What makes these skits iconic are that they are fully improvised. They started as a 2 minute filler at the end of SCTV program. The laughter you hear is from staff

The movie Strange Brew is amazing but the album they did is the best. 'the great white north'.

In the '80s when you went skiing you could yell out "coo-coo-coo-coo...coo-coo" from the top of the ski lift and were guaranteed to get several echoed replies from various spots on the lower mountain. Good times!

Hosehead is an insult. It's a variation of the term "hoser" which comes from the Canadian culture of ice hockey when friendly teams would play each other is the agreement that whoever loses has to prepare the rink again for the next game (it has to be prepared in advance cos the process takes time) which they'd do after the game. This preparation is hosing down the ice to refresh it from the ice scratches and grooves to make it new for the next game. Thus the losers were "hosers". Hosehead is just a slang variation of it that Doug is using.

♫ On the Fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Five golden toques Four pounds of back bacon Three French toasts Two turtlenecks And a beer (in a tree) ♫

LMAO, Bob and Doug, brings back memories. These guys just put out the stereotypical behaviour that americans thought about us .

I still listen to their version of the 12 Days of Christmas every year when the holiday rolls around

I'm old enough to have watched SCTV when it was being aired! 90 minutes of comedic hilarity that kicks SNL's butt in every way. I wish they could syndicate the episodes and air them again. There are some truly memorable components and the framework of it being an actual broadcasting station made the possibilities endless.

Bob and Doug are Canadian hero’s. So many hours of silliness and light hearted banter😂. Grew up with them even though my parents would have disapproved.

In order to get the funding from CBC , SCTV was required to have 2 minutes of “Canadian content”. The entire cast cracked up and wondered what would constitute Canadian content and decided CBC was looking for a couple of dudes drinking beer and eating back bacon and voilà, Bob & Doug MacKenzie were born! You nailed it exactly when you said it was watching two random guys talking in their living room, because nobody knew what CBC meant by “Canadian content” so these sketches were kind of throwing shade at CBC…

If you look at the stuff on the table, it's all canadiana. The coleman stove, the cast iron pan, the mess kit, the stubies, and "the pack u smokes." In the town that I live (Edmonton), there is a sculpture of these two. Canadian icons.

Canadians have to poke fun at everything....it makes the winters more bearable. 😂😂😂✌🇨🇦

The most nostalgic thing about these clips for me is this: the classic Canadian stubbie.

Your journey through Canadian comedy will forever be incomplete until you watch THE RED GREEN SHOW. :)

Bob and Doug McKenzie...two of the greatest fictional Scots in Canadian history...apparently they were 'drinking' Labatts in their early segments but Labatts wouldn't supply it free even though it was free advertising so they switched to Molson beer who were quite happy to give them all they wanted...maybe that was the inspiration for their movie, "Strange Brew".

So, I'm about 10-ish years younger than these two, and grew up in southern Ontario where they are also both from. My understanding was that the Canadian version of SCTV had fewer commercial breaks than the American version, and so Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis were tasked with coming up with a couple of minutes of something, and that they were told to, "make it Canadian!” They opted for something lowbrow, and it was hilarious! (or I guess some of us thought so, anyway) A common insult we used to hurl around when I was young was to call someone a "hosebag,” which is a marginally more polite way of saying, "douchebag,” and I always thought that's what they were referring to but cleaned up for TV, when they called each other, "Hoser!” Perhaps, or perhaps not, but it sure was funny. I think it's pretty obvious what the REAL two-word phrase they meant when they said, "take off.” 😉Back bacon (or peameal bacon) is what we always called the stuff that Americans now refer to as Canadian bacon. I remember hearing "Canadian bacon, " for the first time and thinking, "We have our own bacon?!" 🙂

Bob and Doug are definitely Canadian touchstones for mostly the older generations. In the period of time where Rick Moranis was largely taking a break from acting, he and Dave Thomas reunited to portray versions of the Bob and Doug characters in the Disney movie Brother Bear, where they play two moose brothers who tell each other to "trample off" instead of "take off". In addition, my grandma would use the coo-loo-coo call all the time in the summer, brings back great memories.

