A quest too long to admit: can anyone help ID this early 80's PBS show?

Cafe Society
1

I saw the success of Dooku’s thread, and I decided to bite the bullet and ask the Teeming Masses for their assistance.

I remember a PBS program at some point between 1980 and 1984 about a child/group of kids that find an abandoned office/storage building and discover some odd machines in there. I remember a white typewriter-type thing that would communicate by typing messages by itself…I know there were others but its very hazy. Also the kids at some point got whisked off to some otherdimentional place. The show had a creepy vibe about it that I loved.

I remember pitching a royal fit when it was taken off the air, to the point I made my mother call the local station to ask if it was going to ever be put back on.

I’ve only found one other person who didn’t look at me like I was mad when I described the show to them, however he’s not much help as he can’t remember much more about the show than I can.

Any help, assertions that I haven’t lost my mind, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

FOR BONUS POINTS (and an Orange Julius):

Another PBS show, entitled “Alphabet Soup” (I believe) featured insane funky drawings of brightly colored people playing musical instruments and, if I remember correctly, an ongoing storyline performed by marionettes riding in a hot air balloon. I need pictures, a fan site, any online mention anyone can find. Same time period as the above mentioned mystery show.

My eternal gratitude,
TWMD…

2

My son says Ghostwriter but the timeframe isn’t right. (Early 90’s).

3

Not sure about the first one, but this was called “Vegetable Soup” and it originally aired in the mid-70s.

4

Could the first show be “Read All About it”?

I don’t remember the show myself, but it seems to fit.

5

I’ll claim that Orange Julius.

It was “Vegetable Soup.” The marionnete show was called “Outerscope”

Here’s a link that may make things seem familiar.

http://www.artstomp.com/vegetablesoup.html

I take my O.J. on ice and unindicted in civil murder lawsuits, please.

6

http://www.artstomp.com/osgallery.html

Oops! More Outerscope pics.

7

Sorry it took me so long to come back to this thread, and for bumping it back to the top. I just wanted to say

THANK YOU!!!
to Marjorie who successfully tagged “Read All About It” as the mystery show that has been haunting me for - god, well years by this point. Man, you have no idea what a relief this is. :smiley: :smiley:

Hail Ants and Askia , here’s your Orange Julius. Use it wisely.