Shining Time Station

Shining Time Station was an American children's television series that aired on PBS from January 1989 to June 1993. The series starred Ringo Starr, George Carlin, Didi Conn, Brian O'Connor, The Flexitoon Puppets, and Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.

Shining Time Station was a train station that resided on the Indian Valley Railroad. The station was managed by Stacy Jones, the station master whose grandmother, Gracie Jones (who gave the station its name), ran the station when she was Stacy's age. The station's workshop was run by railroad engineer and mechanic Harry Cupper.

A local named Horace Schemer (simply called Schemer by his friends) ran the station's arcade and was always finding new ways to make more money or to protect his arcade.

There was a jukebox inside the arcade that housed a band that performed for the nickels that were dropped inside.

Mr. Conductor was a tiny man who lived in a signal house inside the station's mural and told the stories of "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends" to the kids. He could teleport in a cloud of his magic gold dust.

Sesame Street: 20 Pickle Pies

Here's a catchy and educational little number from a vintage classic Sesame Street cartoon clip demonstrating math with 20 Pickle Pies. Singers count 20 pickles several times, then Uncle Ned cuts the pie into 20 pieces and those are counted too.

Enjoy!

Sesame Street: Russian Dolls Counting

Here is a classic Sesame Street segment from the 70's that shows Russian Dolls counting 10-1. One of my favorites!!

Newton's Apple

Newton's Apple was an educational television program distributed to PBS stations in the United States that ran for fifteen seasons from 1983 to 1998. The title came from the story of Isaac Newton's "discovery" of gravity, which supposedly happened when an apple fell from a tree onto his head.

An occasional short feature appeared called "Science of the Rich and Famous" in which celebrities appeared to explain a science principle; as examples, rock star Ted Nugent explained guitar feedback, Olympic Gold Medalist skater Scott Hamilton demonstrated the angular momentum of a skater's spin, and Betty White showed how cats purr.

The Bugaloos

The Bugaloos was an American children's television series produced by brothers Sid and Marty Krofft, airing on NBC on Saturday mornings from 1970 to 1972. The show featured a musical group comprised of four British-accented teenagers, who lived in fictional Tranquility Forest. They wore bug-themed outfits with antenna and wings which allowed them to fly (though on occasion flying on surfboards), and were constantly beset by the evil machinations of Benita Bizarre who was covetous of the Bugaloos' musical prowess.

Reading Rainbow

Reading Rainbow was a children's television series that aired on PBS from 1983 to 2006. It encouraged reading among children.

Each episode centered on a theme from a book or other children's literature which was explored through a number of segments or stories. The show also provided book recommendations for kids to look for when they went to the library.

The Electric Company: The Menu Song Skit

Here is a catchy song called, The Menu Song, sang by Morgan Freeman and Rita Moreno on an episode of The Electric Company.

3-2-1 Contact

3-2-1 Contact was a science educational television show which aired on PBS from 1980 to 1988. The show, a production of the Children's Television Workshop, taught scientific principles and their applications.


A frequent segment of the show was The Bloodhound Gang, a series about a group of young detectives who used science to solve crimes.

Sesame Street: Baker "Song of One" Segment

Does anyone remember the classic "Baker" segments from Sesame Street?  Each film opened with an animated sequence where kids counted up to 10 and then back to 1. After the segment's number was announced, several human characters, ranging from jugglers to professors, would present that number with various objects. Finally, a baker melodically announced that segment's number of desserts, and fell down a flight of stairs.

Here is Song of One...

The Electric Company: The Office Sign Song

A familiar skit shown on The Electric Company was The Sign Sing-Along. It was often shown at the last sketch on a Friday episode and featured footage of signs with various words and were married to a sing-along-type song. They were always sung once through, after which the viewers were expected to supply the lyrics the second time around ("All right, now we'll be quiet, and you sing it!") while a wah-wah-muted trumpet and bassoon duo played the melody of the words.

