A few days ago, I sat down and watched Will you be my Neighbor? with some family members. I was hit with a massive wave of nostalgia while doing so, old memories that I had nearly forgotten suddenly coming back up. Which got me thinking about other shows I’ve watched as a kid. I thought I might just say a few as a break from my two week hiatus.
1. Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood
The show premiered in 1968, geared towards treating children like intelligent beings and helping them deal with various issues, from large and political to small and social. It’s hosted by Fred Rogers, who not only shows up in person, but also controls all the puppets, dealing with other cast members. The show ran for over three decades, with the final episode occurring in 2001. I remember watching both the newer episodes and the older ones, although I was very young when I actively watched them. My memory is fading of the show, although I do remember certain parts of different episodes.
2. Teletubbies
While my sister watched Barney, I watched Teletubbies. The show centers around these characters known as “teletubbies”, who have antennas on their heads and TVs on their stomachs, which display real children. The four characters, Tinky Winky, Dipsy, La-La, and Po, each run around and play in an idyllic world, playing all day until a siren raises and calls for them to go to bed. The first episode aired in 1997, and took a break before returning to end in 2016. The show was one of those almost mindless shows, not violent or blatantly bad for children but not really having any substance, either. I liked it, however.
3. Rugrats
This show, premiering in 1991, centers around a baby’s imagination and life from a baby’s point of view. The Rugrats gang go on different adventures at the behest of the older Angelica, although their adventures mostly take place in and around their houses, without them going anywhere. It’s last episode occurred in 2004. It was unique for it’s time, playing with young children’s imagination and entertaining children through their own means. Every episode was something new. I remember watching it almost religiously, loving each and every episode.
4. Spongebob
Of course, how could I forget the biggest hallmark of kid’s television of the early 2000’s? The first episode premiered in 1999, and still continues to this day, centering around the life of Spongbob in the underwater town of Bikini Bottom. In it’s hayday, it was funny and unique, displaying characters who are both stereotypes but are also three dimensional. Even Mr. Krabs, who’s largest character aspect is greed, has character development and other aspects. I can’t speak for the show now, however, as I haven’t watched any episodes since 2008. What I’ve heard is not good news.
Pop N' Crunch 