all shows selected should debut before 1995.
it's okay if episodes continue after that, but really the late 80s/early 90s were the golden years. animated shows are a-ok.
and now, my list:
1) Clarissa Explains It All: Early 90s Style Queen & Budding Feminist.
this is *probably* my all time favorite show from my childhood. i love everything about it: her zany parents, the sibling rivalry with ferguson, her hip best friend sam, and even clarissa's sometimes questionable outfit choices.
in fact, i definitely drew a lot of fashion inspiration from clarissa. i (sadly) rocked too many vests+leggings (called stretch pants back then!) combos with coordinating scrunchies in early elementary school.
but besides the groundbreaking (in my opinion) fashions, Clarissa Explains It All really opened the floodgates of "teen centric" series to follow in which the teenage main characters drive not only the action but usually solve problems without the help of their parents who are often peripheral to major plot lines.
so without Clarissa Explains It All, we probably wouldn't have: 90210, My So-Called Life, Dawson's Creek, Gossip Girl, etc.
2) Today's Special: Department Store Magic & Hi jinks
you may not remember this show, but i certainly do! (it's definitely a close runner up to clarissa).
the premise:
in the children's department of a major department store, each night when Jodie arrives for work, she carries a mannequin (Jeff) upstairs, where Muffy (a mouse puppet) says the magic words "hocus pocus alimagocus!" this brings Jeff to life, and hilarity ensues.
the show plays on the "fish out of water" theme as Jeff the mannequin often doesn't know about basic, everyday objects and occurences. as such, much of the plot revolves around Jodie teaching Jeff which gives the show it's educational bent. also, much to do is made about Jeff's magical hat (the source of his power) and the consequences of taking it off (becoming a mannequin again).
for some reason, mannequins coming to life was a very popular trend of the 1980s (see also: mannequin & its cavalcade of stars --sidebar: i totally forgot james spader was in it!).
i think i really liked this show because of the magical hat & the knock-off muppet puppets. and although it would be scary, a part of me always wanted to be left in a department store after hours because i believed some fun hi jinks would ensue.
special shout out to this awesome fansite of the show.
3) The World of David the Gnome: Gnome Love!
i just remember having very warm, fond memories of this cartoon.
david & his wife, lisa, were always friendly and helping the woodland community. plus, they had the most bad-ass form of transportation: swift the fox.
some fast facts i've just learned/remembered:
1) the heavy pro-environmental & animal stance. naturally, the plots revolve heavily around the gnome habitat of the forest. however, i never remembered how "tree-huggy" the show was until i re-watched some clips on you tube. some good lessons to be learned!
2) as learned from wikipedia: the show was originally a spanish language series that was then dubbed for the US.
3) tom bosley voiced david!!
4) christopher plummer narrated!!
5) harvey & bob weinstein were producers!?
4) Family Double Dare: OCD Game Show Host+Messy Substances=TV Gold
now, i chose the "family" addition over the original for the following reasons:
a) i always enjoyed watching the semi-awkward tensions within the families. the family dynamic made it far more entertaining than just kids getting messy. because who wouldn't want to see a slightly large, midwestern housewife spiral down a slide into a giant banana split and get stuck in a sticky mess?!
b) i always secretly wanted my family to go on the show. but as anyone who knows my family, this would be an utter disaster. imagine: uber competitive "indoor" kids (my brother & i) who excel at answering trivia but would panic at the physical challenges with parents who are also not athletically inclined & would not enjoy getting slimed.
however, it would probably provide for great TV. i can imagine the episode now. although, my family would probably get kicked off the show for cursing and/or fighting.
5) Salute Your Shorts: My Only Experience with Summer Camp
i always wanted to go to summer camp because of Salute Your Shorts. the campers always seemed to be having fun with various activities, schemes, or pranks (usually targeted at the bumbling camp counselor Ug).
however, i'm pretty sure that camp life was not as *glamorous* as portrayed on the show.
plus, i totally had a crush on Pinsky.
6) Noozles: Magical Koalas!!!
i can only say this show was bat shit crazy! and i loved every minute of it.
my fondest memories of it as a child were the giant eucalyptus tree that sandy's grandmother had that provided sustenance for blinky & pinky (the koalas). i vaguely remember the tree having magical powers but i could have just imagined that.
and after reading some background, i now know why it was totally bat shit crazy---it came from JAPAN (land of the rising weirdos).
the wikipedia page provides a pretty thorough synposis.
7) Get the Picture: Because I like Trivia & Visual Games
i always liked this game show because of the variety of "power surge: knowledge activities" & the belief that i would have totally rocked on this nick game show.
being a big nerd fan of picture match-ups, memorizing stuff, and figuring out "which of these things in not like the other," i would have really enjoyed being on this show (except for the awful jumpsuits contestants wore).
other reasons this show was awesome:
1) it launched the hosting (and subsequent acting) career of mike o'malley.
2) incredible production value (read: very cheesy, early 90s).
3) the lame producers later totally switched the rules around because they were too cheap.
8) Legends of the Hidden Temple: Testing Your Mind, Strength, & Ability to Not Crap Yourself
seriously, when those temple guards pop out---it's terrifying!
can you imagine the participant waivers parents probably had to sign for their kids to go on the show? "we do not assume any responsibility for any injury--physical, mental, or emotional--which occurs to your child either during or after their appearance on our television program."
but what kid didn't want to be a: Red Jaguar, Blue Barracuda, Green Monkey, Orange Iguana, Purple Parrots and Silver Snakes?!
9) Roundhouse: Because When Life Gets Me So Down...
a precursor to All That, i really liked Roundhouse because of its mix of comedy, singing, and dancing. the musical numbers are certainly what i remember the most.
also, looking back through old clips on you tube, the musical numbers definitely have a very Rent-esque quality. maybe it's just the fact that 20-somethings are singing marginally evocative songs in an industrial, early 90s setting. i highly doubt that Jonathan Larson was watching SNICK while Rent. it's probably just a coincidence of both being products of the early 90s.
but doesn't the Roundhouse song "Time" feel a little like some watered down Rent (even though it aired before the musical)?
10) Hey Dude: Summers at the Bar None Dude Ranch
the show is essentially the same as Salute Your Shorts only with slightly older teenagers who spend their summers working at a dude ranch. and again, i really wanted to visit a dude ranch because of this show.
but who didn't love Mr Ernst?!
or the dreamy Ted?!
props to Nickelodeon for:
1) launching Christine Taylor's career
2) having a Native American character, Danny Lightfoot.
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