Oh For Fun!

Seventies PBS

I was just sitting here trying to think of something, anything to post about when I remembered, "Sweet merciful heavens, it's PBS Monday."

The first clip is from the Electric Company.  I like this clip for two reasons.  First, I really dig the little song.  Second, I enjoy this clip because it would never run on current children's television.  Girls are no longer allowed to be competitive with one another, especially about physical appearance.  Current psychology would suggest that cartoons like this lead directly to eating disorders.  I agree, there is something a little twisted about this clip....but I still like it.  My mother raised me to have an iota of self esteem, so I am able to watch this clip AND refrain from purposefully throwing up my dinner.   You, on the other hand, might want to be careful.  Don't watch this dangerous clip if you have ever felt sad or unattractive. :)

I really wanted to show you a clip from the days of Sesame Street when Big Bird was the only one who could see Snuffy.  As a child I always thought it was very funny when Snuffy disappeared just as the adults were showing up.  Snuffy became "real" in the mid-eighties when it was decided that he was teaching that adults wouldn't believe kids if they talked about being sexually abused.  I have searched high and low on YouTube, but the old days of Snuffleupagus have been eradicated from the public record.

Instead of Snuffy here is a cranky goat.

Seventies PBS

Hallelujah!  It's PBS Monday!  Today we will learn about a few nice animals.

I love this very proud aardvark.  It is nice to see an aardvark with such high self esteem. 

   

I'm a dog, I'm a workin' dog, I'm a haaard working dog.  Everyone likes this song.  I particularly enjoy singing this song when I am feeling overly busy with work.   

Seventies PBS

Hooray!  It's PBS Monday.

This week we examine two clips that took me by surprise upon viewing them as an adult.  First, the lower case n song.  I have no conscious memory of this clip, and yet I can sing every word of the song.  Sesame is like mind control.

The second clip today is of the Typewriter Guy who I was afraid of as a child but who I enjoy as an adult.    Nuu nee nuu nee nuuuuu.

Seventies PBS

PBS Monday! 

Looking back at my posts for this week I realize things have been pretty, tra-la-la-it's-a-strange-magical-world-la-lee-loo-la, around here.  PBS Monday, (in which we examine clips of seventies era children's television) offers absolutely no alleviation from the whimsy.  Hold on to your hats because things are about to get outlandishly, FANTASTICALLY,  puke-on-the-computer, effing CUuuu-TE, in here.

Today we witness the magic that is children interacting with Muppets.  The first thing to remember when watching these clips is that you are going to be okay.  As far as I know, a person cannot be killed by cuteness.

The second thing to remember is that although the children can actually see the puppeteers, they just don't seem to notice them.  I love that these kids are able to have such completely unselfconscious conversations with the Muppet characters.  Awesome.

I highly recommend watching these clips twice.  The first time you watch you will be riveted by the cute kids, but make sure you watch again, paying close attention to the puppets.  The subtle interaction is nothing short of genius.  Jim Henson was miraculous.

Enjoy.

 

Seventies PBS

Let's all just relax and watch some Bert and Ernie, shall we?

Now that I'm an adult one of the things that amuses me about Bert ad Ernie is how much they remind me of Courtney and myself.  Of course the similarities are extremely exaggerated, but the basic characteristics are there.  The goofy and the exasperated.  The round and the narrow.  The whimsical and the practical.  Courtney is not as uptight as Bert, and I am not as childlike as Ernie, but we bring out the Bert and Ernie in one another.  Courtney and I have always had a bit of an Ernie and Bert thing going on, right down to the allegations of "more than just friends".   Why can't two friendly puppets/violists live together in a one bedroom apartment without everyone accusing them of being gay?   Hee.

The first clip this week is so cute you might freak out.  If there is anything in this world cuter than Bert's little nephew Brad, I don't want to know what it is because I might die of cuteness. 

The second clip is a classic Sesame song.  Oh, woe is me.  There's a bird on me.

Seventies PBS

It's PBS Monday already! 

First, by popular demand, here is the 12345, 678910, 11, Twe-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-ve song.  You've go to watch the entire clip to get to the twe-e-e-e-e-e-lve part.  Enjoy

The second clip is less well known I suspect.  I've made this joke before, but I honestly wasn't sure if this segment actually existed or if it was merely a fragment of my three-year-old imagination.  The Teeny Little Super Guy who lives on the side of a plastic beer cup taught us many lessons.  This particular clip is very applicable to my current life because it is about practicing.   I LOVE this guy.

Seventies PBS

About an hour ago, my electricity returned, and all is right in the world again. 

Here are two PBS clips to help us celebrate.  This week I chose two undeniable classics.

This first clip is a ladybug picnic.  You will have this song in your head for days.

Admit it, you still remember this grocery list, twenty years later.

Seventies PBS

God bless you YouTube, God bless you. 

PBS in the seventies was a freakish, strange place.  I cannot BELIEVE I get to watch these two classic Sesame segments again.   The internet is magical. 

I hope you like these as much as I do, because you will be seeing a lot more old PBS clips here on ohforfun.com.  As a child I was not allowed to watch a lot of television- except Sesame Street, Electric Company, and 3-2-1 Contact.  From now on, every Monday I will feature two clips from Seventies era PBS.  These clips are very close to my heart.

Until today, this first clip was just a vague memory that I always assumed I had made up in some sort of toddler trance. Oh no, the milk segment is real- freaky music, crying baby, and all.  "Miiiiiiiilk, miiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-iiiiiiiilk" 

This second clip defies all description.  The most amazing thing is that I can still SING ALONG with the weird llama song.

 

Thank you, internet.