Alfonzo Posted July 4, 2011 Many parents might point to the TV as being one of the biggest offenders in flawed child development today, and being one who isn't a parent it's not really my position to say otherwise... But I do maintain that there are a great many unsung heroes in childrens' entertainment: Entertainers who deserve so much more praise than the praise they rarely if ever receive. Thinking back I can remember a couple of shows which were so critical in my toddler years that, without them, I probably wouldn't have wound up the bundle of sunshine I am today. So yeah, it might be a peculiar topic to bring up in a community dedicated to a longstanding FPS, and especially to one that revels in demonic symbolism and transmogrification, but here's a thread dedicated to programmes aimed at children, and how influential you feel they have been in your upbringing. I present to you Franciscus Henri! I think that first video was why I was totally distraught when my mum decided to thieve my favourite pair of pyjamas for ceremonious burning on Guy Fawkes night. My childhood security was burned to smouldering ashes in the course of just one evening... *sniff* Oh well, the music certainly cheers me up! 0 Share this post Link to post
Technician Posted July 4, 2011 I wasn't raised on this hyperactive shit.[/smug] Thankfully my generation for this material ended just before Teletubbies. The only live action kids program I have fond memories of would be Mr. Dressup. 0 Share this post Link to post
Mithran Denizen Posted July 4, 2011 Technician said:The only live action kids program I have fond memories of would be Mr. Dressup. Same here. 0 Share this post Link to post
Bank Posted July 4, 2011 I think Mister Rogers' Neighborhood is one of the best programs you can expose your children to. 0 Share this post Link to post
Technician Posted July 4, 2011 Bank said:I think Mister Rogers' Neighborhood is one of the best programs you can expose your children to. My only issue with him is he's so Goddamn monotone. 0 Share this post Link to post
bytor Posted July 4, 2011 I was a big fan of H. R. Pufnstuf and Scooby Doo as a kid and it's said that both were full of drug references. That's my excuse, anyway. http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2926.html on "H. R. Pufnstuf": "Although the marijuana and drug references are sometimes subtle, they are laced throughout the entire series. Some highlights include Witchiepoo offering a minion a "roach beef sandwich," Freddy the Flute getting turned into a magic mushroom, Pufnstuf telling Cling and Clang to "stop sniffing" the magic smoke, and Jimmy dosing Witchiepoo with a Love Potion." By night I'm a crimefighter with a cool car. 0 Share this post Link to post
GreyGhost Posted July 4, 2011 Damn - I'm old! Mr. Squiggle was originally in glorious greyscale. 0 Share this post Link to post
DuckReconMajor Posted July 4, 2011 You ask for influential so I will post shows that scared me as a child 0 Share this post Link to post
Technician Posted July 4, 2011 Yeah, those trains used to rub me the wrong way. 0 Share this post Link to post
Fletcher` Posted July 4, 2011 I fondly remember Mr. Wizard. Oh, good times--and I actually learned stuff!~ 0 Share this post Link to post
DoomUK Posted July 4, 2011 ...among other stuff. Including Sesame Street. But it's impossible to pick ONE clip of that. 0 Share this post Link to post
hex11 Posted July 4, 2011 http://www.thestranger.com/images/blogimages/2010/05/19/1274262328-sesame-street-gang.jpg 0 Share this post Link to post
Revved Posted July 4, 2011 I'm so glad I got exposed to these two shows as a child: 0 Share this post Link to post
Sharessa Posted July 4, 2011 It's funny, most of my friends were raised on the commercial cartoons of the 80s like He-Man, Transformers, and My Little Pony, but I pretty much only watched PBS and Nickelodeon, so I was raised on a lot of educational, foreign, and old kids cartoons. So Sesame Street, 3-2-1 Contact, Mr. Rodgers, David the Gnome, Count Duckula, Danger Mouse, Inspector Gadget, Looney Tunes (mostly ones from the 40s-60s), Lassie, Flipper, and Gumby were ones I remember the most. Oh, and the early Nicktoons and Snick shows as well, like Ren & Stimpy, Doug, Pete & Pete, Round House, and Are You Afraid of the Dark? My favorite Sesame Street bit: And for whatever reason this intro makes me nostalgia hard: 0 Share this post Link to post
