can read a detailed plot descirption on Wikipedia here.

The series was based around a struggle between two timeless, feuding sorcerers - the noble Rothgo (Ron Moody) and the evil Belor (Pamela Salem). Each aimed to obtain possession of the Nidus, a magical object of limitless power. The Nidus actually belonged to Rothgo, but it was stolen by Belor who used her own magic to send it through time and space so that Rothgo would not be able to find it. Without the power of the Nidus, Rothgo would ultimately die. The first series followed a group of modern-day children (Phil, Helen and Terry) who find Rothgo, almost lifeless, in a labyrinthine cave. Rothgo sends the children through different periods of time to search for the Nidus, which is disguised as a different object in each time period and can only be seen in reflection.

You can view episodes on YouTube here: