No Right Answer: Best Childhood Show Ever

[Firefilm]

Best Childhood Show Ever

Last week things got a little heated. This week we'd like to cool things off with a little nostalgia. Remember when things were simpler, when all you had to worry about was a spelling test at the end of the week? And who did you turn to for spelling tips? Television, of course! But what gentle voices and sing-songy tones helped you learn your A-B-C's? Let's find out!



Don't forget, if you don't understand our decisions or want to have more of our material to complete your shrines to us, Mondays feature a new written companion piece titled No Right Explanation. We dare you to make less sense!



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[Canadamus Prime]

I submit Owl TV! It didn't have puppets, but it did have incredible shrinking kids.

 

[BrotherRool]

Can't say I ever watch either really. I only know who Mr Rogers is from the Ultimate Showdown. Maybe it's another American thing?

 

[GeorgW]

Reverse spit-take? WTF??
Really good debate this week, not just from an entertainment standpoint, but from a debating one.

 

[ritchards]

Living in New Zealand, we imported a lot of TV from America and UK... never had Mr Rogers over here, had all the Sesame Street (with added Maori content!).

 

[Fayathon]

How the hell did you guys forget about Reading Rainbow?



Okay, to be fair I kinda did too until you mentioned it...

 

[killercyclist]

you forgot ramblin' rod!

 

[karloss01]

Never watched either i only know Mr Rogers from the ultimate showdown (as stated above) and like 4 of the sesame street characters. SATAM had my childhood.

 

[Omenseer]

At least Mr. Rogers didn't have an adverse affect on the attention span of children.

 

[empirialtank]

yeah but Mr Rogers can rap way better than anyone from Sesame Street.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZsKqbt3gQ0&feature=relmfu

 

[Aptspire]

Nowadays: Jim Parsons AND Neil Patrick Harris on Sesame Street

 

[emeraldrafael]

Im biased to say mr rogers cause hes a PA native. But over all, I would say him just cause with his show, it seemed more timeless. I mean, I grew up watching PBS and it, so I saw both, and you could only watch Sesame street for so long before you finally said "I know my numbers, I know my abcs, I know all this stuff". iwth mr rogers though, he took you on tours of places and I learned stuff I never knew even as I grew out of sesame street. its to the point where even at 19 I can sit and watch mr rogers and still feel better about it than watching sesame street.

...

and while im not sure if it counts (since it was on PBS kids) a third competitor wtih Bill Nye would have awesome. Though theres a few shows that you could put here for either of those two.

 

[disappointed]

Mr. Rogers teaches practical skills, dislikes minorities = blue collar conservative
Sesame Street teaches concepts, panders to celebrity = white collar liberal

Therefore, unless I've misjudged Escapist demographics, Sesame Street wins.

 

[Sharayah Pranger]

One two three, four five six, seven eight nine, ten eleven twelve, the ladybugs twelve, at the ladybug picnic!

What a lovely eleven morning, I heard eleven birds yawning, I saw eleven cows sleeping midst the butter cups, I said how's your cottage cheese and they said "Aw, dry up!"

Ten tiny turtles on the telephone Talking to the grocery man "We would like some lettuce, Please send us ten heads please, And ten sweet potatoes And ten rutabagas with the dimples on their knees.
And send us 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Artichokes Ten eggplants over easy That's one of our little jokes ( ha ha ha )

And of course, this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REy9ZMY7LGY

Sesame Street had a level of memorable creative genius that Mr. Rogers was sorely lacking.

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

Reverse spit-take? WTF??
Really good debate this week, not just from an entertainment standpoint, but from a debating one.

I agree, probably one of my favourites.

I say Mr. Rogers all the way. He is quite possibly the nicest person to have lived since St. Francis of Assisi. Aside from a very gentle, soothing theme song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w9xk4hUKoQ) that puts you at ease, I pull from wikipedia:

During the 1997 Daytime Emmys, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Rogers. The following is an excerpt from Esquire's coverage of the gala, written by Tom Junod:
Mister Rogers went onstage to accept the award ? and there, in front of all the soap opera stars and talk show sinceratrons, in front of all the jutting man-tanned jaws and jutting saltwater bosoms, he made his small bow and said into the microphone, "All of us have special ones who have loved us into being. Would you just take, along with me, ten seconds to think of the people who have helped you become who you are. Ten seconds of silence."
And then he lifted his wrist, looked at the audience, looked at his watch, and said, "I'll watch the time." There was, at first, a small whoop from the crowd, a giddy, strangled hiccup of laughter, as people realized that he wasn't kidding, that Mister Rogers was not some convenient eunuch, but rather a man, an authority figure who actually expected them to do what he asked. And so they did. One second, two seconds, three seconds ? and now the jaws clenched, and the bosoms heaved, and the mascara ran, and the tears fell upon the beglittered gathering like rain leaking down a crystal chandelier. And Mister Rogers finally looked up from his watch and said softly "May God be with you," to all his vanquished children.[14][22]

Mr. Rogers was the nicest person of our age, and Big Bird just can't compare as a role model.

Captcha: Patience, child I am now thoroughly creeped out

 

[Starik20X6]

Dave Chappelle reference FTW!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLdim8hWR44

I never watched either, live in Australia, not even sure if Mr. Rogers shows on TV here... I grew up with Batman: The Animated Series and Thunderbirds.

 

[Qitz]

yeah but Mr Rogers can rap way better than anyone from Sesame Street.

Against Mr.T as well.

As for the Best Childhood Show Ever? The Magic School Bus man! I loved that show. Made me want a Lizard like Lizzy.

 

[Lunar Templar]

mine was a muppet house yo, *came up on the street*

(note, you'll wanna imagine the most awkward white guy trying to be black possible for that line)

 

[orangeapples]

Mr. Rogers teaches practical skills, dislikes minorities = blue collar conservative
Sesame Street teaches concepts, panders to celebrity = white collar liberal

Therefore, unless I've misjudged Escapist demographics, Sesame Street wins.

Well, according to that analysis, the internet would also vote for Sesame Street.