I did work at the brewers retail in Niagara Falls in the early 2000's and Americans would come in singing the song and asking to buy McKenzie brother souvenirs', not bad for a show that went off the air in 1984.

That was the beauty of growing up in Edmonton in the '80s. Come Monday morning, EVERY kid in the school had watched SCTV on Friday night, and was talking like Bob and Doug! Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis are absolute legends, eh?

I think the "coo-loo-coo-coo" intro call was inspired by the "Hinterland Who's Who" segments that used to be inserted into commercial breaks on the CBC. They were one or two-minute vignettes about Canadian wildlife that started with a mournful flute melody and maybe the call of a loon. As kids we would groan because they interrupted the shows and seemed to go on forever.

It is rumoured that the rest of the SCTV cast resented the success of the Great White North because it was mostly unscripted, and was created as an afterthought to fill some remaining time for the SCTV episode. Then it became the most popular segment. Get your hands on Strange Brew is you can. Hilarious movie!

They are iconic! They even made an album and a movie

Bob and Doug McKenzie Christmas song is one of my all time favourites !

Love SCTV, Kids in the Hall, Canadian Air Farce, Red Green , Trailer Park Boys , This Hour has 22 Minutes , all great comedy. There are other great sitcoms from Canada.

We had 2 minutes less commercial time in Canada and you're correct about it having to be filled with Cdn content. 😂😂

Dave Thomas' brother is the singer Ian Thomas. At least as humourous as Dave. He was a semi regular on The Red Green Show, which needs to be on your list. So many top tier celebs appeared on that show.

Try watching The Red Green show. That was my dad's favourite. That show made Americans think we fix everything with duct tape and wear flannel all the time.

I love how Bob brings up a topic and looks at Doug and says - Go! lol..lol

Canadians love Bob and Doug. Many of us know a Bob or Doug, someone who would wait 2 1/2 hours for someone to take their donut order!!!! They are hilarious. My favourite was the issue about the donut shop parking spaces. Soooo funny. LOL

The McKenzie Brothers, had an audio comedy album, originally on 33LP. It was their serious audio commentary, without the visuals, eh! It did have a song, with Rush vocalist, bass/keyboard Geddy Lee, called "Take Off!" (1981) You could later get this record on CD. The McKenzie Brothers, had a movie, too, eh! It was called "Strange Brew" (1983) The villain, whose Beer brewery altered people's minds, and they got Max von Sydow to portray the character. And, there's an evil Hockey team, too. and the brothers are trapped in a vat of beer, so they drink their way out,...and, ya know, things that Canadians laugh at. Good day.

These guy were huge at the time in Canada and the US. Most white Canadians have some Scottish or Ulster Scot ancestry. Hence Robert and Douglas McKenzie. Douglas was a hugely popular name for boys in the 60’s in Canada.

every Canadian knows that tune....can't graduate unless you do. Also gave us a classic Christmas Carol

Bob and Doug McKenzie were the quintessential Hoser Canadians. They were loved by everyone

Red Green would be a good one to watch in your Canadian comedy series. He had a TV show for quite a while in the late 90s- ish

Every year around christmas, our local radio station makes an effort to squeeze in bob and doug's 12 days of christmas daily.

I remember they did a beer commercial and they had a 53 foot beer trailer hooked to their van. The van was lifted off the front wheels because of the weight. Doug tries to drive but it won't move. He then says "It's like winter conditions eh!" Lol

Bob and Doug were iconic Canadian comedy characters back in the 80's as were the rest of the SCTV cast, many of whom learned their improv skills and graduated from Second City comedy troupe. Bob and Doug made their own movie called Strange Brew (a must see if you like Bob and Doug), put out a Christmas album with a guest appearance from Geddy Lee of Rush, and there was even a Hoser parade held in downtown Toronto featuring Bob and Doug on a beer float. These bring back great memories 🙂

Brought back memories.. I have done the coo coo koo song for my kids. They look at me like I'm strange 😅.. the best is when they did the 12 days of Christmas song. I had a record of the Christmas show with a picture of the brothers on set like you see them on the album cover.

I love those Hosers!