Here is the Office Sign Song

Sesame Street: Funny Farmer #6

Here is a classic Sesame Street segment with a funny farmer singing about the number 6!

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood was a children's television series that was created and hosted by Fred Rogers from 1968 to 2001.

It was characterized by its quiet simplicity and gentleness. Episodes did not have a plot, and consisted of Rogers speaking directly to the viewer about various issues, taking the viewer on tours of factories, demonstrating experiments, crafts, and music, and interacting with his friends. The half-hour episodes were punctuated by a puppet segment chronicling occurrences in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

At the beginning of each episode, Fred Rogers enters his television studio house, singing "Won't You Be My Neighbor?". He hangs his coat in a closet, puts on a cardigan zipper sweater, and removes his dress shoes to put on sneakers. The reverse would happen at the end of the show with Fred Roger's singing, "Good Feeling."

Sesame Street: Animated Typewriter

An animated typewriter with eyes and arms, and mobile wheels appeared on Sesame Street beginning in Season 6. The Typewriter would demonstrate letters by typing out the letter, and a word beginning with it, on himself. He often fumbled, which frustrated him. The Typewriter's most notable dialogue, apart from announcing the letter and the word, was his trademark "Noo-nee-noo-nee-noo" sounds.

Sesame Street: The People in Your Neighborhood

"The People in Your Neighborhood" has been performed on Sesame Street many times, sung by many different characters. This song is about the various jobs that people have, with the jobs being different depending on the version of the song.

Here is Bob and 2 Muppets singing about Teachers and Newsdealers from 1971.

Zoobilee Zoo

Zoobilee Zoo was a children's television program featuring costumed performers dressed as animal characters. It originally aired from 1986–1987.

Generally the plot of each episode consisted of the main characters, called Zoobles, encountering difficulties usually common to young children and then learning a moral lesson about dealing with such problems (such as being apprehensive of going to a doctor or learning to appreciate others). Each character had a certain gimmick in his behavior or interests that gave him a unique view on each problem faced (i.e. Bravo Fox was a showman and encouraged the amazingness of acting, Talkatoo Cockatoo enjoyed reading, writing and speech, Van Go Lion enjoyed art, Whazzat Kangaroo encouraged kids to enjoy music and dance, Lookout Bear enjoyed adventuring and travel, and Bill Der Beaver liked to invent and fix stuff).

Sesame Street: Edith Ann

Edith Ann is a character portrayed by Lily Tomlin in the 70's. She is a bratty five-year-old seated in an over-sized rocking chair making rude noises while telling stories about her baby brother and pet dog Buster.

Here is a clip of her on Sesame Street talking about a time she made a sandwich.

Land of the Lost

Land of the Lost was a children's television series that ran from 1974–1976 and was co-created and produced by Sid and Marty Krofft.

Land of the Lost detailed the adventures of the Marshall family (father Rick, his son Will, and younger daughter Holly) who are trapped in an alternate universe inhabited by dinosaurs, a primate-type people called Pakuni, and aggressive humanoid/lizard creatures called Sleestak. The episode storylines focused on the family's efforts to survive and find a way back to their own world, but the exploration of the exotic features of the Land of the Lost was also an ongoing part of the story.

The Electric Company: Phyllis and the Pharaohs "Phantom of Love"

Another skit shown on The Electric Company was "Phyllis and the Pharaohs," a 1950s-style doo-wop group with Rita Moreno on lead vocals and the entire male adult cast on backup. The group's other hits include "Grease," and "Is it Love?".

"Phantom of Love"

The Electric Company: The Soft Shoe Silhouettes

If you grew up in the ’70s, you’re probably familiar with one of “The Electric Company’s” skits:

“The Soft Shoe Silhouettes,” in which one person speaks the beginning of a word, another speaks the end, and the two then put the whole word together.

It was one of my favorites!

Trivia: The person on the left is Morgan Freeman!

Sesame Street: My Martian Cutie (Number 9)

Here is a classic tune, My Martian Cutie (Number 9), from the good old days on Sesame Street.