I picked up a couple new episodes of Popular Mechanics for Kids, the outstanding science TV show for kids. Boy, kids TV shows have come a long way since I was a kid.
Then again, there were some exceptional shows, ones that stand the test of time. These are the ones that didn’t talk down to their audience, though the audience wasn’t always kids. The Flintstones, for instance, aired in prime time for an adult audience. The Flintstones would’ve been nowhere if Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes characters hadn’t blazed a trail almost thirty years prior with cartoons created for grown-up moviegoers and characters patterned after the Marx Brothers, among others.
Smart, witty shows like Scooby Doo and Rocky and Bullwinkle reigned supreme in the 60s, raising legions of meddling kids like myself. You had to pay attention to these shows or you’d miss something. They’d keep you sharp.
Somewhere down the line, though, some knucklehead decides the old crew needs some updating and they roll out the “baby” characters. You know what I’m talking about. So many good shows jumped the shark when a new generation of characters suddenly showed up.
The Brady Bunch had Cousin Oliver. Scooby Doo had Scrappy Doo. The Muppets had the Muppet Babies. Godzilla had its kid sidekick, Godzooki. For years I refused to accept Elmo as a legitimate Sesame Street character. Now he’s just annoying.
The point is that once the shows began talking down to their audiences, they were done. Are there any high-quality kids shows now that can compete with the classic ones?