The Stay Alert Stay Safe program was created by the mother of Allison Parrot, an 11 year old girl who, on the morning of July 25, 1986, was lured by a predator under the guise of taking photos of her before a big track meet (she had often appeared in the local Toronto papers as she was a star athlete), raped and killed. I grew up with this program and had no idea of it's horrific origins until today.
Holy shhht. I just told my husband this, as we both grew up with this program and neither of us had any idea! He's always been a part of safety committees where he's been able to because of this program. Such a heartbreaking origin.
This Case Is A Great Reminder Ts Just As Likely And Possible For Strangers To Kidnap And Be The Perpetrators,Not Just People Who Know You,Because Most Of The Time We Think The Stranger Part Is Less Likely :)
@@Anna-hy4sb The P*do that did this to her is serving Life in Providence Prison in York, Ontario. He has no chance of parole. His name is Francis Carl Roy.
@@jennifer.rapkins She barely recognized him. He also found her number in the phone book. He was a Local Jogger who had been watching her Run Track. Rather, He Stalked her. His name? Francis Carl Roy.
I remember a police officer would come to my elementary school every few months and this would be one of the PSA tapes he would show us. I always liked the animation and thought it was a cute way to teach kids like me at the time the dangers of strangers. Years later I found out the true reason why this PSA and SASS was created in the first place. It's really sad. :( R.I.P. Alison Parrott. She would have been 45 today.
"You shouldn't answer the door to strangers when you're by yourself or let them know you're home alone." Me as a child in the 90's: Oh, the door is ringing? Hide and don't make a sound and peek through the blinds until the person goes away.
John Blundski The daughter of the campaign's creator, Alison Parrott, was raped and murdered in 1986, after being lured to a park by someone she didn't know. She was 11. Her mom worked for an ad agency, and created this campaign the following year.
I remembered this PSA when I was a little girl and some car pulled up beside me and asked for directions. The lady was super pissed I didn’t get in the car with her. Thank you Bert and Gert, who knows what would have happened to me.
OMG! I remember seeing these during commercial breaks on YTV, I took these tips very seriously lol....I dont know if it's just the area I live, but I havn't seen a Block Parent sign in years...
@@WhiteTiger950They put in a lot of effort to make sure that didn't happen (extensive background and criminal record checks), but that minimized numbers, because your average person isn't lining up to do that. Also, stay at home parents are necessary for the program to work, and that died out in the 90s.
Different era. In the 80s and 90s, the focus was on stranger danger. There was an idea that people close to us and our families could be trusted. Thankfully, this idea has begun to shift. Having said that, in the internet age, children still need to be taught to be mindful of how they interact and with whom online.
Kids then were a lot less aware of the whole stranger danger thing. Also, this whole PSA campaign was birthed by a stranger danger kidnapping and murder.
I distinctly remember being shown this while sitting on the gym floor in grade 1 and i couldn't get the song out of my head, still sing it to this day 10 years later
After i came back to Hong Kong from Canada, i havent saw this almost 30 years..i m like 32 now, omgosh this is so bring back to my memories.. this is just like yesterday...so surreal..
@@Baysidemom2 Some do, they try to coax someone into cooperation in case anyone is lurking around and can see them, so they dont want to have a struggle and potentially make a scene. Why have a struggle when you can just try to convince some ignorant child to come willingly? One doesn't work out, move on to try another sort of thing.
The mirror clip is the eeriest part of it all, I sure got the message at THAT age seeing this- Thank you for preserving this digital ancient T.V. artifact!! If a stranger stops to talk, *always social distance* !!
You can tell this is Canadian because the kid apologized for not getting into the guys car? You don’t need to apologize for staying safe and declining a strangers offer 👏
I remember watching these when I was a kid, I will make sure to make my kids watch this if I have any.. we should honestly have ads like this out now too
I was 8 back when I first saw this in 1991. Good times. My best friend's parents had a rule for him when answering the phone, while he was babysitting his sister. Let the answering machine pick up and if it was one of his parents, another relative or a friend, then and only then could he answer.
I feel so old I remember seeing this at 7 years old now am 27 20 year's later it's amazing what we remember as kids this help me grow up and Learn responsibility
Bert and his sister gert sure gave us some helpful tips and advice on how to avoid dangerous situations especially with folks we don't know and kinda know and how to avoid human trafficking.
I liked how everyone acted like it was normal seeing two anthropomorphic rabbits with hoverboards and keeping kids safe. Yeah, I'm sure that happens all the time in Canada.
