Since people have mentioned Zoobilee Zoo (only the best show ever; my dad would get up super early in the morning to record it for us because our VCR had no timer and my brother and I were not going to get up at 5 to watch it) I suppose I’m not the only one who remembers it.
There was some Christian cartoon series I used to watch at elementary school. All I can remember is that there were probably three kids- two white, one other (I don’t remember if they said where he was from, just that he was brown and the other kids were very pale pink), who go back to Biblical times because they fell into an archaeological dig. Or something like that.
Thanks to Shy Guy for pointing out the Jett-With -Two-Ts-Jackson show. Wonder if it was an homage in disguise or one of those “unconscious borrowing” things like George Harrison with He’s So Fine/My Sweet Lord?
I watched a lot of those shows on the Cartoon Network blocks (I think it may have even been on the boomerang block before it got moved entirely to a separate channel). I also remember Wacky Races and Penelope Pitstop, the first of which everyone remembers, but it always takes them a few seconds to go “oh yeah! that one!”
There’s also the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoons… well, everyone remembers those. Except Sonic Underground, which was terrible… I assume most people don’t remember it because they’re blocking out the memories. I almost picked up the second box set today for the lulz, but I suddenly twitched uncontrollably upon contact, so I decided it would be best to leave well enough alone.
Also, I’ve been surprised at how few people actually remember Gummi Bears (to be perfectly honest, I barely remember the plot but the theme song is ingrained in my head forever… kinda like Duck Tales, but everyone knows that one).
It seemed like there ended up being very few episodes of 3-2-1 Contact because the surest way to torment my younger brother was to have it on when they started playing the tripping music and then showing salt crystals, and then ants, under the electron microscope, when he was trying to eat.
Great show, innovative, and ended before its time.
I also used to have a strange fascination with PBS Educational shows during the 70s. They were locally produced at wherever and sent around the country to other PBS channels and usually ran about 15 minutes long. We used to watch ‘Mulligan Stew’ (which came with an activity book) and ‘The Letter People’ in school, but whenever I was sick, I would watch ‘Metric System’, ‘Read All About It’ (the mysteries of the first season were the best), ‘Vegetable Soup’ which was a trippy freaky mess, ‘All About You’, and whatever the hell gave us the phrase ‘Palabra Jot’.
Actually, it lasted for 8 years. I remember that it began when I was in 4th or 5th grade and I was always so excited when that theme music began. I grew away from it well before the final seasons. My “classic” 3-2-1 Contact was Trini, Marc and Lisa. I also remember some of the 2nd and 3rd seasons (Kathy, Miguel, Robin and Miguel’s little brother Paco).
Bloodhound Gang was my favorite segment.
“Whenever there’s trouble,
we’re there on the double.
We’re the Bloodhound Gang.
If you’ve got the crime,
we’ve got the time.
We’re the Bloodhound Gang.”
“Bloodhound Detective Agency. Mr. Bloodhound isn’t here.”
Do you remember the really weird stuff like “Kater Kousins” and “Hodge-Podge-a-Lodge”?
AH! I just remembered one of my own! Does anyone remember Curiosity Shop? It was an ABC show…two kids, an adult, the set was an old shop. There was some kind of puppet wall (like Laugh-In’s joke wall…there were doors that opened and puppets were worked through them).
And Tommy Tutone - we seemed to have a lot of the same tastes. I loved Vegetable Soup - they used to have those mini-episodes about the puppet like people that created the space ship - remember them?
Okay - since everyone seems so good at this - does anyone remember the name of an afternoon cartoon show - it was obviously imported anime - but it was about a group of people on a space “ship” (as in it actually looked like a ship) and every episode ended with how many light years away they were from their destination . . .
One of my very earliest memories is of watching *Calvin and the Colonel *with my father. I remember nothing at all of the show itself, I just remember watching it and that my father could imitate the theme, which was played by a string bass. It was very short-lived.
STRONGMAN!
ROPEMAN!
DIAPERMAN!
and CUCKOOMAN! (ehh…Cuckoo!..ehh…Cuckoo!)
And I posted that without clicking on the link! How sad is that?
Guilty! Check post #33.
A couple more memories of a TV-addicted youth:
Deputy Dawg
The old Dick Tracy cartoons with Joe Jitsu, Go-Go Gomez, Heap O’Calorie, etc.
The Marvel Superheroes: Captain America on Monday, Hulk on Tuesday, Iron Man on Wednesday, Mighty Thor on Thursday, and Sub-Mariner on Friday. Linus the Lionhearted–sponsored by POST…CRISPY…CRITTERS! The one and only cereal that comes in the shape of animals!
Everyone remembers Captain Kangaroo–anyone recall Bob Keeshan’s short-lived Saturday morning show, Mr. Mayor?
The game show Video Village and its Saturday morning counterpart, Shenanigans. "Hurray, hurrah, it’sWinchell-Mahoney Time!" Tobor the 8th Man–and the pilot episode is on YouTube!
o/ When Captain America throws his mighty shield All those who chose to oppose his shield must yield! If he's led to a fight and a duel is due then the red and the white and the blue'll shine through! When Captain America throws his mighty shield! o/
o/ Tony Stark makes you feel he's the cool exec with a heart of steel. But as Iron Man, all jets ablaze, he fights and smites with repulsor rays. The greatest armor! Iron Man! The greatest armor! I-ron Man! o/
o/ Cross the rainbow bridge to Asgard where the booming heavens roar! You'll behold in breathless wonder the god of thunder, Mighty Thor! o/
I’d forgotten about those early cereal tie-ins! It reminds me how at the end credits of Huckleberry Hound, Huck was driving a car around what looked to be the inside of a circus tent. He picked up various Kellogg’s characters, as I recall, such as Tony the Tiger, Snap, Crackle and Pop, Smaxey the Sugar Smacks Seal, and Sugar Pops Pete!
