They yell all the time! Every emotion is shock, horror, or some kind of perpetual (fake) joy. Every line in the show is in that tone of voice that patronizing adults use with small children.
"Which one is the big yellow flower?!"
"noooooooooot that one!"
"is it (pause) thiiiiiiis one?"
"YAY! THE BIG YELLOW FLOWER! LA FLORA AMARILLA!"
and then they walk around a bit more and get in sudden danger.
"OH NO! A T-REX!"
"WHAT SHOULD WE DO?!? A T-REX!"
and then they say something totally inane like,
"LOOK! THE COMPUTER TRAIL GUIDE TELLS US THAT A T-REX CAN'T SEE YOU IF YOU HOLD STILL!"
thus propagating some fake science on top of it all.
What ever happened to Mr. Rogers? He was so nice and calm and soothing. He never yelled at me or told me how to say "Jurrasic Park is a valid scientific source" in Spanish.
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
That's funny. That was Porter's reaction to Dora too, that they are yelling all the time--basically that their normal "talking" voices are yelling. It was weird because I didn't think of it that way.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
Mr. Rogers was my favorite when I was little. Though I kept getting confused when I wanted to see the movie Mr. Roberts (starring Harry Fonda) and would be unable to remember which one was Mr. Rogers and which was Mr. Roberts...
Hobbes Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
I like a lot of children's programming. I like Blue's Clues, Sesame Street, Teletubbies. Dora isn't educational or entertaining. It's just loud!
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
You should get teh Nova channel, that's great programming for kids, nothing but Nova programs!
(I wish there was a Nova channel )
Hobbes Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:What ever happened to Mr. Rogers?
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust...
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
I have often thought there is not enough Nova in the world. If there were a "Nova Channel", I would watch it. Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
quote:You should get teh Nova channel, that's great programming for kids, nothing but Nova programs!
Oh man, you got my hopes up there for a minute.
The Discovery Channel used to be great, but now it's the True Crime Channel. I really wish they had a Nova Channel.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
I'm pretty sure you don't get the cooking channel, but if you do, you should totally watch that, everyone young and old loves the cooking channel!
Well not everything on it, Emril for instance is one of the 4 horseman...
Hobbes Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
I don't like Dora the Explorer for that exact reason. Of course I don't like Bob the Builder for being the exact opposite(its too quiet and calm)...........but it doesn't really matter..............what we need is another old guy who sings while tying his shoes...........anyone up for the job???
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Hey now, Emeril rocks! He is the quintessential Rhode Islandah Posted by Trisha the Severe Hottie (Member # 6000) on :
Why don't you just tape Nova whenever it is on?
I don't know, there is something about tuning in to see a show when it is on.
Nova Channel. Bah. Couldn't you have made that lie funny somehow?
Posted by Trisha the Severe Hottie (Member # 6000) on :
Oh, yeah- Dora promotes the pagan practice of worshipping in groves on hilltops.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
OK, the weirdest of all is the Poombahs, or something. WHAT ARE THEY??? They make Teletubbies look like folks you would have over for dinner.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
I believe they're a sort of tribal version of Teletubbies?
I don't know which are creepier!
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
[ January 15, 2005, 01:23 PM: Message edited by: Elizabeth ]
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Yes, I guess something that appears to be peeking out of its own torso is quite creepy. No wonder they don't talk, they don't have mouths!
Posted by newfoundlogic (Member # 3907) on :
Apparently all you have to do to stop someone from stealing your things is to yell a derivative of their name that means to steal and tell them not to do it.
And all songs must consist of about three words or less. For example : "I'm the map."
Why do little kids like watching this stuff? I swear I didn't when I was younger.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Ha ha! So they communicate by farting. What language is that, do you know?
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
I'm sorry, but that's funny.
In a really sad way.
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
quote:What ever happened to Mr. Rogers?
He died. So far as we are aware at this time, that precludes his making any more shows.
I do agree, though, that Mr. Rogers was excellent children's programming. I watched it all the time, along with Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow, and Square One Television.
I don't watch contemporary children's programming, because there are no children living in my home. So for the most part, I'm not forced to see what any of it is like. My sister does have children, and they seem to enjoy Dora. What little I've seen of it bugged the crap out of me. Dora does yell too much, and that bloody map song . . . argh!