Wow, our society is fucked up now. Back then, when I was a kid, we had commercials like this about staying away from strangers, now in this generation it's about saying no to drugs and alchohal and STD information. Great. Look at what we have become!!!
We had a secret knock if my parents ever stepped out to check the mail or take the dog out. It wasnt because my parents didn't carry a key, but in case anybody else comes to the door, we would know its not our parents and not to answer it.
This was created as a direct response to a series of child abductions and murders in Toronto, and the creator's daughter was raped and murdered by a stranger. Sure, it's not common, but it DOES happen sometimes so why not be prepared?
I remember watching this in a safety assembly, just when this was released. Afterwards, we all got a comic book with all of these characters and their lessons. I wish I still had it.
One thing this PSA left out: people who are real bad news can take a while to reveal it, so trust your instincts even with people you think you know. I wish someone had told me that back when I was a kid. I've been kicked around, and it was mostly by people I thought I knew.
"What should you do if someone stops and asks you for directions?" Tell them to fuck off and keep on driving, this is your turf and if they come any closer you'll cut 'em!
Greetings from the United Kingdom! I have no idea how I came here from an upload of a Zellers Christmas commercial, Zellers being a retail chain I only know of from a video on those bootleg Atari 2600 games they once sold for $7 apiece, but is there an educational video wiki? I have before now enjoyed ChadTronic’s videos on The Great 911 Adventure, Be Cool About Fire Safety and Be A Safe Rider, and when I was in school we were shown school programming such as Words and Pictures, Number Time, Math is Fun and we were even shown Australian kids show Lift Off on a few occasions! If there is a wiki on videos like this, do please tell me! It’s always interesting to delve into rabbit holes like this, staff training videos and allsorts! I once had work experience at grocery chain Co Op and as part of my training, I was shown a DVD copy of an old training VHS!
This was made in the '80s. That's why they are on hover boards (back to the futureish) Robert Shedlowich (who now owns and runs AnimotionArts) designed the characters. They still air this PSA on Canadian stations.
i was the voice actor for the little boy. I am so glad this is still popular!
So cool! I heard your voice in lots of cartoons when i was young!
Nice!
You’re a legend 🙏🏿
U were Daniel? Cool
Thank you so much!
The 90's, a time in history where magic like this was put onto the television. I miss those days.
GamerHats I was born 2002 and still remember this
They should still play these on TV today. This is important.
bluedragonfire rs
bluedragonfire stupid add. The internet is more effective
Except that people are cutting cables!
How do they give high fives with four digits ? 🤔
The last time I remember seeing those was on The Littlest Hobo, before they pulled that show off Saturday mornings.
The Stay Alert Stay Safe program was created by the mother of Allison Parrot, an 11 year old girl who, on the morning of July 25, 1986, was lured by a predator under the guise of taking photos of her before a big track meet (she had often appeared in the local Toronto papers as she was a star athlete), raped and killed. I grew up with this program and had no idea of it's horrific origins until today.
Holy shhht. I just told my husband this, as we both grew up with this program and neither of us had any idea! He's always been a part of safety committees where he's been able to because of this program. Such a heartbreaking origin.
This Case Is A Great Reminder Ts Just As Likely And Possible For Strangers To Kidnap And Be The Perpetrators,Not Just People Who Know You,Because Most Of The Time We Think The Stranger Part Is Less Likely :)
I had never knew that. That'd awful.
@@Anna-hy4sb The P*do that did this to her is serving Life in Providence Prison in York, Ontario. He has no chance of parole. His name is Francis Carl Roy.
@@jennifer.rapkins She barely recognized him. He also found her number in the phone book. He was a Local Jogger who had been watching her Run Track. Rather, He Stalked her. His name? Francis Carl Roy.
I remember a police officer would come to my elementary school every few months and this would be one of the PSA tapes he would show us. I always liked the animation and thought it was a cute way to teach kids like me at the time the dangers of strangers. Years later I found out the true reason why this PSA and SASS was created in the first place. It's really sad. :( R.I.P. Alison Parrott. She would have been 45 today.
"You shouldn't answer the door to strangers when you're by yourself or let them know you're home alone."
Me as a child in the 90's: Oh, the door is ringing? Hide and don't make a sound and peek through the blinds until the person goes away.
This is me in 2020.
