Sesame Street and Mister Rogers

I was flipping through kids shows the other day when I had some free time--and everything I saw on TV was junk.

I was thinking the other day how great things seemed in the days of classic Sesame Street and Mister Rogers. Even 1-2-3 contact and the Electric Company were great compared to the stuff they have on now. When they took the cameras out on the street and did field trips, everything seemed so much brighter and happier, but it was real--except for the Muppets of course. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Now everything seems so artificial and staged. If it's not a cartoon, it's a big stage production with lots of overacting kids. If it's not that, then it's cartoon violence.

Don't get me wrong, there are some interesting shows for kids now days (Dora the Explorer and some others), and I'm sure that they are educational, but they just don't seem as good as the ones I grew up with.


And when I was a kid a loaf of bread was a quarter, a stamp was half of that and the sky was more blue and the grass was greener...
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

I miss being a kid. But then again, I've got better (and more expensive) toys.

well big bird was real i hope.and snuallocus and the count

Yea, Sesame street has lost much of it's "edge" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif as far as I'm concerned. I learned to read at a very young age watching that show, but they don't seem to teach much anymore. LIke public school they are more concerned with feeding your self image rather than your actual education. But I could be wrong, it never appealed much to my daughter who was already above the foibles of the characters by the age of 3 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif Did you know that the grownups actually know about snuffalupagus now? Oh the injustice of it all!

The reading education stuff has moved to a separate show that I kind of like actually called "between the lions"

There are several other kids shows that are at least inoffensive and that I do allow my daughter to watch. And she really likes the "Magic School-bus" now which is actually good also. After watching that the other day she asked me during her bath that evening how the water was still there if it was evaporating! I was flabbergasted, evaporating? she's only 4 and asking me questions like that /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif She learned about that watching the show and was thinking about it later, I was very impressed /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif So I explained that it was a slow process and if we left the water there long enough it would evaporate away, but the little bit that was leaving that way now was not going to dry her out in a hurry.

So kids definitely do learn and understand things from TV. It's not all bad /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

even educational shows have to appease the popularity bean counters so to speak. If it doesn't continue to get desired ratings and hold the limelight they want to tinker with them until it is top dog regardless of wether they retain the shows original theme and intentions. If you look at a lot of long running stuff of all types when it starts to lose market share they go nuts at times getting attention.

If they could get away with it I would think they would even try the.... continued next week idea on it.

Never forget. "Over the hills and far away, Teletubbies come to play."

Geoff

All I can remember is that Mr.Wizard was the coolest old guy around. .

My personal favorite has always been Bill Nye the Science Guy. I even enjoy watching reruns of that these days /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I thought the producers of the Teletubbies had drug problems, until I saw Boohbah . Those people are dropping some serious acid.

The website is weird, but the show must be seen to be believed. Cool, but kinda scary.

I believe that Teletubbies and Boobah are being used by the aliens to acclimate our children to the presence of extraterrestials, thereby ensuring that future generations will welcome our alien overlords when they openly conquer Earth.

Just kidding. I think.

I really limit the tv shows avail in my house. some of the blocked is 'power rangers' ' ed,edd, and eddie (retarded cartoon characters)' , alot of the afternoon anime. AND don't get me started on boobah or teletubbies. MAN, talk about mindnumbing, brainwashing and probably subliminal CRAP!!! I viewed both to see what it was all about, I found myself watching it for 15mins WAITING for something to happin, thinking "ok, mabyee something will happin now", but it never does. my favorites were electric Co, Mr, wizard and Tom and Jerry (all 3 of my boys 10,7,2 LOVE T-n-J).
Jeff

Yeah, the Electric Company was a good companion to Sesame Street. I wish it was still around. Also agree about Teletubbies... it's like watching paint dry.

[ QUOTE ]
MaxaBaker said:
My personal favorite has always been Bill Nye the Science Guy. I even enjoy watching reruns of that these days /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I enjoyed watching Mr. Wizard back in the 50s, and in more recent years I've enjoyed Bill Nye and Beakman's World. Another neat show is called "Connections." Here's a sampler of several of those classic shows.

Those were some pretty interesting clips PW. Thanks!


It may surprise all of you, but if you asked the people my age about their preffered cartoons (even at 14 y/o), 9 out of 10 would say that classics such as Tom and Jerry or the Buggs Bunny Looney Toons are much better than todays cartoons. I personally cannot stand the 'anime' that is on TV today. One of my favorites is the whole routine between Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck (with Elmer Fudd sometimes) fighting about the hunting seasons with signs............."Duck season!........Rabbit season!........Duck
season :slap:....etc." (Don't about the popular explosions causing Daffy's bill to spin around backwards and turn him featherless) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I don't know what it is really, but TV shows today don't have the originality that the classics had (that seems blatently obvious as I write this; I hope you understand what I mean). I want to know why those good shows aren't on TV anymore. Certainly beats "Yu-gi-oh" or whatever that card game show is........



edit:

I'm a big fan of gumby and pokey. I was able to talk to art clokey on the radio in Berkeley around 1992 and ask him about the Thanksgiving episode where pokey eats magic berries!!

[ QUOTE ]
Did you know that the grownups actually know about snuffalupagus now?

[/ QUOTE ]

GET OUT!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif ... Now why the hell did they go and do that?!?!? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif The *******s... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon8.gif

BTW... in our house, the favorite cartoons are Spongebob and Invader Zim... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I remember when Gumby had red eyes. He and Pokey used to fight and it was really quite disturbing.

But I've got to say, that Boobah site is WEIRRRRRRD.

I think its a lot of the anime that's got me ranting. I watch some of the more grown up anime at times, but it's the brainless junk with no plot-line or redeeming qualities that's got me scared for the future of kids' television. I think I started noticing it with Power Rangers and Pokemon.


Newton's Apple was good too, but I think that it came out around the same time as Bill Nye.

I loved being a kid in the pre-cable days /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Spongebob is cool, from what I've heard around the dorms.

Clutch Cargo. It was so bad it was good.

I used to watch Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers Neighbourhood, and The Electric Company; and they were all excellent programs "way back when".

As for cartoons, my favourites were probably Tom & Jerry and Speed Buggy.

As for anime, cartoons, or other children's programming I watch today, Digimon is pretty much it.

The worst: probably Barney the Purple Toliet Dinosaur. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

Bill Nye is going to be doing a new show according to what I read - I should ask a friend - his wife represents him (his agent)

My daughter has gotten into some of the slightly "older stuff". Both kids love Sponge Bob, but my son's favorite is still Bob the Builder (he's 4, so what do you want)

As for Anime - some of it is too wierd, some WAY too adult for even young teens, some is just BAD, and some is OK - back when, on MTV, around 11pm on weekends, there was a show called "Liquid Sky" which was almost all Anime - so of it was GOOD