For Canadians of a certain vintage, the man known as Ernie Coombs wasn’t just a TV star—he was a proud DIY arts and crafts teacher, loving satellite parent, patient counsellor, and endlessly kind friend. As made crystal clear by Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe, what Canadian kids saw on the boob tube from 1967 to 1992 was also true in real life. So if you’re hoping for stories of backstage punchups between Mister Rogers and Mr. Dressup (the two were close friends and colleagues) or hedonistic nights partying at the Playboy mansion with The Friendly Giant, you’re in the wrong place.

Instead, director Robert McCallum’s documentary serves as a gentle love letter to the man who kept Canadian kids entertained for four decades. Archival footage and interviews with Coombs are rounded out by testimonials from those who worked with him (long-time puppeteer Judith Lawrence), and the countless many inspired by him (everyone from Bif Naked to Michael J. Fox).

There’s a valid argument that Mr. Dressup might have benefited from a bit of editing (really, who west of Toronto cares what the Barenaked Ladies think?). Still, this more-or-less-linear recounting of a journey that starts with Coombs’ puppet-wrangling stint on public TV in Pittsburgh, and ends up with him achieving national treasure status in Canada, tells the whole story for anyone whose best friends growing up included not only Casey and Finnegan, but the kind man in the bowtie who always had something special in the tickle trunk.

Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe plays tonight (October 5) at the Park Theatre as part of the Vancouver International Film Festival.