The penultimate episode of season three of ABC sitcom “Abbott Elementary” heavily featured Smith Memorial Playground in East Fairmount Park, writes Kristen Hunt for PhillyVoice.

In the episode, the principal and teachers chaperone a field trip to the playground.

However, in reality, viewers were instead seeing a set that was created on the soundstages of Los Angeles.

Frances Hoover, the executive director of Smith Memorial Playground, said the “Abbott Elementary” production team used a West Coast playground as a stand-in for the Philadelphia site and recreated Smith Memorial’s iconic wooden slide with her help.

It was a collaboration that started in February, after a crew member walked into Philadelphia facilities asking for the original architectural drawings of the slide and its paint color.

From then on, the show’s production crew and playground staff continued exchanging information and reviewed a script before the episode was filmed. The cast, however, never set food on the grounds.

“Abbott Elementary” star and creator, Quinta Brunson, was key in making the partnership happen.

“Quinta actually has memories of playing at Smith Playground,” Hoover said. “So it’s my understanding that it was an idea that she put forth as a place that meant a lot to her growing up.”

Read more about the recent “Abbott Elementary” episode in PhillyVoice.

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