The other night on Twitter someone mentioned how their kids had started watching the Power Rangers and adored it. It sent me back to my own childhood when I watched – you guessed it – The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The show, which first aired in 1993 followed teenagers who had superpowers. It was based on the Japanese franchise Super Sentai. Since its arrival in the United States there has been nearly 20 years of shows; the most recent is set to be released in 2013 – Power Rangers Megaforce – and will serve as the 20th anniversary for the franchise.
This got me thinking about all the shows I watched growing up. Power Rangers was one of the last shows I watched before getting into middle school and therefore more adult shows like Buffy. Like my current taste in music my taste in television as a kid was both odd and eclectic. Here are my top five shows from my childhood.
Photo: @Sesame Street Twitter
(1) Sesame Street
a. Who hasn’t watched Sesame Street as a child? My favorite characters were Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster. Think I learned to be grouchy and eat lots of cookies. Oops. I also got to see them on ice. That was the coolest thing ever. I mean seriously. Elmo said hi to me.
Photo: Wikipedia
(2) C.O.P.S
a. This was an animated show about – again you guessed it – cops. The show aired 1988-1989 and I’m pretty sure it made a lasting impact on me – actually I know it did. They did a huge amount of PSA’s in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.
Photo: Wikipedia
(3) Sharon, Lois, & Bram’s The Elephant Show
a. Oh my gosh did I love this show as a kid. I still sing the Skinnamarink Song. I think my parents even took me to see them in person. My mom used to wake me up with the Skinnamarink song. So many good memories.
Photo: Wikipedia
(4) Power Rangers
a. I watched the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and my friends and I would reenact the episodes on the playground. We had some other sort of game devised using the boxes on the pavement that included the Power Rangers, but I don’t remember what. I do remember I was always the Pink Ranger (and pink isn’t my favorite color).
Photo: Wikipedia
(5) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
a. I was beyond obsessed with the turtles growing up. I saved all my cereal box tops to be able to get all 4 stuffed turtles that General Mills was giving away. I was so excited when I got them. I still have them in storage somewhere. I really need to get them out and put them out at my place.
Nickelodeon as well as Nick at Nite were my favorite channels as a kid. I watched shows like Rugrats, Are you Afraid of the Dark, Hey Dude, Doug, Rocko’s Modern Life, and The Ren and Stimpy Show. As I grew older there was The Tick and Pinky and the Brain. I also had a penchant for the classics like Hogan’s Heroes, MASH, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Batman (with Adam West), and Green Acres.
It’s great going down memory lane and remembering what great shows I got to watch as a kid. Maybe when there’s nothing on tv and I’m bored I’ll pull up an episode or two of some of my old favorites. These shows helped make my childhood awesome and sparked my creativity and imagination.
What are some of your favorite shows you watched growing up?
Mark Brassington 