Here are the children’s shows that had an impact on me growing up.
Sesame Street – Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, Kermit, Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster, Grover – so many great characters teaching kids everything from how to count and how to spell to how to share and how to get along with people.
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood – Fred Rogers may have passed on but his legacy lives on. His kindness and his mission to make children boost their confidence are key hallmarks of his popular show. And his segments in the Land of Make Believe helped kids use their imaginations.
The Electric Company – Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, and Bill Cosby were some of the very talented original cast members on this fun show that also included segments featuring Spider-man, Letterman, the Six Dollar and Thirty-Nine Cents Man, and others. The sketches were hilarious and still hold up today.
The Magic Garden – I used to love this show as a kid. Hosts Paula and Carol would sing catchy folk songs as they mingled with the Chuckle Patch, Sherlock the Squirrel, the Magic Tree, the Story Box, and other fantasy elements.
The Bugaloos – Produced by Sid and Marty Krofft, this was another entertaining kids show that featured a winged musical group (Harmony, Courage, I.Q., and the Britney Spears’ lookalike Joy) who battled the over-the-top wickedness of Benita Bizarre (played with enthusiasm by Martha Raye). It was crazy, it was wacky, but it was lots of fun.
Which kids’ shows were your favorites?
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Eric Lightborn
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Ah memories... R
Personally, I suppose that Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers score a tie.
@Karin: The Friendly Giant. If we're talking about the one with the giraffe.
I watch old episodes on DVD with my kids. Still great stuff!
I was nine when I saw an episode of Mary Tyler Moore at my grandmother's house, and I remember very vividly thinking "Hey, this show's really good!" It's good to know I was right! :-)
(Now I've not only revealed how old I am, but also how lazy I am)
looney tunes are a given.
brady bunch reruns were much loved by me, too.
I still keep my sneakers neatly in a box. And I never take my garbage out at night as I'm always in fear Oscar the grouch will jump out at me.
I'm still not over the fact they changed cookie monsters name to veggie monster! Next they'll be gunnin' for the Easter Bunny- He'll be called Natures Harvest Bunny - he'll leave baskets of fresh organic lettuce, baby carrots, a squash all things kids love to hate.
Whoops! Sorry.... I'll save it for counseling. Thanks for asking -again I watched the real Sesame Street, Mister Rogers Neighborhood and Zoom!
I still keep my sneakers neatly in a box. And I never take my garbage out at night as I'm always in fear Oscar the grouch will jump out at me.
I'm still not over the fact they changed cookie monsters name to veggie monster! Next they'll be gunnin' for the Easter Bunny- He'll be called Natures Harvest Bunny - he'll leave baskets of fresh organic lettuce, baby carrots, a squash all things kids love to hate.
Whoops! Sorry.... I'll save it for counseling. Thanks for asking -again I watched the real Sesame Street, Mister Rogers Neighborhood and Zoom!
http://www.caroleandpaula.com/
too many but to name a few -
Yogi and Booboo, Auggie Doggie and Doggie Daddy, QuickdrawMcGraw and Babaluie and all the WB characters
Soupy Sales
Captain Kangaroo
The Friendly Giant (esp the song)
Romper Room
Mr. Jingles (I think that was the name of it. It was local in metro Detroit)
Shirley Temple's Storybook
And inexplicably, The Loretta Young Show. I guess I thought she was pretty. On the other hand, I watched recently @hulu and it was very childlike.
Bill Nye the Science Guy
Sesame Street (hey a classic is a classic)
Rocky & Bullwinkle (my parents are baby boomers)
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Rugrats
Double Dare
Wild and Crazy Kids
All That
Kenan & Kel
Doug
Clarissa Explains It All
Mickey Mouse Club (the one with the younger versions of Britney and Justin)
Kids Incorporated
Boy Meets World
Fraggle Rock
The Muppet Show
As you can see I was addicted to Nick and Disney as a kid. So sad to see both channels taken over by the crap that's now on (except for "Wizards of Waverly Place." I like that show even if I'm 22).
I didn't appreciate the 3 stooges as a kid. I do now.
And as I got older, countless sitcoms.
I still know all the words to the theme song on My Mother the Car.
Among those, my fave was Bewitched.
Anyone remember I'm Dickens He's Fenster?
Nice to meet ya Nick.
Fun post.
ABC's "After School Specials" - when I worked at an ABC station we called it the "A.S.S. show" - which had some well-intentioned hour long movies that tried to address stuff to kids. Two were helpful to me: "My Mom's Having a Baby" (childbirth) and "What's Happening to Me?" (puberty).
"Hot Dog" - a documentary show that demonstrated how things were made. Jonathan Winters, Jo Anne Worley and Woody Allen did comic commentary. (Come to think of it, that perv Allen talking to kids was a little uncomfortable.)
Now, of course, with no federal laws forcing TV stations to "do the right thing," there are no such programs as these.
Of course, as a 70's divorce child I loved Mr Rogers--as did the amazing Chinese writer Anchee Min!
I don't know if that's accurate, but it is what I have been singing since 1972 when I was 5! I LOVED that show.
Of course, I was on Romper Room, also when I was 5, so I'm partial to that show, too!
Rascals had a major impact on me - one of the characters' names is how I chose my own middle name when I was 10 (long story!).
What fun this is.
But there's no bonding experience quite like taking a 5-year-old to a midnight showing of "Night of the Living Dead."
For my children, David the Gnome, Belle and Sebastian, the Elephant Show.
Gee, even as a child, I knew that falling off a cliff would result in death and that you shouldn't shoot people or make them fall down the stairs, but these days, I guess the Powers That Be believe kids are stupid and don't get it -- so the Roadrunner is A.W.O.L.
I also watched Rockey and Bullwinkle as I waited for the "Fractured Fairy Tales."
More favorites: The Little Rascals (re-runs of course,) Johnny Quest. Oh Gosh, I think I should stop, because younger people probably are feeling a little cheated about now... (Rated for fun)