Richard Hogan: The Toy Show is a part of all of us, here are my favourite moments

Richard Hogan looks back on highlights from the last 46 years

I think, I might get more excited about the show than my children. I don’t know what that says about me. Picture: Andres Poveda

"I sought a theme and sought for it in vain, I sought it daily for six weeks or so." 

These are the opening lines from W.B Yeats’ wonderful poem, ‘The Circus Animals’ Desertion’. 

The genius of the poem found in Yeats’ ability to eradicate his writers block by talking about the fact he has writers block. 

He manages Calliope’s muted harmonic voice by exploring all his older work, he declares, "What can I but enumerate old themes."

All this week, I struggled with the topic of this column. And so, in the spirit of our great poet and Statesman, I intend to enumerate the best Late Late Toy Show moments in the last decade or so. 

I think I struggled because, I find it hard to believe we are here again. Even my eight-year-old daughter said to me yesterday, "It doesn’t feel like a year since Christmas was here". 

The Late Late Toy Show is a perennial favourite in this house and across the land.

I used to think how awful St Stephens day was because it was the furthest point from Christmas. 

"We couldn’t be further from Christmas", I’d declare solemnly to my sleeping brother. But tomorrow, the annual Christmas Klaxon will sound with the arrival of some garishly bright jumper attached to the thin white duke, Ryan Tubridy.

Whenever we do something repeatedly, it becomes tradition. And when we do something repeatedly that captures something about who we are as a people it becomes a part of the national consciousness. 

‘The Late Late Toy Show’ is a perennial favourite in this house and across the land. I actually get far too excited about it. 

But It gives us permission to celebrate Christmas, I mean you can now safely run down the street screaming, "Happy Christmas old building society" (unless that building society has up and gone) Jimmy Stewart-style once the Toy Show airs. 

I think, I might get more excited about the show than my children. I don’t know what that says about me. 

Pat Kenny on The Late Late Toy Show 

But, I have been watching it since the early 80s. Many leaders have come and gone, many fads in and out, Rubix's Cube, Yo-Yos, Lolo balls, fidget spinners, the list could go on and on. But ‘The Toy Show’ has remained the one constant in this ever-changing, chaotic world of ours. Presenters, too, have come and gone, but the children are the real irreplaceable stars of the show. But, I didn’t always view them like that.

Oh, how those Billy Barry kids tormented me as a child. 

With all their smiling, dancing and confidence. Why wasn’t I a Billy Barry kid? Who is Billy Barry and why does he have so many bloody kids? And who the hell is their agent? 

These were just some of the questions that plagued my young mind. 

We have witnessed some truly wonderful moments with this show. Who can forget the arrival of Pat Kenny on an elephant in 2002, the awkward nonchalance of a national treasure pretending he wasn’t in fear for his life, giving us all a good laugh. 

Gaybo being rescued by a knight in 1992 and Ryan’s double threat of singing and dancing dressed as Olaf from Frozen, all great viewing. 

The Toy Show is like the cinema house in my favourite movie, ‘Cinema Paradiso’. 

It is the place where we have all grown up, where we have all seen ourselves change and move into our adult lives, only to return into our childhood once again through the eyes of our own children. 

So many children are excited for the promise of what tomorrow evening will bring, like I was nearly 40 years ago. 

Late Late Toy Show /2377-048 Gay Byrne with child toy tester (1998).

In those days, Gay Byrne’s slight uncomfortableness around children made for great tv. There was the time Brendan O’ Carroll’s son Eric refused to follow Gaybo’s orders and perform a circle on his rollerblades. He cast a brooding shadow over proceedings while Gaybo struggled to motivate him. 

Pat Kenny too, struggled with kids. Which was half the fun. 

Ryan’s ease with them allowed for some wonderfully tender and fun moments in recent times. 

I’m sure we all remember when young Aimee Keogh met her idol Ed Sheeran on the show. 

Her energy and excitement making the nation smile and then her tears when she turned to see her hero in front of her. Their duet raising the nation's spirits. 

We have met so many Irish characters on the show, too. 

Ryan Tubridy presents The Late Late Toy Show

The eight-year-old horologist JohnJoe Brennan delighting the nation, young Toby Kane refusing to speak with Girls Aloud after they interrupted his debut performance, and who could forget Fergal Smith’s precocious co–hosting of the Toy Show. 

One of my personal favourites, young Mark McSharry from Co Navan, winner of the prestigious, ‘Junior Culchie of Ireland’ award. His comfort in himself particularly inspiring.

The Toy Show is a part of all of us. We have been watching it now for 46 years. 

And we only have one more sleep until this year’s show. 

It better get us in the "rag and bone shop of the heart". Enjoy!