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
I've never seen Dora, but a little girl I babysit loves it. Maybe because Dora looks like her, and speaks a bit of spanish, maybe just because it has bright colors. Sophia is almost 3 and was adopted from Guatamala in fall of 2002.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Hmmm, as a kid I didn't really like children's programming. The only one I loved was Reading Rainbow, but I was always very confused about how Geordi could see.
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
NFL, I agree that "Dora" has an amazing lack of basis in reality, even when compared to the fluffy Saturday morning cartoons we used to watch.
It also seems like a lot of children's educational shows are so dumbed down. Sesame Street is a prime example. I think I would still enjoy watching the episodes I loved as a kid. Now they are just innane. Everything has to follow a boring pattern. Ugh. Before you never knew what you were getting.
No doubt today's children's ed programs entertain and hold their interest, but I don't think they teach much. Are kids stupider this generation? I don't think so.
Blue's Clues seems to send really mixed messages as to what age level it is for. As far as I'm concerned, Teletubbies teaches that if you make a mess, someone else will clean it up for you. And Boobah is supposed to get children to be active while watching, since apparently they were too mesmerized by Teletubbies. But they are *more* mesmerized by Boobah, not less! They don't "get up and dance" with the Boobahs as intended. Nah, they just laugh at them.
Posted by Trisha the Severe Hottie (Member # 6000) on :
Stave it off, 1,2,3 and now you can count to three.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I miss Reading Rainbow. I loved the flying pig story and the one about the Russian easter eggs. Shocking that I still remember those. I also used to watch Mr. Rogers but HATED that speedy delivery guy because he was very, very annoying. I did like the trolley alot and the owl that liked Ben Franklin. Arthur and Berenstein Bears are kind of cool. I really liked the Arthur books a lot when I read them to kids in Americorps. In fact, I liked the books more than the kids did.
Stave it off!
[ January 15, 2005, 02:08 PM: Message edited by: Synesthesia ]
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Boohbahs look like really fat belly dancers with veiled faces.
I loved Sesame Street, but even Sesame Street is overproduced now. When I was in HS, I loved watching Noggin-- non-stop re-runs of classic kids' programming!
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
We don't have Noggin, but from what I have seen, Oobie is amazingly mesmerizing and soothing to the soul....
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Boobahs look scary. Especially the toys Creepy. Posted by Zamphyr (Member # 6213) on :
@Hobbes - Henry Fonda Made lots of good movies
Harry Fonda was an early 20th century California landscape artist.
Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
I loved Mr Rogers as a kid. But I always laugh when I think about it now. I mean, how can it be a beautiful day in the neighborhood when you've got 150 factories in the same town? But for the most part, I'm glad they had the foresight to change Mr. Rogers's name from Fred McFeely to Mr. Rodgers (And they decided to name the mailman Mr. McFeely, for some odd reason.) For some reason, I don't think Mr. McFeely's Neighborhood would have made it past the parent radar
As for Boobah...Did anyone else get the idea that maybe Homestar Runner got ripped off with that show? I mean, in silhouette, those things TOTALLY look like Pom-Pom.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Oh, I miss Square One! You know what else was great? 3-2-1 Contact.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
I always used to get super excited about MathNet.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
"This story is a fib."
Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
Square one was the bomb I always looked forward to Mathman.
Mathman, mathman, mathman.
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
I always loved the songs they'd come up with.
[sings]Probability, don't you mess with me. Help me make the most of a chaaaance. . .[/sings]
[sings]I night, the stars were glowin', II hearts were overflowin', III woooooords. . .[/sings]
[sings]Nine, nine, nine. That crazy number nine. Times any number you can find, it all comes back to nine![/sings]
[sings]One million is big, one billion is bigger. One thousand times one million. That's one billion![/sings]
I really wish they'd put Square One back on the air. Or at least release it on DVD. Now that was a show that was always educational and never condescending. Unquestionably, one of the finest children's programs ever produced.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Hmmm, I always hated square one because it always (and still does) bothered me when each scene is not connected to the others (yes, I am not a SNL fan).