It tickles the cockles of my Canadian heart that you are so in love with so many cultural aspects of this country. I think it's imperative that you spend at least five years tooling around Canada. Cheers mate!

yes yes yes!!!!! i've been waiting with baited breath for this lol a frozen butterball = a frozen turkey (name brand) hoser/houser = loser take off (eh) = eff off also- if you don't know hey made a full length film: Strange Brew.

Okay, kiddies. I lived back then and I will tell you. Hoser (and variations) has nothing to do with losers flooding the hockey rink or any other variations. When we were kids, you couldn't call the other kid 'douchebag' because your mom would wallop you around the head and ears, so 'hosebag' was invented. When Doug and Bob came to SCTV, they weren't allowed even to say 'hosebag', so they invented 'hoser'. And that's how a legend was born.

This was THE iconic Canadian comedy show (skits) of the early eighties. I immigrated here from the UK in 1981 and this was a snapshot parody of Canadian life at that time. Innocent days.

The 12 days of Christmas by Bob and Doug MacKenzie. It's hilarious, with the " partridge in pear tree" being a "beer"

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me a beer...

You really need to see their version of ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’, it is so hilarious!

There's a Bob and Doug McKenzie statue in Edmonton, Alberta where SCTV filmed for a number of years! They are definitely fondly remembered

God love ya fella. I've just started watching your stuff. Why a Scottish guy who lives in Malaysia has taken such an interest in Canada is beyond me, but thanks. I am sixth generation Canadian, but love my Scottish heritage. You've hit on a niche. Can't wait to start watching your take on the Trailer Park Boys.

This show made stars of Andrea Martin, Eugene Levy, Martin Short and of course the Mackenzie Bros. Hilarious comedy.

Dave Thomas is a legend. He also has a brother who is a well known Canadian singer.

I remember there were times when it came near to a commercial break, SCTV would start it off with a commercial skit of their own. I won't ever forget the one where Dave Thomas was "advertising" a microwave oven. My mom was watching with me but didn't realize it was an SCTV commercial, so when Dave went to remove whatever was in the microwave, there was an electrical buzz and Dave came out with a skeleton hand. The funniest thing about this was the absolutely horrified shriek that came out of mom. I think that was the hardest I laughed up to that point in my life. On another note, you might like "Take Off" by Bob and Doug McKenzie with Geddy Lee.

You just might enjoy Wayne and Shuster, two funny men from Toronto who appeared more often on the Ed Sullivan show than any other comedic duo from Toronto up to that time.

I was surprised to see them as Rutt and Tuke when I watched Brother Bear with my daughter. These 2 are awesome! 😂

They took the sterotypes to a new level and it was hilarious. Rick and Dave are Canadian icons❤ 🇨🇦

We LOVED Bob & Doug growing up. I can not remember a particular skit, but the banter was always so fun. My favourite thing was they made an entire movie with Gedde Lee from RUSH singing the theme song "Take Off!" Silly, funny, and we thought it was awesome. Also, it was a thing to call your pals hosers if they did stupid stuff, so that's why Doug (Dave Thomas) calls hus brother hose head or hoser. 😉

So many good skits from SCTV. John Candy as Johnny Lerue or as Magmum PEI. He even hides in a potatoe field! lol. The Schemgy Brothers, John Candy and Euegene Levy. They're crazy accordion-playing brothers! lol. I never missed SCTV when it was on TV in the 70s. You reacting to these makes me have happy memories. Thanks Mert!

Movie Brother Bear they played/voiced the two moose. Sooo 😂, Love em! The dvd had the whole movie with their commentary version. 😊 Love your vids too btw! Cheers!

As well as trying to fit in as many Canadian stereo types as possible, it was also a poke at typical local TV programming of the 70's and 80's.

I believe they ad-libbed all of these segments. As a teenager I had the album which was hilarious. There was also the movie: "Strange Brew"

When this was airing for the first time I was an avid skier. While riding the lift if you started the "woo oook" someone else would finish it! I am Canadian and we consider Bob & Doug absolute icons!

