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Nostalgia time!
Mar. 27th, 2009 08:46 amGuys, last night I finally used youtube for its intended purpose - finding clips of television shows that were on TV in your childhood. I'm sure I've done this before, but somehow I don't remember.
The single absolutely most exciting one is finding clips from Long Ago and Far Away, particularly Svatohor. It is a very awesome stop-motion animation (!) version of a Russian folktale. The show is all different folk tales and what-not from around the world, presented in all different formats. And hosted by James Earl Jones who sits in this room that's floating in space! I always wanted a room like that. I watched the show when I was really little, and a couple years ago I thought of it for the first time in a while and couldn't remember its name or really much of anything beyond the floating room and Svatohor. Luckily I eventually realized that James Earl Jones had been the host. I was actually relieved when I found it, I was worried that I'd, like, imagined the whole thing or something.
And Svatohor just left a huge impression on me. It was probably one of the first things I ever watched that was kind of creepy and cool? To, you know, 5 year old me. It was just really cool and awesome and I remember my siblings also loving it. Watching it now, there's something about the framing device through the window of the hut that really creeps me out. I haven't finished though - also I missed a bit of narration and I'm totally confused about the boomerang with feathers thing that he's got there.
I was thinking, I kind of watched a lot of really blatant edutainment. Like, some of my favorite shows: Reading Rainbow, Captain Planet, Square One, Wishbone, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. I also remember loving 3-2-1 Contact, which I believe I watched on tape. Square One was a math-themed show full of awesome math parodies and math sketches, such as Mathnet, with Dragnet-esque math detectives. Anyway, it was just really a time of not a lot of subtlety. But I didn't care, I loved those shows! And. . . look at what a great student I became? But these shows ran a long time and were really popular! You don't need to trick kids into learning!
Actually, the shows listed above are most of the ones that I feel really nostalgic about, that I really remember loving and enjoying (also Ghostwriter, Shining Time Station and Sesame Street). In fact, last year I started getting Wishbone videos from the library and found that they are still completely and utterly entertaining. The main difference now is probably that I have more appreciation for Ellen. (Or, as Wishbone would say, ELLEN!!)
I feel like I must be forgetting some, but those are probably the main shows that I watched up to, say, the first half of elementary school? I was born in 1986, if anyone is trying to compare their viewing habits. And I didn't have cable - the vast majority of the above were on public television. Oh! Oh! Lamb Chop, I loved that show. :D And I watched a lot of videos, one of the perks of your mom being a children's librarian. So I watched Rainbow Brite and Strawberry Shortcake even though I didn't grow up in the 80s.
EDIT: I have been reminded of the awesomeness of Mr. Rogers, also a pervasive presence in my childhood.
Oh man, I really wanna watch Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego now. Also Reading Rainbow. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade episode where he sees the floats get assembled! And talks to a puppet version of Levar Burton! Oh my god, what if Levar Burton and David Boreanaz got together with the puppet versions of themselves and the four of them. . . I don't know, raised money for charity. I would give so much money!
The single absolutely most exciting one is finding clips from Long Ago and Far Away, particularly Svatohor. It is a very awesome stop-motion animation (!) version of a Russian folktale. The show is all different folk tales and what-not from around the world, presented in all different formats. And hosted by James Earl Jones who sits in this room that's floating in space! I always wanted a room like that. I watched the show when I was really little, and a couple years ago I thought of it for the first time in a while and couldn't remember its name or really much of anything beyond the floating room and Svatohor. Luckily I eventually realized that James Earl Jones had been the host. I was actually relieved when I found it, I was worried that I'd, like, imagined the whole thing or something.
And Svatohor just left a huge impression on me. It was probably one of the first things I ever watched that was kind of creepy and cool? To, you know, 5 year old me. It was just really cool and awesome and I remember my siblings also loving it. Watching it now, there's something about the framing device through the window of the hut that really creeps me out. I haven't finished though - also I missed a bit of narration and I'm totally confused about the boomerang with feathers thing that he's got there.
I was thinking, I kind of watched a lot of really blatant edutainment. Like, some of my favorite shows: Reading Rainbow, Captain Planet, Square One, Wishbone, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. I also remember loving 3-2-1 Contact, which I believe I watched on tape. Square One was a math-themed show full of awesome math parodies and math sketches, such as Mathnet, with Dragnet-esque math detectives. Anyway, it was just really a time of not a lot of subtlety. But I didn't care, I loved those shows! And. . . look at what a great student I became? But these shows ran a long time and were really popular! You don't need to trick kids into learning!
Actually, the shows listed above are most of the ones that I feel really nostalgic about, that I really remember loving and enjoying (also Ghostwriter, Shining Time Station and Sesame Street). In fact, last year I started getting Wishbone videos from the library and found that they are still completely and utterly entertaining. The main difference now is probably that I have more appreciation for Ellen. (Or, as Wishbone would say, ELLEN!!)
I feel like I must be forgetting some, but those are probably the main shows that I watched up to, say, the first half of elementary school? I was born in 1986, if anyone is trying to compare their viewing habits. And I didn't have cable - the vast majority of the above were on public television. Oh! Oh! Lamb Chop, I loved that show. :D And I watched a lot of videos, one of the perks of your mom being a children's librarian. So I watched Rainbow Brite and Strawberry Shortcake even though I didn't grow up in the 80s.
EDIT: I have been reminded of the awesomeness of Mr. Rogers, also a pervasive presence in my childhood.
Oh man, I really wanna watch Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego now. Also Reading Rainbow. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade episode where he sees the floats get assembled! And talks to a puppet version of Levar Burton! Oh my god, what if Levar Burton and David Boreanaz got together with the puppet versions of themselves and the four of them. . . I don't know, raised money for charity. I would give so much money!
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yayyy nostalgia!
Date: 2009-03-27 07:49 pm (UTC)Btw, did you watch Mr. Rogers? I thought he was awesome. My favorite parts were when he went to factories and watched how things were made. To this day I still love that. It's probably why I love the show How It's Made so much. XD
what if Levar Burton and David Boreanaz got together with the puppet versions of themselves and the four of them. . . I don't know, raised money for charity. I would give so much money!
Can this include puppet version of Alec Baldwin too?
Re: yayyy nostalgia!
Date: 2009-03-27 08:12 pm (UTC)See, I was also always freaked out by puppets like that, but I thought it was from watching Svatohar at a young age.
Speaking of the eyes, I have to admit that I laughed when they were saying how Svatohar found the princess beautiful and did a close-up on her painted eyes. XD And made them sparkly. But his eyes are painted exactly the same!
OH YEAH. I DID WATCH MR. ROGERS! AND IT IS AWESOME. Although yeah, some of those puppets were not my favorite things. I prefer Mr. Rogers in the human world.
Can this include puppet version of Alec Baldwin too?
Yes, but he has to promise to be nice. Levar Burton is there. We gotta keep the tone elevated.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-27 11:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-28 03:06 am (UTC)I love your icon!