Jack Skellington same 😭
*tHe dOoR iS rIngInG*
@@sophiecoates2292 What, you didn't have ringing doors in the 90's? lol
You know, I forgot that some people have doorbells that actually work and i pictured the door ringing like a phone lmao
Talking to human strangers = Bad idea
Talking to giant mutant rabbits with future tech = Good idea!
+The Invisible Hand Yeah, but they clearly know Bert and Gert, so it's okay. Haha
*anthro
yeah, talking to anthro rabbits are cool
Lol
Humans are definitely more scary than giant mutant rabbits.
The story behind these is heartbreaking.
What's the story behind this?
John Blundski The daughter of the campaign's creator, Alison Parrott, was raped and murdered in 1986, after being lured to a park by someone she didn't know. She was 11. Her mom worked for an ad agency, and created this campaign the following year.
i didnt even know that! thats so sad.
@@AndreNDP oof
@@AndreNDP that's messed up. Shit.
I remembered this PSA when I was a little girl and some car pulled up beside me and asked for directions. The lady was super pissed I didn’t get in the car with her. Thank you Bert and Gert, who knows what would have happened to me.
Right on, you handled that like a champ
OMG! I remember seeing these during commercial breaks on YTV, I took these tips very seriously lol....I dont know if it's just the area I live, but I havn't seen a Block Parent sign in years...
They discontinued that program in a lot of areas :(
@@sarahh2072 Probably because, sadly, it was likely abused, perhaps used BY predatory people to lure others.
And on NTV (Newfoundland Television) where I'm from
@@WhiteTiger950They put in a lot of effort to make sure that didn't happen (extensive background and criminal record checks), but that minimized numbers, because your average person isn't lining up to do that. Also, stay at home parents are necessary for the program to work, and that died out in the 90s.
Most child molesters are someone the child and the parents know.
Different era. In the 80s and 90s, the focus was on stranger danger. There was an idea that people close to us and our families could be trusted. Thankfully, this idea has begun to shift. Having said that, in the internet age, children still need to be taught to be mindful of how they interact and with whom online.
Kids then were a lot less aware of the whole stranger danger thing. Also, this whole PSA campaign was birthed by a stranger danger kidnapping and murder.
Yeah But Strangers Being The Perpetrators Are Still Very Likely In My Opinion. Because P*dophilia Is Becoming A Big Big Issue Now.
Am I only one who thinks Bert and Gurt look like a Caucassian Nesquik Rabbit wearing 90s clothes?
I can't get that out of my head now.
+Matt C No....
They are the white chocolate milk bunnies
Lol dude. when i was a kid i thought they were Nesquik rabits.
They *weren't?* o_o
I distinctly remember being shown this while sitting on the gym floor in grade 1 and i couldn't get the song out of my head, still sing it to this day 10 years later
Wow! I almost forgot about these. Thanks for bringing back memories. You're doing a great job, Retrontario, and we really appreciate your work.
After i came back to Hong Kong from Canada, i havent saw this almost 30 years..i m like 32 now, omgosh this is so bring back to my memories.. this is just like yesterday...so surreal..
I use to watch this everyday, I miss those days so badly.
Between spying on children and breaking into their homes, I think it's safe to say that the biggest threat around is Bert and Gert.
Sometimes it's the only way to guide some people.
The fact that the abduction issues in the world have been worse is a good reason why this, and many other PSA's need to be re aired.
They've actually never been better.
thats great!
They’ve gotten better. And it’s never been that bad. It’s usually (vast majority) someone child knows.
woww.. this takes me back to the mid-90s when i was a kid growing up... what a throwback! I actually almost forgot about these commercials..
Why on earth do I remember ALL of these PSAs? I was a very safe child apparently.
Because they were fun to watch
"I can drive ya" "SAWWWRY" ... yes that works lol
more like a stun gun to the neck
as if the kidnapper would give up that easily and just drive off!
@@Baysidemom2 Some do, they try to coax someone into cooperation in case anyone is lurking around and can see them, so they dont want to have a struggle and potentially make a scene. Why have a struggle when you can just try to convince some ignorant child to come willingly? One doesn't work out, move on to try another sort of thing.
@@Zero118you seem like you’re speaking from experience, your profile picture is also concerning.
This and Bill Nye were part of my childhood. We even watched Bill Nye tapes when I was in high school, during science class!
