Blast from the Past: PBS Children's Shows of the 70s

Well, it's the dawning of a new month, and as I scroll through my recent posts, I see political post after political post. . .McCain, Obama, Rove, Bush. . .It's all very important, and I find it fascinating, exasperating, frustrating and exciting. But enough is enough! It's time for another fun post.

As is usual when I hit my political breaking point, I dive into my 70s pop culture memories. This time, I was inspired by--what else--a political video that spoofed PBS's The Electric Company. It got me to thinking about how different things were for kids like me in the 70s, versus today. Nowadays, they've got Nickelodeon, The Disney Channel, The Cartoon Network, and hundreds of other channels to choose from. We had four. The major networks, and PBS. Eventually, we'd get (very) basic cable, but that only expanded our viewing to umpteen viewings of Speed Racer and Spider-Man. But til then, we had mostly PBS to keep us company.





#1 - Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood - I was never young enough for this show. I thought it was silly when I was four. But, hey, there was nothing else on! This is from the first episode.

#2 - Sesame Street - Like Mr. Rogers, I never felt young enough for this show either, though of course I enjoyed the Muppets. And a recurring skit about consequences sticks with me to this day.

#3 - The Electric Company - This was my show. I loved it. And it helped me get the jump on some of the other kids, because I actually tried to learn. And this is undoubtedly the coolest theme song of all the shows.

#4 - Mulligan Stew - I'm not positive this show was actually on PBS. But it fits with the general theme of this post. I tried to find Ville Alegre and Zoom, but YouTube ain't got 'em. Mulligan's taught kids about nutrition. I loved it at the time.