Let’s say before age twelve to keep it wholesome. BTW, I’m a guy.
Age 5 - Miss Robin from our local version of Romper Room
Age 6 - Anne Francis from Honey West
Age 6-8 - June Lockhart, Martha Kristen, Angela Cartright from Lost in Space
Age 7-8 - Trixie from Speed Racer
Age 7-10 - Meredith McCrae from Petticoat Junction
Age 8-9 - Ronnie Troup from Danger Island
Age 8-10 - Charley (Sour Grapes) from The Banana Splits
Age 9-11 - Eva Gabor from Green Acres
This was a big one that ruined my potential dating life for decades. My sisters, both much older than me, made fun of watching Green Acres instead of whatever they wanted because I “wanted to see Liiiisaaaa”. If have no clue how they knew I had a crush on her, and to this day I’ve never discussed anyone I’ve ever had an interest about with them.
Oh, and Mary Ann over Ginger, but it was only in reruns. I don’t know if I watched Gilligan’s Island during it’s first run.
And of course, Diana Rigg from The Avengers, but that came post puberty. I remember watching both the Avengers and Honey West at the time and it was Anne Francis all the way!
The only common thread that I can figure is that all had great eyes. Something that’s still a thing for me to this day.
Kristy McNichol. She was both Buddy from Family and was in Apple’s Way. I have liked tomboyish girls who turn out to be lesbians consistently ever since. Which is annoying.
I think I had my first ever crush on Pauline Collins, when she played Sarah on Upstairs, Downstairs. My parents never missed Masterpiece Theater, and I’d figured out that if I sat really quietly on the couch with them, they wouldn’t get up in the middle of it when my bedtime rolled around, so I always got to stay up late on Sunday. Something about Upstairs, Downstairs, I could actually follow, though, and I just loved Sarah.
I had a “thing” for Susan on Sesame Street as well, but I don’t know whether it was a crush, or I just wanted her to be my mother.
I had plenty of crushes on boys, too, though, and I remember having a bad one for David Cassidy on The Partridge Family. I even owned several of their records.
It doesn’t really fit with the op, I didn’t have crushes on any television personalities as a kid that I remember. My first celebrity crush was Brooke Shields after seeing Blue Lagoon when I was twelve.
I’ll second Kristy McNichol, Dawn Wells, and Valerie Bertinelli (I was angry when she got married to Eddie Van Halen, I thought she was way too good for him).
Here’s a bit of Kristy McNichol trivia that is not too wholesome, so i’ll Spoiler-blur it for the sake of the children. You are warned:
I was later surprised to see she had a brief nude scene in the Skinemax B-movie Two Moon Junction, though her scene was somewhat eclipsed by Sherilyn Fenn’s two moons.
I’ll add Dana Plato from Diff’rent Strokes. Shame what a tailspin her short life went into.
You ever see the Domino’s commercial where she dances on a couch? If not, you’re welcome:
LOL. I was thinking about adding Emily Peden from New Zoo Revue, but since I was 12 when I first saw her and New Zoo Revue was aimed towards much younger kids, I felt a little creepy crushing on her even back then.