OH My God!! I remember these so much along with "Proud Part Of Our Canadian Hermitage"
lmfao hermitage
Why am I "nostalgic" for this and I've never seen it before. Its like my mouth waters craving Sonic the Hedgehog Spaghettios all of a sudden.
i never understood this comercial when i was 5
spunkflunk ur old
same here. just looked like 2 cool rabbits and a good song
spunkflunk you’re lucky
@@kayla5543they played this comercial in the early to mid 2000s
More like early to late 90's
*Katie:* I'm late I'm gonna cut through the alley.
Meanwhile in said Alley, Bruce Wayne watches his parents die.
OMG! I remember this from when I was a kid. It ran in bits and chunks as commercials all the time when I watched TV.
"A little white lie is OK sometimes!" I tell my wife that ALL the time...
The mirror clip is the eeriest part of it all, I sure got the message at THAT age seeing this- Thank you for preserving this digital ancient T.V. artifact!!
If a stranger stops to talk, *always social distance* !!
*Gert:* Good job Daniel. You should never let a stranger into your house.
*Daniel:* Then how did you get into my house?
Alison Parrott Rest In Peace.
I am so glad that I'm Canadian, because I got to watch all of these awesome shorts and commercials back in the 90s as a kid.
Telefrancais
Pingu
I like the attention to detail... The calendar Burt and Gurt jump over is from March of 1993 which started on a Monday!
"hey their sonny! how do you get to albey avenue?" "back they way you came wigga"
I remember seeing these shorts on Teletoon as a kid, but I had no idea Nelvana made them!
I like how the guy stopping has NO INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE. RUN THE FUCK AWAY. RUN.
I needed this..
Thank you.
Dr. Rabbit and Dr. Brushwell had too many drinks one evening after work, and months later twins were born…
Wow, the universe is so weird!!! This has been popping into my head on and off for a few weeks, and now it's in my youtube feed.. Got the message
This is my childhood right here. Also, this is the reason I don't mind furries as long as they skate and aren't acting like a sexual predator.
Indeed
Lmfao!!!!
Major nostalgia here! I remember seeing this as a kid watching tv
You can tell this is Canadian because the kid apologized for not getting into the guys car? You don’t need to apologize for staying safe and declining a strangers offer 👏
I remember watching these when I was a kid, I will make sure to make my kids watch this if I have any.. we should honestly have ads like this out now too
These ads were so important. I can't even imagine how many kids have been saved because of these ads.
I was 8 back when I first saw this in 1991. Good times. My best friend's parents had a rule for him when answering the phone, while he was babysitting his sister. Let the answering machine pick up and if it was one of his parents, another relative or a friend, then and only then could he answer.
I feel so old I remember seeing this at 7 years old now am 27 20 year's later it's amazing what we remember as kids this help me grow up and Learn responsibility
0:30 *years of nostalgia comes rushing back into my mind*
I like how nowadays they dont bother making these anymore.
OMG I remember watching this when I was young !
Bert and his sister gert sure gave us some helpful tips and advice on how to avoid dangerous situations especially with folks we don't know and kinda know and how to avoid human trafficking.
I remember this when I was a child and when I have children I want them to watch this so they can Stay Alert Stay Safe
This aired in BC too back in the day. I pretty sure it used to play on the Kamloops TV channel with Inspector Gadget and Care Bears.
90s!!!! My favorite times, my childhood was good. I was the little explorer, and camper :P
I liked how everyone acted like it was normal seeing two anthropomorphic rabbits with hoverboards and keeping kids safe. Yeah, I'm sure that happens all the time in Canada.
It’s how you know it’s Saturday
Telefrancais
Pretty sure catching a baseball on a hover board is not safe.
*Bert:* Never ever go with a stranger. Got it?
*Daniel:* Thank you strange rabbit whom I've never met before, yet know your name.
Wow, our society is fucked up now. Back then, when I was a kid, we had commercials like this about staying away from strangers, now in this generation it's about saying no to drugs and alchohal and STD information. Great. Look at what we have become!!!
I totally had a crush on Bert as a kid lol
Is that Irwin from Billy and Mandy?
Well, thank you, Gert and Bert. I'll make sure I'll stay alert and safe.
Imagine looking at your newborn child in the eyes and naming them "gert."
I think it's short for Gertrude, which isn't much better when you think about it. 😅
I remember renting this from my local library when I was 6
Bert and Gert are excellent PSA rabbits
This was a nice dedication to a murdered child... Rip Allison!
OMG my parents made a "password" I remember it, wow!
Reinminer I think mine was peanut butter
We had a secret knock if my parents ever stepped out to check the mail or take the dog out.
