Chances are, at some point during the past 60 years, you’ve sat down to watch an episode of Play School. Perhaps you were one of the very first children to sit cross-legged in front of the television on July 18, 1966, when Play School first appeared on Australian screens, or perhaps you’re now watching it all over again with your grandchildren, singing along to songs you never quite forgot.

Few television shows can claim to have entertained multiple generations of the same family but Play School has done exactly that.

As the beloved ABC institution celebrates its 60th birthday, it remains Australia’s longest-running children’s television program and the second-longest continuously running children’s series in the world, behind only Britain’s Blue Peter.

Over the decades, Play School has had its fair share of controversy and change, yet it has somehow managed to use the same formula to wow and delight children. The presenters still speak directly to children rather than at them, the stories are gentle, the crafts still prove that almost anything can be made from a cardboard box and a roll of sticky tape, and Big Ted continues to be one of Australia’s most recognisable television personalities.

For many Australian actors, landing a role on Play School has long been considered one of the most coveted jobs in children’s television. Generations of viewers have grown up singing with Don Spencer, listening to Benita Collings read stories, dancing with Monica Trapaga, Noni Hazlehurst and George Spartels, and more recently stomping around the lounge room with Justine Clarke, Jay Laga’aia and their grandchildren.

That familiar opening theme, “There’s a bear in there…”, has become far more than just a television song. It instantly transports many Australians back to childhood, when half an hour in front of the television meant entering a magical world where imagination was more important than expensive toys and every ordinary household object had the potential to become something extraordinary.

While countless children’s programs have become louder, faster and more reliant on flashy animation, Play School has stayed true to the simple philosophy that children learn best through curiosity, creativity, music and play. Every episode is carefully developed with early childhood advisers, and despite appearing effortless on screen, each one goes through extensive planning and rehearsal before filming. Even the presenters learn every line by heart, with no autocue in sight.

The show’s producers have always understood that preschoolers don’t need to be overwhelmed with stimulation. Instead, children are encouraged to sing, ask questions, make things, solve problems and use their imagination alongside the presenters.

It’s a formula that has barely changed in six decades.

Ask almost any Australian about Play School and they’ll immediately have an opinion on the windows or the famous clocks.

For decades children eagerly waited to discover whether the episode would open through the round, square or arched window, before the addition of the now-infamous diamond window during a major revamp in 2000. While younger viewers accepted the newcomer without question, plenty of adults still jokingly insist the diamond window doesn’t quite belong.

Then there were the clocks.

Whether your favourite was the flower clock or the rocket clock, watching them slowly reveal the day’s story became one of the most memorable rituals of Australian childhood. Those original props are now preserved in the National Museum of Australia, recognising the important place Play School holds in the nation’s cultural history.

Lastly there are the familiar toys.

Big Ted, Little Ted, Jemima, Humpty, Fergus, Scrap and Hamble have become household names, each with their own devoted fans. While presenters have come and gone over the decades, these familiar faces have remained constants for generations of Australian children.

Perhaps the most remarkable achievement of Play School is that it has never really belonged to just one generation.

Parents who once hurried home from school to catch the afternoon episode later introduced the program to their own children. Now many grandparents find themselves sitting beside grandchildren, singing the very same songs they learned decades earlier.

That sense of shared memory is something very few television programs can claim.

To celebrate its diamond jubilee, the ABC has released a week of special anniversary programming, a behind-the-scenes documentary, a new series titled Party Animals, a dance album featuring classic Play School songs and even ran a nationwide competition inviting children to design a brand-new Play School toy. More than 9,700 entries were received, proving the show’s appeal is as strong as ever.

Television has changed enormously since 1966. Children can now stream thousands of programs on demand, yet somehow Play School continues to have a place in Australian homes.

Sixty years on, there’s still a bear in there, with people and games and Australian’s still have stories to tell.