But I loved Mathnet, probably because I was a Dragnet fan as a kid.
[ January 15, 2005, 02:44 PM: Message edited by: MyrddinFyre ]
Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
I still remember the palindrome song. Not the words, just the fact that they had a palindrome song, and that I will always remember what a palindrome is because of it.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
quote:One million is big, one billion is bigger. One thousand times one million. That's one billion!
I remember that to this day! Wasn't it Run DMC who was singing it? That little rhyme comes in so handy. I think it was that same episode that taught me: one million seconds is 11 days. One billion seconds is 32 years.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I met Mr. Rogers when I was a kid...I was too shy to talk to him (if you can imagine that, me being shy... ) like the other kids, but at the end of the plane ride he came over to me and gave me a picture of himself, signed, and shook my hand.
Mr parents grew up in the same general area he was from, and my mom recently told me that they knew people in the neighborhood, and that Mr. Rogers was on of the kindest and most unassuming people they had ever met, and that everyone in the neighborhood thought he was great.
It restored my faith in PBS a bit to know that he was the same in RL as he was on his show...a man who adored children and wanted nothing from them but to help them learn and grow.
He is sorely missed.
Kwea
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
"I ain't got no body" Talking heads. hee! I thought it was "Help me make the ghost of a chance... *wonders why I still remember all these things*
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
The chorus ran:
Probability Don't you mess with me Help me make the most of a chance Maybe win or lose Still, I've got to choose Long as there's a ghost of a chance
Or something very similar, anyway. How's that for a why-on-earth-do-you-remember-that moment?
[ January 15, 2005, 03:49 PM: Message edited by: Verily the Younger ]
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I still remember the Bionix Six Theme
Bionic Bionix six, oooo oooo. We stand together, we fight for right. ect Or the Thundercat's theme... And a host of other stuff like that. My brain is the Encyclopaedia Esoterica, it's an attic of useless things.
Posted by Dobbie (Member # 3881) on :
I met Mr. McFeely last year.
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
quote: Well not everything on it, Emril for instance is one of the 4 horseman...
Let's see, I'm guessing he's not Famine.....
I have not seen Boobah, but I hear it makes you stupider, faster, than Teletubbies. Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
Emeril? He's Pestilence, if you ask me.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Hater.
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
I wouldn't mind Emeril so much if he'd expand his vocabulary beyond twenty words. Even Saturday Night Live doesn't fall back on worn out catchphrases as often as he does.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
Annie: We hate the yelling too. Jes makes fun of it all the time. At bedtime he says in this falsetto: "Goodnight kids! Sleep good in your beds! Where are the beds?! Past the door, on the floor, next to the closet! Door! Floor! Closet!"
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
quote: I wouldn't mind Emeril so much if he'd expand his vocabulary beyond twenty words.
Like I said, the quintessential Rhode Islandah. Gotta love it.
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
Rhode Islanders speak in catchphrases instead of original thoughts? I didn't know that.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Duh.
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
bev, the "dumbing down" is intentional. For most of its existence, Sesame Street was aimed at 4-5 year-olds, due to the way society was set up in the 60s and 70s (Big Bird is supposed to be a 5 year-old). Very few kids had any formal education before going to kindergarten then, so Sesame Street was designed to fill the gap, and help bring the kids watching to a level where they weren't seriously behind their peers in kindergarten. With the advent of pre-school/nursery school, Sesame Street has made a decision to move to a younger (3-year-old) demographic (See: Elmo), since pre-school generally brings kidds to a decent level prior to elementary school. This is related to me by my fiancee who just read the autobio of the guy who plays Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.
Dora is designed to stimulate multiple intelligences. Which is good, if you believe in that sort of thing.
-Bok
Posted by Ralphie (Member # 1565) on :
Luuuurved MathNet as a kid.
Posted by mothertree (Member # 4999) on :
Boobah and Teletubbies are made by the same company for different age groups. TT is for 1-2 year olds and BB is for 3-4 year olds. At least the BB dancers have more precision than the TTs.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
The children's tv I grew up on was a show in England called Blue Peter. It's been running for upwards of 40 (50 even?) years and it's basically four adults who go out to places and do things. They are enthusiastic, but not over the top.
