# Weird interstitial educational TV program from the mid-1960s **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 28, 2023, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-interstitial-educational-tv-program-from-the-mid-1960s/984693 "2023-05-28T06:27:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hakushon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hakushon/32/5503_2.png) [@Hakushon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakushon)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2023, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-interstitial-educational-tv-program-from-the-mid-1960s/984693/1 "2023-05-28T06:27:36Z")
There was a TV “show” (if you can say that of a TV program lasting less than five minutes per episode) which I believe was meant to teach kids how to pronounce the sounds of letters. It aired early in the morning in New York City (don’t know if it was seen elsewhere. The show consisted of animated white letters “popping up” against a black background–in fact, IIRC, the show may have been called _Pop-ups_. But the letters would be a single letter repeating many times, such as “a-a, a-a-a,” which a voice-over would simultaneously read as, “ah-ah, ah-ah-ah.” Then the letters “a” would disappear, and a new letter would clone itself across the screen with the voice-over pronouncing it. I have been trying to find some evidence that this show actually existed–if only to reassure myself that no one had laced my Cap’n Crunch with psychedelics–but thus far have not found any trace of it (not even as a listing on IMDB or the like). Does anyone else remember this show? Can someone please post a link to a YouTube video of it, or about it? ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2023, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-interstitial-educational-tv-program-from-the-mid-1960s/984693/2 "2023-05-28T19:15:38Z")
This skit from the _Electric Company_ was the first thing I thought of when I read you OP. Watching it seems to a little different though. [Electric Company D - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-29oi5V-wU) Obligatory _Family Guy_ reference. [Family Guy Funny Spelling - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb1HSnuR8WE) ---
**Author:** ![Hakushon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hakushon/32/5503_2.png) [@Hakushon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakushon)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2023, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-interstitial-educational-tv-program-from-the-mid-1960s/984693/3 "2023-05-28T20:28:26Z")
Yes, I remember that from The Electric Company. That looked like this: [Imgur: The magic of the Internet](https://imgur.com/f3VODGT) Thanks, but that’s not the show I’m discussing here. The show I’m talking about, looked more like this: [Imgur: The magic of the Internet](https://imgur.com/zBHUvOj) ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-interstitial-educational-tv-program-from-the-mid-1960s/984693/4 "2023-06-05T14:47:14Z")
They started in 1971 and were aired on NBC during Saturday Morning Cartoons (remember those?). These one-minute programs were developed by one [Caleb Cattegno](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caleb_Gattegno), “a linguist who holds a degree in mathematics and psychology.” I’m unable to post a link to the articles at this time, but maybe if no one else can scrape one from a newspaper archive, I will later. (Note: Some press accounts misspell his name as “Cabel.” Now, whether or not any of those videos still exist is another question. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-interstitial-educational-tv-program-from-the-mid-1960s/984693/5 "2023-06-05T15:13:06Z")
> **[N.B.C. WILL PRESS READING METHOD (Published 1971)](https://www.nytimes.com/1971/01/06/archives/nbc-will-press-reading-method-popup-lessons-to-replace-commercials.html)** [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/jFG1SrOAws0/hqdefault.jpg "Pop Up - 1970 Words in Color TV show - Full series") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFG1SrOAws0) ---
**Author:** ![Hakushon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hakushon/32/5503_2.png) [@Hakushon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakushon)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-interstitial-educational-tv-program-from-the-mid-1960s/984693/6 "2023-06-05T21:34:14Z")
Yup, that’s the one I’m talking about! Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Hakushon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hakushon/32/5503_2.png) [@Hakushon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakushon)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-interstitial-educational-tv-program-from-the-mid-1960s/984693/7 "2023-06-05T21:34:40Z")
Wow, you found it! Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-interstitial-educational-tv-program-from-the-mid-1960s/984693/8 "2023-06-05T21:38:49Z")
ESNT did the heavy lifting. ---
**Author:** ![Hakushon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hakushon/32/5503_2.png) [@Hakushon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakushon)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-interstitial-educational-tv-program-from-the-mid-1960s/984693/9 "2023-06-05T23:59:34Z")
You meant…ESHT? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-interstitial-educational-tv-program-from-the-mid-1960s/984693/10 "2023-06-06T00:27:31Z")
Oh, _hips_, not _nips_!.. ---
**Author:** ![Blindmellowjelly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindmellowjelly/32/13920_2.png) [@Blindmellowjelly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blindmellowjelly)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-interstitial-educational-tv-program-from-the-mid-1960s/984693/11 "2023-06-06T00:58:02Z")
I had “The Letter People”. And every week, the show was on PBS, and we had blow up dolls and fascimiles of every Letter Person. Guess something must have stuck, because I can damn near spell anything, and never use auto correct. ---
**Author:** ![Blindmellowjelly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindmellowjelly/32/13920_2.png) [@Blindmellowjelly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blindmellowjelly)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-interstitial-educational-tv-program-from-the-mid-1960s/984693/12 "2023-06-06T01:10:08Z")
Mr. T [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/JIpm6M6ecBM/hqdefault.jpg "Letter People - Mr. T") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIpm6M6ecBM) ---
**Author:** ![Hakushon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hakushon/32/5503_2.png) [@Hakushon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakushon)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-interstitial-educational-tv-program-from-the-mid-1960s/984693/13 "2023-06-06T05:30:51Z")
Dang! How did I manage to miss that entire series? Did it air in NYC?