deathbringer Posted July 4, 2011 Holy shit did that Thomas The Tank Engine intro take me back, felt like I was 3 again! Anybody of a similar age (or older so they'll remember it more clearly!) remember a show where a teddy bear got lost in a toy shop and had to escape from the security guard? Because it looked just like my own teddy and I started bawling, which worried my mum a bit. 0 Share this post Link to post
Clonehunter Posted July 5, 2011 I grew up with Scooby Doo and Bert and Ernie and loads of Star Wars. My sister grew up on Elmo, Teletubbbies, and and Lil' Bill. And Blues Clues was the shit. 0 Share this post Link to post
Xeros612 Posted July 5, 2011 Danarchy said:My Little Pony Haha, back before it was popular among furries and sexually confused teenagers. The main shows I remember watching as a kid were Doug (the nickelodeon one, Disney version was pretty awful), Sesame Street, Scooby Doo (mainly the original series), The Three Stooges (yes, the live-action shorts.), Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, Inspector Gadget, Looney Toons(is it Tunes?), Tom & Jerry, and a few of the old Nickelodeon/Snick/Nicktoons shows back when the channel had any sort of quality standard. (All That, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Goosebumps[this was on nick, right?], some sort of gameshow[Guts, I think it was called], Amanda Show, some others I can't remember.) 0 Share this post Link to post
Quasar Posted July 5, 2011 Danarchy said:And for whatever reason this intro makes me nostalgia hard: OMG I loved Pete & Pete ^_^ 0 Share this post Link to post
Aliotroph? Posted July 5, 2011 Most of the (North American) shows mentioned are similar to me. Being in Canada, if we watched the right channel we got a Canadian version of Sesame Street. It had lots of Canadian segments and taught French words instead of Spanish. We saw the American one too. That show had great parodies. So many of the segments had jokes that worked for adults that parents would watch it with kids. Now they seem to entice dads to watch it by having Katy Perry sing some terrible stuff, which I won't post: 0 Share this post Link to post
valkiriforce Posted July 5, 2011 Danarchy said:My Little Pony I saw an opportunity. magicsofa said:[video] Favorited. 0 Share this post Link to post
Aliotroph? Posted July 5, 2011 LOL Have not seen that episode of Arthur. Come to think of it, I remember seeing the show lots, but I don't remember the plot of a single episode. 0 Share this post Link to post
Clonehunter Posted July 5, 2011 Ah, I forgot about Arthur. Good show. I remember a couple of episodes actually, like one about some blind girl and a Harry Potter-esque book and another about all of them playing some game about Birds trying to survive real life. ANd thanks to that Arthur video I was tempted into watching several clips of My LIttle Pony: Friendship is Magic... I was dumbfounded... 0 Share this post Link to post
40oz Posted July 5, 2011 Watched a ton of Sesame Street growing up; learned to read by age 3. I would want my kids to do the same thing. 0 Share this post Link to post
bytor Posted July 5, 2011 I thought Morgan Freeman was frightening and seemed out of place on this show. Speed Racer was used to toilet-train my little brother. "Mess in your diaper...No Speed Racer!" He learned quick only after this started being used. EDIT: links removed 0 Share this post Link to post
Khorus Posted July 5, 2011 The music in this series was very influential to me. 0 Share this post Link to post
Clonehunter Posted July 5, 2011 I forget I grew up with a lot of TV... Or Nickelodean should I say... And Cartoon Network... Yah I'm not that old... Just what the fuck happened to all of these? 0 Share this post Link to post
Lizardcommando Posted July 5, 2011 Danarchy said:Pete and Pete Intro Damn, I miss the 90's... 0 Share this post Link to post