They have people who come in (scientists, performers of all types of the arts, atheletes, dog trainers, you name it) and show what they do. They try to appeal to a wide age group (2-12). I believe it is the most popular children's show in Britain, or it was nine years ago.
They also go overseas to Africa and Asia and show what life is like there, on camera. They hold money-raising events and show the bring-and-buy sales that children and schools hold. Every summer they take a trip overseas to somewhere. The Canada series was funny.
In the studio, it's all live. In one classic episode, one of the presents made a terrible terrible pancake.
These are adults retaining their dignity, not leaping up and down the screen in a tiny colourful box, not making a fool of themselves. They do adult things that children are interested in; car driving, inventions, performing, sky diving.
If a child did something fantastic, like winning an international chess competition, they would either write or be invited to the show.
For some reason, this idea never caught on in America or Canada, yet it is what I believe teh heart of Children's TV should be. Not being "educational" or "moral", not intentionally, anyway.
I hope Blue Peter never ends, because it is really something special.
Now, if you turn on the television in Canada, more than half the tv shows are either Australian or British. More than half! None are quite like Blue Peter, but they all retain a certain childlike dignity that many shows do not.
Blue Peter is a link to the website. It has changed somewhat, but not too much, I hope.
EDIT: This competition is an example of the integrated power that has been gained. Children get to design a design that, if it wins, would really go on a plane. A real plane. Imagine; who wouldn't be thrilled about a proposition like that?
[ January 15, 2005, 07:23 PM: Message edited by: Teshi ]
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
Yep, yep, Bok is right about Sesame Street. I remember all the hoopla when they decided to gear it toward the younger age group. They deliberately put less randomness and more "patterns" into it because of the age group they're trying to reach.
Operaetta, who's 6, LOVES Mr. Rogers. She asked me if he was still alive and I just couldn't tell her that he wasn't. Only time I've ever lied to one of my kids.
space opera
Posted by Uhleeuh (Member # 6803) on :
Any mentions of the Wiggles yet? They were pretty popular with my oldest niece a few years ago but no one else in my house could stand them. Just say to the Wiggles. Posted by Joldo (Member # 6991) on :
Whatever happened to grandparents on TV? The shows I watched, Mr. Rogers, Lamb Chop, the people were like you're grandparents. They didn't try to make learning fun by being patronizing and making it colorful. They didn't talk down to you. The learning part, they just showed something to you and seemed genuinely interested in it, and because they were interested you were too. And they were so human, not just in the they're not animated sense. You could see yourself going over to their house and getting some juice and cookies.
And then there was Reading Rainbow and Wishbone, which I also loved. I miss those.
Imagine Wishbone saying "The enemy's gate is down".
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
My big problem with Sesame Street is not the "dumbing down" per se; it's the overproduction. Example: in the early 70's, a segment encouraging little kids to dance consisted of Paul Simon, with a guitar, sitting on the stoop and playing "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" with a big grin on his face, and a bunch of little kids dancing however they felt like. (On a side note, if I ever had to choose to meet a celebrity and ask him/her one question, I have no hesitation: it would be Paul Simon, and the question would be, "What in the heck is 'Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard' about?") A recent segment encouraging little kids to dance consists of a song specifically describing what it means to dance (everyone can do it, you move your body to the music, etc.), while shots of little kids doing very "directed" dance moves are intercut with animation of dancing, etc. I much prefer the former.
Posted by WheatPuppet (Member # 5142) on :
Did nobody else watch Bill Nye the Science Guy? Or Mr. Wizard? That and the discovery channel, back when they were "All Nature Shows... All the Time!"
I soo wanted to be a scientist when I grew up... except I grew up and realized I have a rare and untreatable condition wherein lab experiments produce completely inexplicable results. For instance, in my test cases, falling bodies accelerate at 5.31 meters/s/s rather than the normal 9.8m/s/s.
