As one who was born in the '60s and lived most of her childhood in the '70s, television was huge to me. Children's television was just coming into popularity, and I was the perfect age for it. I remember so many of the shows with great fondness. Now, I'm not talking about your Saturday Morning cartoons; that's something completely different. These were shows that were made not only to entertain, but to educate and help the kids of the day be aware of their world. Following are a few of my favorites.
Sesame Street
Who doesn't know Sesame Street? However, my memory always defaults to the original run, pre-Elmo and Grover, and with the original Gordon. I can still remember a lot of the bits, from the pinball game counting to 12, the other counting show with the guy always falling down at the end, the Ladybug Picnic, One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others...etc. "Being Green". "I Love Trash". "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ" (pronounced "Abcadefgueejeckelminopquerstuvwitz" by Big Bird)...and, of course, "Rubber Duckie". I even had the album!
Mr. Rogers Neighborhood
As a child with an excellent imagination, I loved riding on Trolley to the Land of Make Believe. Lady Aberlin and Henrietta Kittycat were my friends, and I adored the odd Lady Elaine and her Museum-Go-Round. And overseeing all of this, the trolleymaster himself, Mr. Rogers was there with gentleness and grace talking TO us (not AT us) and singing his lovely songs. I also loved waiting to see how Picture Picture was going to greet me every day!
The Electric Company
Set aside the unbelievable cast, including Bill Cosby, Morgan Freeman and Rita Moreno. This show was hip for those too young to know what "hip" was, and mostly focused on reading. With recurring characters like Easy Reader; Fargo North, Decoder; Jennifer of the Jungle; Letterman; and the original live action Spiderman! "HEY, YOU GUYYYYYYYYYS!!!"
Zoom
Tracy. Nina. Tommy. Nancy. Kenny. Jon. Joe. Seven regular kids dancing barefoot across an almost empty stage...then they start to sing: Come on and Zoom, Zoom, Zoom-a-Zoom! They acted out skits, sang songs, taught us crafts and Ubbi-Dubbi. They encouraged you to write to them at Zoom, Z-double-O-M, box 350, Boston, Mass...Oh Two One Three Four! One of my favorite segments was when they sang "The Cat Came Back". When they came out with an album, I got it...and I still have it (the song "Always Friends" is my favorite).
Captain Kangaroo
The Captain & his friends (including Mr. Green Jeans and Moose) seem to ride on the ragged edge of my memory. For some reason, I remember Mr. Green Jeans the most...and the ping-pong balls. But I remember the Captain being big, gentle, and kind...and I loved that.
Pixanne
This one is an even earlier memory, but I remember my brother & I always watched it. Pixanne was another one that resonated with my imagination: a pixie in a magical forest. Afterwards, my brother & I would play: I would be Pixanne, he would be Pixandy (a creation of our own minds).
The New Zoo Revue
Henrietta Hippo, Freddie Frog and Charlie Owl lived in a lovely little town with a gazebo in the center, and were helped in learning life lessons through stories and songs with the help of their human friends Doug and Emmy-Jo. The costumed characters were a little on the odd side (with huge, googly eyes), but they were sweet: Henrietta was oh-so feminine, Freddie naive and adventurous (and a little clumsy), and Charlie, of course, intelligent...to a point. It's the New Zoo Revue, coming right at you!
Villa Allegre
I'm kind of cheating with this one. I didn't watch it regularly, but only when I stayed home sick. I would search the PBS channels to find it and would be so glad when I did! It was mostly in Spanish - often 2 characters would converse, one in English & one in Spanish - so I didn't understand a lot, but I got the basics down...and one of the main characters (pictured) was always so kind and comforting...like a hug.
A few Honorable Mentions: Jabberwocky; Romper Room; Boomtown; Major Mudd
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