# ID PBS kids show from 80s **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 29, 2014, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-pbs-kids-show-from-80s/694350 "2014-07-29T19:43:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gretchion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8edcca/32.png) [@Gretchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gretchion)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-pbs-kids-show-from-80s/694350/1 "2014-07-29T19:43:44Z")
As a kid in the 80s I used to watch a show on PBS, but I only remember a few vague details about it. It would have been on in the mid to late 80s. All I remember was a group of kids who would meet in what I think was an old library. I remember that there was a typewriter and a computer who the kids would talk to, and the typewriter would respond by typing things, and I think the computer could talk to them in a very 80s computer voice. The only other thing that I have memories of was an episode, or maybe more than one, where a couple of kids were trapped in a very dark room, and I think they might have had a screen where they could see the others, but could not interact with them. That’s all I’ve got, but it’s been bugging me for a long time now, so if anyone has any idea what I’m talking about, I’d be very grateful! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-pbs-kids-show-from-80s/694350/2 "2014-07-29T19:58:23Z")
[Ghostwriter.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostwriter_(TV_series))? It’s from the 90’s, though. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-pbs-kids-show-from-80s/694350/3 "2014-07-29T20:02:22Z")
The Bloodhound Gang from 3-2-1-Contact? ---
**Author:** ![Gretchion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8edcca/32.png) [@Gretchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gretchion)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-pbs-kids-show-from-80s/694350/4 "2014-07-29T20:07:49Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [Ghostwriter.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostwriter_(TV_series))? It’s from the 90’s, though. I watched that show as well. I even thought my description might sound too much like that, and meant to mention that, but forgot. > [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > The Bloodhound Gang from 3-2-1-Contact? I’m betting that’s it! I’ll have to check it out. Thanks, everyone! I always know I can count on the Dopers! ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-pbs-kids-show-from-80s/694350/5 "2014-07-29T20:15:11Z")
It was called “Read All About It”. My sister and I LOVED this show. Things I remember about the show: One of the characters was a girl named Lynne. She struggled with reading. I believe the type writer was called Otto. There might have been another magical appliance, and I’m blanking on the name. The kids hung out in a printing shop. Completely unsupervised. One season they found a time machine and went back to the War of 1812. A black boy was in the cast. I was afraid someone would enslave him. Duneden. He was this evil guy who lived in a different dimension. Scared the crap out of me, but he made the show good. The other girl in the cast wore glasses and was a little on the stuck-up side. I liked Lynne better. Don’t remember the little white boy’s name. I still sing the theme song sometimes. “Read all about it. Discover all the news…” The music was kind of creepy. The show was set in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-pbs-kids-show-from-80s/694350/6 "2014-07-29T20:26:29Z")
Looks like you nailed it, **monstro** -it was Canadian, not PBSian. ---
**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:** [July 29, 2014, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-pbs-kids-show-from-80s/694350/7 "2014-07-29T20:44:19Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > It was called “Read All About It”. My sister and I LOVED this show. > > Things I remember about the show: > > One of the characters was a girl named Lynne. She struggled with reading. > > I believe the type writer was called Otto. There might have been another magical appliance, and I’m blanking on the name. > > The kids hung out in a printing shop. Completely unsupervised. > > One season they found a time machine and went back to the War of 1812. A black boy was in the cast. I was afraid someone would enslave him. > > Duneden. He was this evil guy who lived in a different dimension. Scared the crap out of me, but he made the show good. > > The other girl in the cast wore glasses and was a little on the stuck-up side. I liked Lynne better. > > Don’t remember the little white boy’s name. > > I still sing the theme song sometimes. “Read all about it. Discover all the news…” The music was kind of creepy. > > The show was set in Canada. https://www.youtube.com/embed/Tzz1wZVwYQE?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque ---
**Author:** ![Gretchion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8edcca/32.png) [@Gretchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gretchion)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-pbs-kids-show-from-80s/694350/8 "2014-07-29T22:38:00Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > It was called “Read All About It”. My sister and I LOVED this show. > > Things I remember about the show: > > One of the characters was a girl named Lynne. She struggled with reading. > > I believe the type writer was called Otto. There might have been another magical appliance, and I’m blanking on the name. > > The kids hung out in a printing shop. Completely unsupervised. > > One season they found a time machine and went back to the War of 1812. A black boy was in the cast. I was afraid someone would enslave him. > > Duneden. He was this evil guy who lived in a different dimension. Scared the crap out of me, but he made the show good. > > The other girl in the cast wore glasses and was a little on the stuck-up side. I liked Lynne better. > > Don’t remember the little white boy’s name. > > I still sing the theme song sometimes. “Read all about it. Discover all the news…” The music was kind of creepy. > > The show was set in Canada. Amazing! Thank you! No wonder my memories of it are fuzzy, if it was from the early 80s, I would have been pretty little. Although I could have sworn it was on PBS. When I grew up we only had a few channels, so I don’t know where I would have seen this show. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-pbs-kids-show-from-80s/694350/9 "2014-07-29T23:07:27Z")
> [@Gretchion](#): > > Amazing! Thank you! No wonder my memories of it are fuzzy, if it was from the early 80s, I would have been pretty little. > > Although I could have sworn it was on PBS. When I grew up we only had a few channels, so I don’t know where I would have seen this show. It aired on my PBS affiliate in Atlanta, Georgia, but it was definitely a Canadian program. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-pbs-kids-show-from-80s/694350/10 "2014-07-29T23:10:13Z")
And you can be like me and binge watch on it right now!: [Read All About It - Season 1 Episode 7 - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_tRYktEDLM&list=PL45DECC206143AE46) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-pbs-kids-show-from-80s/694350/11 "2014-07-30T01:29:02Z")
Who here can still recite _Zoom_’s mailing address from memory? ---
**Author:** ![VernWinterbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c67d28/32.png) [@VernWinterbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VernWinterbottom)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-pbs-kids-show-from-80s/694350/12 "2014-07-30T01:51:43Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Who here can still recite _Zoom_’s mailing address from memory? I remembered the zip code, but not the box number.