My little sister watches "Dora the Explorer", and I thought it was stupid, but there is certainly worse. She watches a show called "Dragon Tales", which is basically a poorly developed vehicle for drilling MORALITY(tm) into the minds of small children. I don't have a problem with teaching life lessons, but I've seen six episodes wherein the jist of the show was to be truthful. The other three were about not stealing or something. It seemed like a waste of time. The dragons were even really stupid looking, as if the art style needed to be dumbed down for the target audience.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Mr. Wizard ruled. It was on right before You Can't Do That on Television.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I loved those shows! And this weird show with this guy and this dude dressed like a rat, very amusing show. Mr. Wizard taught me that people are longer than they are tall and when you mix baking soda and water and salt interesting things happen. ALSO 321 Contact taught me that crystals grow.
Posted by mothertree (Member # 4999) on :
It sounds like Reading Rainbow is a similar standard to Blue Peter, though it is focused on books. And when they had the Star Trek alumni on a quiz show, Levar Burton actually won. I don't see how he could have not with all the work he does on Reading Rainbow.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote: She watches a show called "Dragon Tales", which is basically a poorly developed vehicle for drilling MORALITY(tm)
It seems like most tv for children/ book series' are all about morality. Each story seems to sneak a little hint of "what you're supposed to do" into it. It's as if many writers are unable to complete a plot without some spark of deliberate moral lesson (not the kind that just is, but one that is strategically placed) entering the story.
Also, moral correctness becomes supreme over everything else. In an episode of George Shrinks (small boy who is about the size of a mug who lives with the normal sized rest of his family) George organises a hockey team. He is the coach.
Throughout the practices and games of the plot the same ideas are repeated again and again, and they are almost rediculous. The kid who is monumentally bad at playing hockey finds his contribution to it is something absurd that has nothing to do with hockey, and no likely actual effect on the team. He exclaims "I've found my strength!" When the team looses, instead of being unhappy or disappointed they skate around shouting "we had so much fun!"
(I can almost imagine the child who dislikes hockey searching and searching, instead of leaving the ice and finding something different to be good at. I can imagine a different child seeing a scoreboard and feeling sad but feeling like he is bad to be disappointed.)
Heaven forbid a child should feel upset, or someone should not be fulfilled in hockey. Instead of dealing with these issues in a way that was realistic (for instance, the team is disappointed, but has improved and had a good time anyway) the writers have gone out of their way to be so morally correct that what happens is laughable.
I'm not sure what the effect of such totally mixed messages set in such an inconceivable plotline has on a child, but it can't be constructive.
Posted by mothertree (Member # 4999) on :
I decided I'd had enough of Clifford after watching the "Harvest Day" episode. They were very clear that this was a 4 day weekend in November where they go to Grandma's and eat turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie, but it's not Thanksgiving.
I have been amazed at how little instruction in letters and numbers there is, apart from Sesame Street and sometimes Barney. My son learned his letters from playing Blasterball 2.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Clifford? Ugh. I hate the Clifford books. Now, Franklin is not so bad, it's rather cute, a turtle! Arthur's nice. Little Bear makes no sense because little bear has no clothes, everyone else does. Why is that? *obsessed with picture books*
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Political correctness is another issue, but if in real life it's okay for some people to celebrate one holiday, and others to celebrate another, how come "Thanksgiving" can't be explained as something "some people do and others don't", instead of pretending everyone does, and everyone calls it something confusing.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
quote: And this weird show with this guy and this dude dressed like a rat, very amusing show.
Beakman's World, I think it was called.
Posted by WheatPuppet (Member # 5142) on :
quote:I have been amazed at how little instruction in letters and numbers there is, apart from Sesame Street and sometimes Barney.
There used to be a show--maybe it's still on--on PBS called "Between The Lions". That show is really great. It has a lot of the letters and numbers stuff in it, presented in a very "sesame street" way.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
You like Between the Lions?
Really?
You think it's like Sesame Street?
Wow.
I don't like it much.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
HEY! I love Between the Lions!
It's not like Sesame Street -- it's like Sesame Street USED to be.
Posted by mothertree (Member # 4999) on :
I don't trust between the Lions because it has Dr. Ruth on it. In the 80's, she used to have a sex therapy show on cable. There are a lot of 80's references like Gawain's word, which is clearly based on Wayne's world. What the hey?
And then there is the potato private eye, where they poke fun at parents who set the channel to PBS and then walk away assuming everything is fine. It's just too creepy for me.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I don't know what it is.