Im not considered "younger gereration" as ill be 39 next month, but i grew up watching these shows and i love seeing them again. Its been many years now. Thanks for the nostalgic throwback to what created the weirdness that is current me. Haha. Hope everyone is taking care

Red Green is another iconic Canadian show that ran from 1991-2006. Every episode had a segment called "handyman corner", where one of the characters tries to fix things like broken fixtures, tractors, etc. by improvising, usually incorporating duct tape, which he thinks is the magic solution to everything lol. Another show is This Hour Has 22 minutes (title was later shortened to "22 minutes"). They're 22 min. comedy episodes of fake news stories, interviews and commercials. Love watching your videos!

Bob and Doug are legends in Canada!

The Great White North was absolutely a response from the SCTV team when they were required to have some distinctly "Canadian Content" on the show, as it was originally a sketch show shot in Toronto for both Canadian and American audiences. They'd been brought out to Edmonton, Alberta by the time TGWN was done (bigger production space), and they said 'we'll give them the most Canadian thing we can think of; two drunk hosers in front of a map of Canada surrounded by camping equipment and beers!" The set was slapped together in a day, and Rick Moranis (Bob McKenzie) and Dave Thomas (Doug Mckenzie) improved their way through the segments, literally using as simple a 'topic' as they could. No one could have guessed this last minute, studio demanded filler segment slapped together would turn into, at the time, the biggest and most recognizable part of the SCTV lineup! They even got to do a feature film; "The Adventures of Bob and Doug McKenzie; Strange Brew"!

Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas recently did a bunch of radio ads as the McKenzie brothers to boycott a new beer tax in Ontario. No tax on beer, eh!

The cast can parody almost anybody with very little make up or props. I suggest if even on your own time to watch full episodes. On a $2000 budget in the beginning to boot. They did everything production wise.

I love them being the voices of the 2 moose in the Disney movie Brother Bear. Such a great fit for them. They acted pretty similar.

Hoser and hose-head are synonymous with ‘loser’. Getting hosed can either mean getting drunk or getting ripped off, i.e., “I really got hosed in that deal.” Loved these guys. Their Twelve Days of Christmas is iconic.

🤣🤣🤣 take off you hoser! Gawd I miss the 80’s. Oh side note, I found a bunch of stubbies in my garage!🤣🫡

I remember when Geddy Lee from Rush was on the Bob n Doug show

Was still a child when SCTV was on into early teens. Being a kid and watching the tvs being thrown and that really amused me the most. This was a Canadian comedy club Second City, put out many great actors who usually went to the US to become more famous. Love the over done canadisms

I grew up with these guys and love them (FYI I am 68). Iconic Canadian. Most of my generation love these guys. They have a movie too.

This, is how things were in the 80's in Canada....

People of my age, Bob and Doug are legends!!! The little koo koo song is something we could sing and the other would instantly recognize. Sadly, I don't think the kids of today would recognize them. I feel this is the framework of Wayne's World from Saturday Night Live!!!

SCTV created and inspired some of the greatest comedians of all time. Absolutely amazing show.

Both these actors received the Order of Canada for helping promote Canadian culture. Legends!

"We have two topics today, back bacon and long underwear..... and they're, like, different topics, eh ?.." Bob always had a flair for the obvious.

Bob and Doug are ICONS!! Lol .. “Hose-head” or “Hoser” were terms used to pretty much say, “you’re an IDIOT!” .. Canadians are still the best at laughing at themselves.. Damn, sure miss those 80s! 🎉❤️😬

Love that you enjoyed Bob & Doug, SCTV was awesome.

Me and my friends used to watch SCTV together every week. It was an event. I will never forget the first time Bob and Doug appeared. We laughed ourselves to tears until our guts hurt. We all owned touques like the ones Bob and Doug wore and we happened to be drinking the same beer they drink. Canadians have always been able to laugh at ourselves, it's just how we are.

Brewers Retail = Beer Store, couple of Butterballs = Frozen Turkeys

Hosehead means you drink beer constantly through a hose and act like it. The show was aired in the USA, too and the States had an extra commercial so those two started this to fill in for Canadian viewers. It became so popular that eventually it was shown in the US as well.

