Grab a bowl of Sugar Crusty Sweety-O’s Cereal and think back……Four Saturday morning TV shows made a big impact on my childhood. It’s crazy because I watched a plethora of television as a child, you would think I had more vivid memories, but my most vivid are from these shows. Two are good memories and two are bad.
Awesomeville
Kidd Video: 1984-1987
This cartoon/live action show was right up a pre-teen kid’s alley. I loved this show! It began with opening credits of a real band that got sucked in a cartoon world called “The Flipside”. They definitely saved the best for last because it ended with a sweet sweet candy coated video nearly worthy of Friday Night Videos Lite. Plus, Kidd Video was pretty easy on the eyes.
Friday Night Videos: 1983-2000
This was a Friday night staple at my house. You were Sally Lunchbox all week and then on Friday Night it was time to let loose and get down with the sweet sounds of Jermaine Jackson’s ‘Dyanmite’. I watched Prince’s ‘When Doves Cry’ so many times, I wanted to cry. I saw so many cultural and clothing changes in that time, it was amazing. Twisted Sister. Enough said.
Honorable Mention: Land of the Lost: 1974-1977
I saw these in reruns. They put them on on Saturday morning and I think I came in on the middle somewhere, but it didn’t matter. It was super great fun.
Losertown
Sport Billy: 1982-1983
Every Saturday, my mom bought us frozen pizzas for lunch. However, the ill-timed Sport Billy was on at lunch time and I found it difficult to swallow my pepperoni bounty while the TV was on. In my house, the TV was never off, except to rest while we slept. Sport Billy was about a magic kid from the planet Olympus who fought evil with sports. I think a teacher had seized control of the TV station while the programmers were at lunch and showed a school movie. This was definitely a show for nerdlings. Teamwork, cooperation…it flew in the face of true entertainment and every thing my generation had come to expect on Saturday morning.
30 Minutes: 1978-1982
This was a hard hitting documentary show for kids. Obviously they thought we couldn’t handle a whole 60 minutes and after what I saw on an episode, I tend to agree with them. This show should have been safely tucked away in the “I don’t remember that schlock” file, except for one episode. It was about a teenager that was stabbed on the street. It was so real and so bloody that it stayed with me the rest of the day and I still remember it rather vividly. Anything produced by 60 minutes should definitely not be on after cartoons. “Let’s wait until after Kissyfur goes off and then show how that drug deal went bad.”
Honorable Mention: Smurfs: 1981-1990
This was the dumbest show in the history of forever. Nothing can ever be thought of to top it in pure ignorance. What was the show about anyway? Propaganda of some sort that was fed to us like an aspirin crushed up with sugar? It didn’t matter, it left a bad taste in my mouth. I’ve heard it’s going to be a movie. It’s definitely time to go underground.
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