Maybe it's the name, but I just can't stand to watch more than 3 minutes of that show.
*thinks*
I know-- it's the voices. Go figure. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Ruth Westheimer did a series of ads for Triscuits, too. I still eat THOSE. *shrug*
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
It's not logical.
It's just me. Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
For all that I hated it, my daughter loves Boobah. Thank goodness she doesn't get to watch it. It's awful.
And I agree about Dora. But I also dislike Calliou. It seems to me to be an instruction video for toddlers on how not to act. And is really intended to not-so-subtly teach parents how they're supposed to discipline their children. Yuck.
I do like Arthur, Clifford, and don't outright hate DragonTales. My favorite is Jakers!. I love that show.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote: But I also dislike Calliou. It seems to me to be an instruction video for toddlers on how not to act. And is really intended to not-so-subtly teach parents how they're supposed to discipline their children. Yuck.
YES! I only watched this a couple times, but it was just awful. Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
quote:Did nobody else watch Bill Nye the Science Guy?
Meh. I thought it was just a cheap "Beakman's World" knockoff. I mean, I'm sure it wasn't. I'm sure it was a completely different kind of show that would also have been valuable to me. But give me a break; I was just a kid. I had watched "Beakman's World" for so long by the time Bill Nye came along that I figured, at the time, that Bill Nye was just a wannabe. My loss, no doubt, but there you have it.
quote:(On a side note, if I ever had to choose to meet a celebrity and ask him/her one question, I have no hesitation: it would be Paul Simon, and the question would be, "What in the heck is 'Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard' about?")
You wouldn't be the first to ask him that. Here's a link that may be of interest. It includes an excerpt from a written interview and an excerpt from a different, audio interview where he explains it. Don't click the link if you want the mystery preserved.
Incidentally, does anyone remember the "Reading Rainbow" episode where LeVar Burton took us behind the scenes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and showed us how they make the show? Man, that was awesome!
Posted by margarita (Member # 6856) on :
I watched the "Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor" DVD the other week, and it was quite an experience. It's amazing to me now how much the same man he was on television and in real life. It had a bunch of footage from some of his earlier shows, and other things he'd worked on, as well as the various interviews he did.
What really got to me, though, was watching him testify before a Senate subcomittee when public television was slated to have its funding cut by twenty million (billion? surely not) dollars. Very moving - he somehow convinced them, in six minutes, not to cut funding to public television - and a considerable portion of what he said was just the lyrics of a classic Mr. Rogers song!
Really wonderful. If you get a chance to see the DVD, don't pass it up.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
At Christmas my sister-in-law gave me a crate of old kids video's she doesn't need anymore. In them were a bunch of "Thomas The Train" videos. I thought great, Sasha will love this being a 4 year old boy.
They were the WORST storytelling I've ever experienced. The plots have no arc, the jokes and lessons have no timing, and the whole thing put me to sleep.
I do like the Wiggles. They encourage kids in front of the TV to dance and move--EXERCISE!!!! (that was a Dora yell).
BBCA had on a silly show doing a take off of the Telle-Tubbies and other famous Brits. In one episode they introduce a Tubby. He is sad. Why? Because their show is aimed at only 2 year olds, who have very short memories, why they only need 15 shows. Poor Tubby, we have those shows on tape, so Tubby no longer has a job. Bye-Bye Tubby.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Thanks, Verily. But he doesn't really explain it, he just says he doesn't really remember what the heck was going through his head. The things you learn on Hatrack. At least I learned I'm on track with what Truman Capote always thought it was about. Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
Yeah. It is kind of anti-climactic, after years of hearing and being intrigued by the song, thinking surely there must be some fascinating meaning behind this. Then you find out the whole meaning is that he liked the phrase "Me and Julio" and wrote a bunch of words around it without really worrying about whether they meant anything. Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
*mourns the passing of Bill Nye the Science Guy*
Right when I started watching and loving this show, they took it off the air. I was in my early 20's. Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Canadians take note!
Did anyone watch the Giant's Castle(I think that was what it was called, or Mister Dress-up???
Sara, ask your husband!
(I grew up in the Adirondacks, and we had Canadian TV.)
