# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 3) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157 "2026-01-29T18:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 43
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/841 "2026-03-22T15:49:21Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > You people are old. Yep. Captain Kangaroo was the only one I recognized as not after my time. I watched that show every day. In black and white. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/842 "2026-03-22T16:18:49Z")
Oh man, I forgot to include Romper Room! I used to watch that every day. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/843 "2026-03-22T18:14:36Z")
I know I watched _Sesame Street_ but I don’t remember it. I do remember thinking I was too old to watch it and waiting for _The Electric Company._ I also remember thinking Mr Rodgers was very very boring. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/844 "2026-03-22T18:21:31Z")
I used to watch Captain Kangaroo, but I having no memory of doing so, only the FACT of doing so. I went through a phase of watching Sesame Street and the Muppets semi-ironically as a teen, which made them a lot more familiar. I don’t think I watched Reading Rainbow, but I’m not actually sure. I used to work with one of the original Sesame Street children, who was only a couple of years older than me. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/845 "2026-03-22T18:24:59Z")
I was actually _on_ Bozo’s Circus (the Chicago/WGN version), as a member of the studio audience, when I was 7, so around 1972. There was a multi-year waiting list for tickets; my mother and my aunt had put in for a bunch of tickets when I was a baby. As it wound up, they had ordered so many tickets that half of our neighborhood (my aunt and uncle, and my cousins, lived three blocks from us) was able to attend. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/846 "2026-03-22T18:33:46Z")
Captain Kangaroo, Sesame Street and The Electric Company were the ones from my childhood that stuck with me most (along with Schoolhouse Rock) but there were others I watched at various points that were not on the list, like [Zoom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoom_(1972_TV_series)), [Villa Alegre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Alegre_(TV_series)), and [3-2-1 Contact](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3-2-1_Contact). There were also some local shows - “The Land of Hatchy Milatchy” and “Captain Noah” - that I loved in my smaller days. And yes, I’m old, although I did later enjoy watching “[Beakman’s World](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beakman%27s_World)”. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/847 "2026-03-22T18:43:41Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I was actually _on_ Bozo’s Circus (the Chicago/WGN version), as a member of the studio audience I actually got to be part of the “cast of thousands” (really somewhere around 200) _twice_. The second time I was something like 12 or 13; starting to age out of the demographic, but it was _Bozo_, Fer cryin’ out loud. I wasn’t going to pass that up at any age. I saw BJ and Dirty Dragon live once, too. That was a stage show (Chicago Theater, I think) and not broadcast on TV. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/848 "2026-03-22T18:45:53Z")
Of course you also missed “Engineer Bill” and “Sheriff John” but they seemed to have been local, LA area. My birthday was announced on SJ. I kinda, sorta remember being on Bozo, but that could be Mandela Effect. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/849 "2026-03-22T19:08:22Z")
Another LA kid here. You must have also watched Skipper Frank’s Cartoon Carousel, and The Popeye Show with Tom Hatten. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/850 "2026-03-22T19:22:02Z")
It seems like most cities had at least one local kids’ show in the '50s and '60s; in Chicago, that was Garfield Goose, Ray Rayner, and Bozo’s Circus. A lot of them were hosted by people who worked at the station in various roles; the one in Green Bay was hosted by a guy, Bobby Nelson, who was also the station’s weather announcer and general host of other shows. Bozo’s Circus was a bit different, because it was apparently licensed out to different stations in different markets, all of whom had a local “Bozo” show, with a local host/actor. (Romper Room apparently worked similarly.) The Chicago version of Bozo’s Circus was unique in that it probably ran for far longer than the others (from 1960 until 2001), and got exposure outside of Chicago when WGN became a cable superstation in the '70s and '80s. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/851 "2026-03-22T19:24:44Z")
We had Skipper Chuck in South Florida when I was little. My mother didn’t like him, so I didn’t watch him that much. I watched _Sesame Street_ and _Electric Company_ nearly every day when I was little. I occasionally watched _Captain Kangaroo__Villa Allegra_, anf _Zoom_. I still remember the Zip Code; 02134. I watched _3-2-1 Comtact_ when I was older. I almost talked my mother into letting me see KISS after they were on. That never happened - neither parent had any desire to take me to a KISS show. At all. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/852 "2026-03-22T19:27:22Z")
The Captain of Kangaroos is the only one on the list that pertains to me. I remember the show well - Mr. Moose, Bunny Rabbit, Dancing Bear, the ping pong balls and, of course, Mr. Green Jeans. My local favorite was a magician - Mr. Whodini. Anyone remember the Friendly Giant? mmm ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/853 "2026-03-22T20:37:45Z")
Did no one else watch _Wonderama_ with Bob McAlister? It was kind of a big deal in the NY metropolitan area. It was my first introduction to the Jackson 5, Harry Chapin and Rosey Grier. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/854 "2026-03-22T20:50:42Z")
Yes, a few times, when I was very young. Mainly, my list is the same as Maus\_Magill’s, except replace Villa Allegra (never heard of it) with Magic Garden (“hope you had a good, good time!”). ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/855 "2026-03-22T22:28:51Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Another LA kid here. You must have also watched Skipper Frank’s Cartoon Carousel, and The Popeye Show with Tom Hatten. And Hobo Kelly. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/856 "2026-03-22T23:51:26Z")
We didn’t have a television between when I was three and when I was thirteen. I did sometimes watch it at my grandfather’s; but all I really remember is a show set in outer space that included a woman in command; though I do also remember the original Mickey Mouse Club show and I suppose I must have watched it there; the timing’s right because when it was on the first time I would have been between 4 and 8. By the time we had one in our house I thought I was too old for kids’ shows. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2026, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/857 "2026-03-23T00:14:57Z")
Only Garfield Goose. Takes me back, it does. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2026, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/858 "2026-03-23T00:19:34Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > And yes, I’m old, although I did later enjoy watching “[Beakman’s World](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beakman%27s_World)”. When my wife and I were first married, we watched that every Saturday morning. Fun, educational, and a little bit subversive. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2026, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/859 "2026-03-23T17:48:41Z")
I don’t remember watching any one childrens’ program regularly, but I have vivid memories of watching the daily farm report. ISTR it was a mid-day program - might have been half an hour, but in retrospect I think it was more likely 15 minutes - that came on before the afternoon cartoons, and I watched it nearly every day as a kindergartner. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2026, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/860 "2026-03-23T18:00:36Z")
I’ve lived all over the country and different parts of the world but decided to set myself in my hometown some years ago to be of assistance to my family while they were still living. I actually don’t mind the little town too much. It’s relatively inexpensive to live here and somewhat peaceful. It makes a good base for finishing out my last year of work. I have a good mechanic, doctor, and know how to navigate the many systems needed to survive. I still have connections with friends and extended family so I am not alone. The sir port is about an hour away and I can travel fairly easily when I make plans. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=42) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=44)