It wasnt because my parents didn't carry a key, but in case anybody else comes to the door, we would know its not our parents and not to answer it.
Pretty sure mine was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious because my brother and I thought it was funny 🤦♀️
I remember watching these commercials as a kid!😄🤩😎👌
This kid was always running into creeps
I loved these, when I was a kid.
I still rememeber the little jingle/theme song, 30 years later!
Jesus Christ I remember this from grade 1
What they don't say is:
People you know are more likely to be dangerous than complete strangers.
This was created as a direct response to a series of child abductions and murders in Toronto, and the creator's daughter was raped and murdered by a stranger. Sure, it's not common, but it DOES happen sometimes so why not be prepared?
I remember watching this in a safety assembly, just when this was released. Afterwards, we all got a comic book with all of these characters and their lessons. I wish I still had it.
The comic must be lost media.
Telefrancais, Pingu
The blue jays comic book
Who has actually dropped to the ground and started rolling or started spinning to avoid being grabbed by someone? Did it work for anyone?
You go dead weight and flail and it has the possibility to slow them down, just enough to get free or to let someone else come help.
I seen this PSAs on NTV when I was a kid
This should be shown in all schools and households
"Fall to the ground and roll or just keep spinning" WTF
😂😂😂😂😂
Sounds like a good fighting tip,as well.XD
One thing this PSA left out: people who are real bad news can take a while to reveal it, so trust your instincts even with people you think you know. I wish someone had told me that back when I was a kid. I've been kicked around, and it was mostly by people I thought I knew.
0:50 Bert just went all scared eyes for a second. Is he afraid of his own sister?
"What should you do if someone stops and asks you for directions?"
Tell them to fuck off and keep on driving, this is your turf and if they come any closer you'll cut 'em!
Greetings from the United Kingdom! I have no idea how I came here from an upload of a Zellers Christmas commercial, Zellers being a retail chain I only know of from a video on those bootleg Atari 2600 games they once sold for $7 apiece, but is there an educational video wiki? I have before now enjoyed ChadTronic’s videos on The Great 911 Adventure, Be Cool About Fire Safety and Be A Safe Rider, and when I was in school we were shown school programming such as Words and Pictures, Number Time, Math is Fun and we were even shown Australian kids show Lift Off on a few occasions! If there is a wiki on videos like this, do please tell me! It’s always interesting to delve into rabbit holes like this, staff training videos and allsorts! I once had work experience at grocery chain Co Op and as part of my training, I was shown a DVD copy of an old training VHS!
How did you come here from a Zellers Christmas commercial? Was it in the video?
@@matthewthescienceguy7627 This appeared in the recommendations
The Bear Spots logo at the end of the program looks similar to the Nelvana logo. Is this company owned by Nelvana?
It is. I assume this was Nelvana's division that handled TV commercials.
The 90s were pretty optmistic as if that guy wasnt going to drag him in the car
I totally remember seeing the PSAs on tv, and seeing a video tape of it back in 1st grade in 2001.
Major nostalgia right now.
I just randomly remember watching this in like 3rd grade
For some reason everyone looks high in this vid.
***** yeah
This was made in the '80s. That's why they are on hover boards (back to the futureish) Robert Shedlowich (who now owns and runs AnimotionArts) designed the characters. They still air this PSA on Canadian stations.
AnimotionArts 90’s. 1994.
@@teresahowick5197 They actually discontinued playing these September-October 2008.
I’ve always wanted rabbits on hover boards to appear in my house.
What happened to Gert's whiskers?
I remember this commercial in the 90s…I didn’t realize there’s a story behind it as I came across it 2 days ago
Nostalgic, i now nickname them "Nesquik Rabbits and his twin talk about being safe"
God! I still remember this commercial!!
Remember kids, candy from strangers is the sweetest candy.
I'm on the nostalgic part of youtube for the first time.
Thank you Jeff Zarnett!
“The Milkshake That Swamped Montreal” 😂😂😂😂😂 That’s funny.
I'd definitely watch that if it were a real movie!
Ha, at 3:27 Gert and Bert say hi to themselves. And what is Bear Spots? It looks really similar to Nelvana.
AMathMonkey that's because bear spots was nelvana's short lived commercial division.
Bert and Gert OMG!!! These bunnies thought me a lot
stay away from strangers...but if a stranger is chasing you....run to a group of strangers to help you.
I totally remember these.