Posted by Alucard... (Member # 4924) on :
My 2 year old daughter is getting heavily repeated doses of (on DVD) Kiki's Delivery Service , Spirited Away , and Hellboy , which she loves. She also likes WWE Wrestling.
But when my wife lets her watch TV, she puts on the Wiggles for her, or as a last resort, Hello Kitty DVDs
[ January 16, 2005, 01:47 PM: Message edited by: Alucard... ]
Posted by Lisha-princess (Member # 6966) on :
Mathnet was my very most favorite thing when I was a kid. It was the greatest. I loved Square One in general too. And I loved Mr. Rogers (I had a fish last year named Mr. Rogers...he died. ), Sesame Street (The No Song!), and all that stuff. I was a huge fan of Reading Rainbow, but I don't like the newer ones. They're totally bizarre. Ha, and last year I took a math class and my TA reminded me of Levar Burton, so every morning, at 7:30am, only half-awake, I hummed the theme song to myself.
Did anyone watch Today's Special? I was a big fan of that too, and Zoobilly Zoo (?), Shining Times Station, and the World of David the Gnome. Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
Okay, wow. Turns out Bill Nye is anything but a wannabe. He graduated from Cornell University--having studied under Carl Sagan--with a degree in mechanical engineering.
Beakman, on the other hand, has no formal training in science at all. He's obviously interested in science, but he is certainly no scientist.
Bill Nye is a mechanical engineer. Beakman is a political satirist. Now I guess I know who the wannabe is. Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
If there was a movie about Bill Nye, I was thinking Bob Saget would be the perfect choice.
Posted by MEC (Member # 2968) on :
Both Beakman and Bill Nye started about the same time, at most a year apart. I watched more Bill Nye because I didn't like Beakman's World, I don't remember why though.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote: "Thomas The Train"
Is this the America version of Thomas the Tank Engine? A Blue steam train with a face on the front who runs on a branch line?
Were they narrated? Who by? It's a book series, I believe, turned into a tv series. The films I'm thinking of are narrated by Ringo Starr (as in the Beatles).
If they are the same, I can only think you watched a shoddy re-make version. I love Thomas the Tank Engine.
A Train to one who fell into a ditch because of his pride and arrogance:
"I smell a smell. A musty sort of smell. It's ditchwater!"
Pure genius I hope we aren't talking about the same thing.
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
Looking at the Wikipedia articles for "Bill Nye the Science Guy" and [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beakman%27s_World]"Beakman's World"[/url], it seems Bill Nye's show is actually older, though not by much. So why had I never heard of Bill Nye until I was already an established Beakman fan? And why do I remember myself as having been younger than I was when those shows came along? I could swear I was watching Beakman when I was eleven, but according to Wikipedia, the show didn't exist yet. Very mysterious.
Edit: And why isn't the link to the Beakman page working? Very mysterious.
I don't know what "Thomas the Train" is, but I know we had that same "Thomas the Tank Engine" show here, with Ringo Starr as the tiny little conductor. (I want to say George Carlin also played that role sometimes, but I might just be imagining things.) I never watched it, though, so I couldn't say if it was any good.
[ January 16, 2005, 03:10 PM: Message edited by: Verily the Younger ]
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
George Carlin did, in fact, narrate "Thomas the Tank Engine."
My son, who is eight, finally said it was OK to retire his Thomas sheets. He had four train birthdays(2, 3, 4, 5) in a row. He loved him some Thomas.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote: tiny little conductor.
In England the station master is called the Fat Controller. I've forgotten what he is called here, but it not that, hee hee.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
No, the controller is different than the tiny dude. The tiny dude pops in and out, the Fat Controller is sort of a despotic railroad tycoon.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Yeah, the quote was somewhat misplaced...
Is he called the Fat Controller here, too then? I could have sworn...
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Alisha, I think you're me. Honestly - no one else has ever heard of Zoobily Zoo. We used to watch it all the time, and one time one of my friends insulted me rather harshly by saying "Stop being so bossy! Geez... you're just like Bravo the Fox!"