SCTV was on when I was growing up. Starting watching that before SNL. I can remember my drink coming out of my nose when I watch Martin Short play Ed Grimly . The hum he does at the beginning of Great White North is so Iconic. John Candy , Eugene Levy , Katherine O’Hara , so many amazing comedians.

I grew up with SCTV and still laugh at these skits. Love the show, the characters, and the actors!

As previously mentioned, Ian Thomas is Dave Thomas' younger brother. His biggest hit is probably, 'Painted Ladies'. 12 Days of Christmas off of the Mackenzie's Great White North album/cd is great! I think the song, 'Take Off', was released as a single and features Geddy Lee of Rush. Along with SCTV and the Red Green Show, I would recommend taking a peek at Bizarre. Unfortunately, Super Dave Osborne is American (Bob Einstein) but he was hilarious. Also, Bowser and Blue. There is a youtube video of their Canada Day Virtual Covid Concert and at the 43:36 point of the video is a song Mert might quite enjoy -- T'was The Scots That Built This Country.

The entire SCTV was a bunch of little skits done by these great comedians, that was just a segment, there are others lol oh man Eugene Levy, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Rick and Dave seen in this one, Andrea, Martin Short, etc...too funny

They released a rock single on vinyl called "Take off" that was sung and composed by Geddy Lee of Rush fame. There was a 12 days of xmas single released as well that still gets radio play during the season . They did a nutty movie called "Strange Brew" A good laugh, and their first feature film. Beauty way ta go eh?

I’m 54 now and was just a kid when these guys were on. They ended up making a Christmas record of the twelve days of Christmas, huge hit.

Love your reactions! One suggestion, could you turn up the volume on the video you are reacting to? It's often difficult to hear it, although the volume of your voice is perfect.

Another fine piece of trivia, if you watch Disney's "Brother Bear", Rick and Dave reprise their roles as a pair of Moose named Rutt and Tuq. They also did a "director's" Commentary in the bonus material on that movie as well. 90 minutes of craziness. Worth it if you can find it.

SCTV was modeled after a network channel that because of its shady ownership, (Guy Caballero) it put out shows that ended up like community access channel shows. Some notables for me were the sammy maudlin show, count Floyd’s 3D house of horrors, the “guy with the snake on his face” ads

Oh my goodness! They were my favourite part of SCTV ! Loved their 12 Days Of Christmas 😊✌️💕

It’s funny that the creation of Bob and Doug is because the CRTC didn’t feel there was enough Canadian content on SCTV. This is how they addressed that. Damn funny stuff.

I strongly recommend you take a look at some Red Green episodes. Another slant on Canadian deprecating humour. But it's all good.

I envy you seeing Bob and Doug for the first time.❤

I was working with some of my Canadian military brothers and sisters for NATO in Europe. The Canadians came into the dining hall. I greeted them with hey, take off, eh. OMG... Several faces lit up and I was regaled with quotes and lines from the McKenzie brothers for most of the next hour. You could tell what a genuine fondness they had for the special wit and comedy of Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas. Here's to you, comrades. May your heart be light, your sorrows be few, and your mug of Moosehead beer ever full.

"Hoser" is a light level Canadian derogatory insult lol taken in jest, not seriously, same with, "Take Off, Eh?", that means, "Get the f*ck outta here" sort of deal.

Perhaps an introduction to the Trailer Park Boys is in the cards?

Thanks for a great video, love this segment on the show one of my all-time favs. Yes, I've heard it's true that they did drink beer and eat back bacon during filming, it was all unscripted. Also, for those of you that don't know a hosehead or hoser is Canadian slang for a group of people or a person who wears a flannel coat/shirt, toque and talks about nothing really lol, so basically what Americans think of us :D Dave Thomas is hilarious, I've seen him in a few movies or shows, his brother Ian is a famous musician, and yes regular on The Red Green Show, another great Canadian TV show, highly recommend checking it out. I love the Christmas album that they did, 12 Days of Christmas is a classic, we listen to it every year in my house, it's not Christmas without that song.

I saw Bob and Doug live at Ryerson University in Toronto back in 1980 or so. It was Ryerson Polytech when I was there. Hilarious! It was around the time the movie Animal House came out. Needless to say, I never did graduate.