So, when I was growing up, Sesame Street was only really coming in to its own, and while I watched it, I watched Nickelodeon programming so much more...and I do believe that channel was even younger.
Tangential thought: Why does MTV get so much ground breaking recognition while Nickelodeon is barely talked about? At least Nickelodeon is still a children's network, and any and all tweaking still kept the same basic idea of it being a children's network (the only exception being Nick-at-Nite which was old TV shows for older people...because children were supposed to be in bed by then, and now has spawned its own channel of TV Land). MTV has to have separate channels just to play the music videos the channel was invented to do. Ugh, Nick needs more recognition.
Anyway, I grew up on a show that I know a lot of people remember, because I mention it and they say "hey, I remember that." Pinwheel. Blatant Sesame Street knockoff (two guys living in the same room named Plus and Minus who bickered a lot? NOOOO, that's not a knock off!) but for some reason I liked it more, even though it was more classic puppetry than the innovative Muppet technology (well, technically it was technology for puppetry). Here's the intro, which I think manages to get every character in to the intro in a short amount of time, too:
I also watched what might have been the most disturbing childrens show in history: Today's Special. Not so much like, scar you for life disturbing, but simply odd...I mean, it was about a mannequin that came to life when the store closed to help out the night dresser, and the night wtachmen, and such, and in doing so taught lessons on a specific theme for the show (which was billed as todays special...get it?)...though I guess it might have led some stoner guy to turn it in to the cinematic gem Mannequin, so you could say it was disturbing there...here's Today's Special's opening, with a neat little jazz song for the first 10 seconds...which degrades in to like, every 80s TV show theme ever.
And of course, if you watched Nick...you saw Picture Pages! Ah, Cosby.
Nickelodeon certainly was ground-breaking. A network comes out completely targeted to kids with game shows and news programs.
ReplyDeleteI heart me some Cosby.
Good on Nick. And good on you. And good on The Queen, who will ensure that you watch a lot more Nick/ kids' shows with the soon-to-be-born prince or princess.
ReplyDeleteAnd you changed your picture while I was in Malaysia!
Dan- It still kinda is.
ReplyDeleteAnd I heart me some Cosby,too.
David -
ReplyDeleteNice to see you still drop by, now that you've carved out such a huge corner of the internets.
I've actually started trying to figure out what kind of things to watch as Erin grows older.
And yeah, I did change the picture. I like to change things up from time to time. I may change the color scheme to something more greyscale, yet retain monochrome. Just to.
MTV was groundbreaking because it completely and totally changed the record industry.
ReplyDeleteNuttin against Nickelodeon or anything, but it's hardly revolutionary.
How many people knew music videos existed before 1981? Children's programming had been around since the 40s.
Metallica, for example, sold a couple hundred thousand albums before they made a video. It wasn't until MTV started showing One that they started selling millions.
Just sayin' is all.
Aaaaand, I first saw Cosby's Picture Pages waaaaaaaaaaay back on the Captain 20 show in the 70s.
ReplyDeleteOh, help me,
ReplyDeleteI could watch this for hours, still!
Thanks for the memories (and to David, for sending me over here).