My siblings love Dragon Tales, and I don't really mind it, but I don't think they learn much from it. Heaven knows they don't learn any of the Spanish - I tried the other day to say "Hola ninos! Como estais?" and they stared at me blankly. They did, however, laugh uproariously when I improvised a new version of the magic dragon words:
I wish, I wish With all my heart To know if dragons Have fiery farts. Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Teshi, I don't think he is called that on the show, but he is in the book. Let me check. It is swirling around my brain, but I can't remember. It is more PC than The Fat Controller, for sure.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Sir Topham Hat!!!!!!
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
quote:Honestly - no one else has ever heard of Zoobily Zoo.
I've heard of it. I've never seen it, and wouldn't recognize a clip from it if I saw one. But I've heard the name. You know, if that counts. Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Nothing counts coming from you, Verily. You preferred Beakman to Bill Nye!
( )
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
Only because I knew Beakman first.
I also preferred Colonel Potter to Colonel Blake. I laugh at those who say otherwise! Posted by MidnightBlue (Member # 6146) on :
The only thing I remember from Beakman was that there was a segment on digestion or swallowing or something, and Beakman was like "I need a bunch of saliva to show you this on this life-sized model," and the rat guy handed over a large jar of what was supposed to be spit. Eeewww. I didn't like Bill Nye because from about sixth grade on whenever a science teacher didn't feel like teaching they would put in a Bill Nye video.
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
quote:Imagine Wishbone saying "The enemy's gate is down".
I love Wishbone.
Oh, my favorite has to be Zooboomafoo. The Kratt Brothers don't talk down to kids, they learn lots about nature with some ecological awareness thrown in, plus it's NOT a cartoon. (No other reasons, of course )
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
quote: The only one I loved was Reading Rainbow, but I was always very confused about how Geordi could see.
::suddenly feels very, very old::
-o-
I always wondered how Kunta Kinte got free . . . and how he got into space, for that matter . . .
Posted by Lisha-princess (Member # 6966) on :
Can I just mention the fact that I hated Eureka's Castle? I don't remember why exactly, but I hated it to the point of hysterics if I had to watch it. *shudders*
Annie-- I don't know how people survived their childhoods without Zoobilee Zoo. Actually, most of what I remember about it is loving it dearly, I don't remember a lot about the show itself. I was only a year old when it aired, so we must have rented the episodes. PLus, I always get it confused in my head with the episode of the Cosbys when Olivia makes a make-believe world where she's the bossy princess, or something like that. I do remember Talkatoo Cockatoo though, and I was a big fan. :-)
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Yes yes yes yes yes, Ben Vereen was on that! He was a leapard or something
By the way, it was Rudy that made up that world. *nerd*
[ January 16, 2005, 06:06 PM: Message edited by: Synesthesia ]
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Does anyone remember Pinwheel? It's one of those really vague, very young memories. All I remember is the theme song ("Pinwheel, pinwheel, spinning around. Look at my pinwheel and see what I've found...") and a little cartoon short where these rabbits would spin their ears around like helicopters and fly around.
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
quote: (No other reasons, of course [Blushing] )
Ho, ho, ho! I hear ya sister. Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
I remember Pinwheel! But does anyone remember a show called "Readalong"? I have even done internet searches for it and found *nothing*. There was a character named "Boot". I was pretty young, and I don't remember a lot. It was my first exposure to "Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar".
Edit: Strangely enough, I did a search just now and did find out that it was a Canadian show. There was Granny and Pretty too....
[ January 16, 2005, 06:28 PM: Message edited by: beverly ]
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
Ooo, for those of you who absolutely *loved* "The Great Space Coaster", check out this site! It has some video clips that will really take you back. Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
You know what else was great? Slim Goodbody!
*slinks into pure nostalgia mode*
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Pinwheel taught me that if I start talking entirely in rhyme I should say the word "orange" over and over. You know what's one of the best shows ever? The Magic School Bus.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote: You know what else was great? Slim Goodbody!
*slinks into pure nostalgia mode*
YES!
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
"::suddenly feels very, very old:: I always wondered how Kunta Kinte got free . . . and how he got into space, for that matter . . . "
ha ha ha!!!
Oldtimer her laughing her buns off.
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
I think I had a crush on Mr. Goodbody. Ick. How sick and wrong is that?
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Well Bev, at least we know your love wasn't just skin-deep.
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to the Wiggles. ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
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