Jezebel
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T Ag Tag
It's Electric: The Electric Company Returns
Hey you guuuuys! The Electric Company is back, ready to bring its wacky brand of educational programming to a new generation of kids. While Morgan Freeman and Rita Moreno won't be around this time, the show's message remains the same: reading can be fun. A hipper, more energetic Sesame Street, The Electric Company's true successor, at this point, is probably the fantastic Yo Gabba Gabba, which captures the energy of the original series. Will the new Electric Company connect with kids? See for yourself: a comparison between the old school Electric Company and the version that will be launched in January, 2009, after the jump. Now if only they could resurrect Square One Television, the children's television universe would be good to go. More » -
Hi Points!
We were very excited when we heard about "I Was A Highlights Kid", a site created literally just for adults to reminisce about Highlights! The classic children's magazine was founded in 1946, and features like "The Timbertoes" and "Hidden Pictures" were childhood constants for generations. On the site, not only can you submit your fond fun-with-a-purpose memories, you can caption your own "Goofus and Gallant" cartoons AND take an "Are You Goofus or Gallant" quiz? (Sadie was 60% Goofus.) Even you highbrow Cricket readers will get a nostalgic thrill when you see the logo — even if you do associate it with bubblegum-flavored fluoride. [USA Today]
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Games People Play
Listen, we don't fear change, but sometimes change sucks. Especially when it tampers with your childhood memories. In the vein of Strawberry Shortcake, the murder-mystery board game Clue has gotten a makeover. The new game has nine weapons instead of six; there's no lead pipe, and the revolver is now a pistol. They've added a trophy, an ax and a baseball bat. Plus, the game now takes place at a modern mansion - more Cribs than Masterpiece Theater. "We wanted something the kids would feel like it belonged to them," Hasbro's Rob Daviau says. That doesn't explain why there's a Catherine Zeta-Jones look-alike on the box. Miss Scarlett, is that you? (Click to enlarge image.) [NPR]
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Won't You Be My Neighbor?
For those of us raised on the Neighborhood of Make Believe, PBS's recent decision to cut Mister Rogers' Neighborhood from its weekday syndication after 40 years (airing it a mere once a week!) is heart-breaking. Brian Linder has taken action, launching SaveMisterRogers.com. He was motivated, he says, "Not because of my own nostalgic feelings for the program, but because I feel it is still such a special nurturing voice in the lives of children." While Mister Rogers may lack bells and whistles, it was a show that treated children with sensitivity and respect. Says Linder, "It was Mister Rogers who taught me how to begin to deal with my feelings. I think he taught my parents a lot, too. I know I’m still learning from him." And anyone who wants to learn a new appreciation for the earnest man in the cardigan should check out the video of Fred speaking on behalf of PBS before the senate. It's truly awe-inspiring. Some gratitude, PBS! [Paste]
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Berry Expensive!
Experts calculate that the total cost of Strawberry Shortcake's new look, including facelift, eyelift, nose job and freckle removal, would top $23,000! "Between the hair, the eyes, clothes and nose," observes a plastic surgeon, "Shortcake’s new look is much too extreme for real life because it’s so obvious, like that makeover TV show The Swan." [MainStreet]
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nostalgia
Berry Disturbing Makeover for Strawberry Shortcake
As a grown woman who had every intention of dressing as Strawberry Shortcake for Halloween (my boyfriend was going to be the Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak), I am furious at American Greetings Properties' decision to give Shortcake a “fruit-forward” makeover. As part of a growing toy-industry trend (Care Bears are getting slimmed down; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be more pumped, less aggro), vintage brands are being reworked to appeal to the kids, while still playing on young parents' nostalgia. In the case of Shortcake (who's getting a new TV show and a computer-animated movie), the emphasis is less on sugar, more on fresh fruit. Says a company rep, “We’re downplaying characters that were part of Strawberry’s world but who didn’t immediately shout out fruit.” The new Shortcake also rocks a more streamlined look and talks on a cellphone all the time. More » -
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clips
"That Girl Was, Is, And Will Always Be Nada"
Feeling nostalgic? John Hughes has been in the news this week. First there was a profile of the writer/director in the Los Angeles Times (he helped write Drillbit Taylor, but under a pseudonym, shh!) and a NPR piece about Long Duk Dong. Now, Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries, has posted a YouTube clip (to promote her new book) in which she reenacts a key scene from Pretty in Pink using dolls. More »
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1-7 of 7 for "Nostalgia"
