Fold in the cheese: B.C. man keeps Schitt's Creek legacy going with stop-motion videos, 2 years after finale

Nanaimo, B.C., resident Todd Cameron knew he'd love the sitcom Schitt's Creek from the first episode he watched around five years ago.

"I've never laughed or cried so much to a sitcom in my life," Cameron said over the phone.

The CBC comedy featured actors Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Dan Levy and Annie Murphy, and follows the once-wealthy Rose family in a riches-to-rags plot. 

After the show ended in 2020, Cameron, 47, said he was inspired to honour the series in a creative way.

With the pandemic in full swing and extra time on his hands, he said he combined his love for the show and vintage Fisher Price toys to create a stop-motion video of character Alexis Rose's song, A Little Bit Alexis. 

He posted the video on Twitter and received thousands of likes and retweets.

One of the biggest moments, he said, was when Dan Levy — show writer, producer, director and actor — called the video "a masterpiece."

"It kind of gave me some confidence to just keep going," Cameron said. 

Spreading some of that comedy

Two years on, Cameron still creates fan art dedicated to the show, which he shares through social media accounts under the handle The Little Schitts.

Over six months last year, he built a miniature set replicating some of the show's locations, like the Rosebud Motel and Cafe Tropical.

He also made the show's characters using old Little Tikes Toddle Tots, egg-shaped toy figurines. He says he originally created it for him and his son Jack, 3, to play with, then decided to share photo and video recreations of scenes from the show on social media.

Cameron says he keeps The Little Schitts accounts going because it's a way for him to express his creativity while bringing joy to other fans across the globe. 

"It feels good to know that I'm spreading some of that comedy and that love that I got from the show back out into the world."

Fellow fans of the show say they have connected with Cameron's artwork in a positive way.

Ashley Arndt, who lives in Durham, N.C., says she discovered his work two years ago through Schitt's Creek fan Facebook groups. She says also loves vintage toys, seeing his work makes her happy.

"You feel like it's okay to be a kid and laugh at the little things," Arndt said.

Portland, Ore. resident Dawn Shoppe, moderator of the Fans of Schitt's Creek Facebook group, says Cameron's artwork teaches other fans to embrace their love for the show.

"His work has brought us so much joy, just like the show has," she said.

Pennsauken, N.J. resident Joe Black found Cameron's work through Twitter and says he now uses the app daily to see the latest creations.

Black says he appreciates how Cameron often creates art from lines in the show that people may have forgotten about, and how he takes obscure references from character lines that weren't televised and imagines what they could have looked like.

"He never disappoints me," Black said.

The show, lasting six seasons, drew a cult following, which began in Canada and gradually spread south of the border then across the globe after the series became available on Netflix in 2017. 

Cameron says it can take around two to four hours to recreate a scene to photograph, and up to an additional four hours to create a stop-motion video. 

Despite the countless hours, Cameron says he feels proud to show his son that people can spread positivity through their passions.

"I just really love it."