Last week’s post about Saturday Morning Cartoons got me thinking about all the other incredible shows I watched as a kid. There were a lot of amazing shows back then and, unfortunately, the majority of them are no longer aired – not even in reruns (lame). All I can say is yay for TV on DVD. Due to this nifty little phenomenon, I can still watch the shows I watched when I was 6…even though I’m 26…but whatever, the shows are still awesome – no matter what your age. So let’s take a quick trip down memory lane and check out some of the most awesomest kid shows from the 80’s.
Punky Brewster: This was probably my all-time favorite show as a kid. Punky Brewster was my idol. I tried to dress like her (hello mismatched shoes and bandanas around my leg) and was obsessed with her awesomely painted bedroom. Who am I kidding, I’m still obsessed with that room. It is the coolest bedroom EVER. If I could paint my bedroom like that now and not be jugded, I totally would. Punky was seriously empowering for kids. She made it seem like anything was possible with her “Punky Power!!” and she had an totally cool side-kick dog named Brandon. Sometimes I even learned valuable life lessons, like how to trick your friends into helping you make a sweet ass tree-house. Man I miss this show.
Silver Spoons: They had a running train IN their house that they rode around on – enough said. Oh…and I had a hugely awkward crush on Ricky Schroder.
Jem and the Holograms: What little girl in the 80’s didn’t love Jem? She was truly outrageous and I think deep down we all wish we had a Synergy to transform us into rocking world famous popstars. Also, they might have been cartoons, but they had some killer fashion sense. The Holograms and Misfits took 80’s fashion to a whole new level. Did I mention Jem had a smoking hot purple-haired boyfriend named Rio?
Just the Ten of Us: Ohhhh…Just the Ten of Us…you were the red-headed stepchild of Growing Pains. You were spun off from a well-received and popular sitcom, yet no one loved you as much as they loved the Seavers…except me. I adored this show. Mostly becaues of the uber-slutty Lubbock twins, Cindy and Wendy. I’m sure it’s not great for a 7 year-old to idolize these chicks, but I did. I thought they were the coolest…I wonder if that had any influence on me growing up…interesting.
Zoobilee Zoo: I’m not really sure why I loved this show as much as I did. It was about this trippy land with people dressed up as animals such as a Cockatoo and a Bear. It was on crazy early too – I’m talking like 7 am and even as a kid I hated getting up early on the weekends. My brother loved the show too. He had a super awkward crush on the Pink Kangaroo. I’m really not one to talk though. I had a crush on Egon from the cartoon The Real Ghostbusters…but only the cartoon version. Sorry Harold Ramis, but the real life version of you did nothing for me.
You Can’t Do That on Television: This Canadian show was at the forefront of the slime movement. Without this show, Nickelodeon would not be sliming people today…if they even still do that. And oh yeah, Alanis Morissette was on this show as a kid.
Double Dare: OCD Mark Summers hosted this deliciously messy game show – that fact alone is pretty brilliant. The number one requirement on this show was to make a fool of yourself and get disgustingly dirty at the same time. The obstacle course at the end was the best part of the whole show. Anyone remember searching for the flag up the giant nose? Awesome.
