Canister and Friends
video, 2 minutes, colour, 2014
Canister and Friends, the ill-conceived Saturday morning cartoon series based upon the underground mystery/horror/sci-fi character Canister the Robot, was another catastrophe produced by the YAAG group. Premiering in August of 1979, the program ran only four episodes and was said to be pulled from the air due to cost overruns. This seems hardly likely considering the infamously low production values of the animation. Cultural scholar Anton Oberson wrote “it is more likely that financial backing was dropped after harsh fan criticism of the new sidekick, Sawboy (Saw Boy, Saw-Boy) and his insipid catchphrase “Space-tastic!”.
Canister and Friends aired in only three markets; Toronto, Vancouver, and through a small network affiliate in Cupar, Saskatchewan where many of the investors resided. In 1980, with lawsuits over copyright infringements looming, a fire conveniently destroyed nearly all of YAAG’s motion picture assets. This one minute clip from the beginning of episode three is the only known surviving element. It was recorded off-air on a U-matic by Wolden Kalschef, a farmer in the Cupar area who was rumored to be the voice of Sawboy. He died of lung cancer in 2006. The tape was discovered among his effects which also included 14 rolls of undeveloped Kodak disc film and a banner welcoming King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden on his 1981 Canadian visit.
