From ‘The Muppet Show’ to ‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse’: 13 TV Shows That Defined a Generation
Our love affair with television started when we were young. Back then, you could probably call it a crush. But TV was there for us from our earliest years, to teach us, to guide us, to keep us company, like in the magical land that Sid & Marty Krofft took us to in Land of the Lost. But more importantly, from our younger point of view, to entertain us!
We certainly remember how convenient it was to watch our shows back then. We could catch early-morning shows before school and ones after school. (Funny how school just seemed like a long break in between watching TV!) Plus, for most Gen X kids born between 1965 and 1980, TV was also our babysitter.
And what is the longest-running kids’ program today? Sesame Street, of course! A street filled mostly with puppets (and Muppets) and some human friends that’s captivated us for over 55 years. Many of us who grew up during the early years of Sesame Street have shared it with our own kids—not syndicated repeats, but brand-new episodes!
Whether you were an early Gen X or born in the tail end, we are sure you loved these shows.
The Banana Splits
The Banana Splits, 1968, Everett Collection
This live-action Saturday morning show featuring costumed characters ran from 1968 until ’70. The Banana Splits were a four-man pop music group patterned after The Monkees, though the characters were based on a dog (Fleegle), a lion (Drooper), an elephant (Snorky), and an ape (Bingo). The format of the show also borrowed a lot from Laugh-In, including the large joke wall where cast members exchanged groaners while popping in and out of cutout windows. Comedic skits, cartoons and music rounded out this kids variety show.
Captain Kangaroo
S. Karin Epstein/Camera5/TV Guide/Courtesy Everett Collection
Why was it “Kangaroo”? Because the red coat of the beloved “Captain” himself, host Bob Keeshan, had large pouch pockets, and for 29 years, Captain Kangaroo held kids in the palm of his hands, dispensing a spellbinding mix of stories and stunts, guests and puppets. Kids would revel in the gentle world around the Treasure House or the Captain’s Place, joy to the boy hero adventures of cartoon character Tom Terrific, listen intently to the Captain’s “Reading Stories” segments and watch the Magic Drawing Board in wonder. Together with sidekick Hugh “Mr. Green Jeans” Brannum, the long-running Captain Kangaroo (1955-84) was diverting kid TV.
The Electric Company
CTW/Everett Collection
Two years after Sesame Street began educating preschoolers in 1969, the creators at the Children’s Television Workshop came up with The Electric Company, an offshoot targeted at elementary-school kids. Being the early ’70s, The Electric Company was a bit trippier but was still filled with informational segments wrapped up in animation, comedy and clever original characters. Over the show’s six-season run, there were occasional appearances by the Muppets, as well as a repertory cast that included now-legends like Morgan Freeman and Rita Moreno, while Joan Rivers narrated the iconic cartoon about a superhero of spelling, “The Adventures of Letterman.”
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
Everett Collection
Hey, hey, hey, it’s Fat Albert! So began each episode of the animated Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, a 1972-85 groundbreaker about teens in downtown Philadelphia hanging out and learning about loyalty and life choices. Big guy Fat Albert, Mushmouth and Dumb Donald (who never took off their hats), and Weird Harold (with his mismatched socks) were joined by a live-action Bill Cosby playing himself; he also voiced several of the show’s characters, whom he’d conceived for his stand-up routine. For African-American kids of the era, the show was among the first opportunities to see themselves on TV.
Fraggle Rock
HBO/Everett Collection
The Fraggles, dreamed up by Muppets creator Jim Henson, were a race of furry beings, brightly colored cave dwellers who sang, danced and just acted silly — in all seriousness. Fraggle Rock‘s 1983 debut episode introduced Doc, a kindhearted human dreamer-upper of things, and his dog Sprocket, along with Gobo, Red, Mokey, Wembley and others in the gaggle of Fraggles who make pure genius out of goofing around and avoiding giant Gorgs. The worldwide hit, which ran until 1987, enjoyed a couple of spinoffs and won over a devoted fan base that’s active to this day.
H.R. Pufnstuf
Everett Collection
The opening credits of H.R. Pufnstuf ran for an unusually long two minutes, so the whole premise of the show was laid out clearly before every episode: Jimmy and his magic flute are lured away from home by Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo and her henchman Orson Vulture to Living Island, where she intends to steal his flute. H.R. Pufnstuf, a life-sized dragon puppet, is the mayor of the island and protects Jimmy from Witchiepoo’s constant, though always ineffectual, schemes. Sid and Marty Krofft’s inaugural show to kids’ television produced only 17 episodes in 1969, but it earned TV Guide’s No. 27 spot among the Top Cult Shows Ever.
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood
Everett Collection
Back when children’s shows were noisy, psychedelic and wacky, PBS’ Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was the opposite. Host Fred Rogers made red sweaters and blue sneakers iconic and gentleness cool in his long-running series aimed at preschoolers. In any one episode, you might find a visit to a bakery, a performance by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, a conversation about the death of a pet goldfish, and puppets getting out of predicaments in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. Rogers was much parodied for his cardigans and quiet, almost soporific voice — see Eddie Murphy on SNL — but several generations of kids found joy hanging with Mister Rogers.
The Muppet Show
The Jim Henson Company /Courtesy Everett Collection
In 1976, after two failed pilots for U.S. television, a British producer decided to play the music and light the lights so that audiences could meet the Muppets in this beloved hit. Airing here in syndication, the ode to old vaudeville known as The Muppet Show saw Kermit the Frog managing the backstage madness of a variety show starring a menagerie of pals, including Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and, of course, his possessive paramour, Miss Piggy. For five seasons, playful guest stars — such as Vincent Price, Madeline Kahn, Candice Bergen, Julie Andrews and Elton John — popped in, as kids and adults enjoyed the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational series from the best seats in the house.
Pee-wee’s Playhouse
Everett Collection
This joyful cult classic airing on CBS from 1986-90 brought comic Paul Reubens to Saturday morning TV as the bow-tied Pee-wee Herman enjoying life in his Playhouse in Puppetland. The relentlessly upbeat Pee-wee interacted with friendly furniture like Chairry and Globey, and who didn’t actually “scream real loud” when the secret word of the episode was spoken? With interspersed animation, Pee-wee’s Playhouse also welcomed guests like Saturday Night Live‘s Phil Hartman as crusty Captain Carl and Laurence Fishburne as joyful Cowboy Curtis. And the addictive theme song’s singer? The credited “Ellen Shaw” is none other than pop icon Cyndi Lauper.
Reading Rainbow
PBS/Courtesy: Everett Collection.
Where else but on Reading Rainbow could you find celebrity guest readers like Jerry Stiller and Ruby Dee, book recommendations, popular music, kid-friendly social topics, and an affable guest host (LeVar Burton) so beloved that he’s still known for the gig decades later? The award-winning PBS series became a touchstone in the lives of families across the country when it premiered in 1983, so much so that after it ended its original 23-year run in 2006 — having earned 26 Emmy Awards! — a live-streamed reboot, updated to include a diverse cast, premiered online in 2022.
Schoolhouse Rock!
Everett Collection
Learning was never more fun than with the musically animated Schoolhouse Rock! shorts aired Saturday mornings on ABC from 1973 to 1984. While teaching about history, science, grammar, and civics, catchy lyrics and tunes drew young audiences in and never felt like after-school detention. Want to know how a bill becomes a law? Then “I’m Just a Bill” will do the trick. Grammar got you down? “Conjunction Junction” or “Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here” will help. And even those of us who are math-challenged can comprehend the concept of a certain number in “My Hero, Zero.”
Sesame Street
Everett Collection
Brought to you by the letter “G” — for genius, as in the inspiration of Joan Ganz Cooney and the Children’s Television Workshop to revolutionize children’s educational TV with PBS’ Sesame Street. Since 1969, generations of preschoolers have been enthralled by a racially integrated cast of adults and children interacting with Jim Henson’s beloved Muppets (led by Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Grover and eventually Elmo) in a fast-paced format incorporating animation, sketches and street scenes that emphasize acceptance, diversity and — most important — fun through learning.
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters
Everett Collection
So, there’s this cute green sea monster, Sigmund Ooze. One day he meets some humans — brothers — on the beach, and they become fast friends. The boys take Sigmund in and hide him, because his own monster family are meanies (especially his brothers, Blurp and Slurp). The trio sing songs and have adventures, like trick-or-treating or finding a genie, all while trying to elude the Oozes. Sigmund and the Sea Monsters was another live-action Saturday morning show from Sid and Marty Krofft starring Johnny Whitaker and, in a chartreuse seaweed costume, Billy Barty. Well, it was the ’70s.
These are excerpts from the Kids Shows Issue of TV Guide Puzzler Magazine. You can purchase the full issue at the link below.
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Vol. 3, Issue 8
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