Nostalgia: The Early Years of Cable TV

Every now and then I remember something from my childhood that requires investigation with the powers of the internet. Usually these are television shows. Occasionally, I have investigated toys that I owned--with the result that I now own once again, thanks to eBay, a Yoda that functions as a Magic 8-Ball that my mom bought me for Christmas when I was about 5. I desperately wanted Star Wars action figures and the Darth Vadar carrying case. But Yoda was a pretty cool substitution. Did anyone else have Princess Leia Underoos? Oh, yes, and Wonder Woman, too. And perhaps Bat Girl and Super Girl. I suspect that these may be memories I share with AmyReads! After all, how could such a devoted comic book fan be raised without Wonder Woman Underoos?

My all-time favorite memories of early cable involve Fraggle Rock. After a friend in the graduate program introduced me to eBay several years ago--perhaps as many as 6 or 7 years ago--I supplemented my 1990s VHS of Fraggle Rock with the original HBO Video releases from the 80s. It was a happy day when Fraggle Rock was released on DVD, and an even happier day when they were released on DVD as complete seasons--I am waiting anxiously for season 3. There was a time when I could hardly find anyone who remembered Fraggle Rock, but as people my age became primary consumers, and those younger became interested in the 80s, either as a partial remembered decade, or as my friends in high school looked back to the 60s and 70s, Fraggle Rock shirts, patches and such surfaced in the trendier stores.

With the easy availability of Fraggle Rock (there are even dolls available in Target!--I have some of the 1980s fraggle dolls, played-with, but in good shape), I turn occasionally to old Nickelodeon cartoons. My siblings remember well some of the children's shows that were on in the late 80s--"David the Gnome," "Eureeka's Castle," "Sharon, Lois and Bram's Elephant Show"--which I watched with them on occasion, when I was home from school. My memory even extends back to the really weird days of Nickelodeon, with the science-fiction-esque "The Third Eye" (which was too creepy for me--I was probably about 5). Some of the shows I enjoyed, but were either short-lived or aired in the early morning, were "Belle and Sebastian," "Danger Mouse," and "The Mysterious Cities of Gold." The latter was aired a bit later than the other two, and of the three, my favorite was "Belle and Sebastian"--a dubbed anime based on a series of French novels about a young boy and his Great Pyrenees dog, Belle. (It occurred to me recently that two of the names I have seriously considered for offspring have been, well, Belle--Isabelle--and Sebastian!) The boy was in search of his mother, a gypsy, and on the run from authorities, who confused the gentle (but huge) Belle with the violent "Pyrenees Monster"--a dog who terrified villages. Classic! Unfortunately, the only copies I have found of the series available for purchase are clear bootlegs. :( At least the vendor is honest about it--he digitized them himself. And matters are further confused by the presence of a band called Belle and Sebastian. Hmph.

Tonight, my husband threatened to call our daughter "DG"--for "DangerGirl"--after she balanced herself on an inverted toy pail. And suddenly I remembered Danger Mouse! (DM, as he was known by his assistant Penfold.) These were the early days of Nickelodeon, before Alanis Morissette had even heard of oral sex! (we hope) To my surprise, there is not only a dangermouse.org, the complete series is available on DVD! I rather think that they wouldn't be as funny as they used to be, but British humor being what it is, I could be wrong! There was also a spinoff called "Count Duckula" that was amusing--a vegetarian vampire duck. Hah! Both incredibly British.

This has been a fun if pointless ramble down memory lane. I welcome any of your own fond memories of Nickelodeon, early cable, or whatever! I am also a huge Sesame Street fan (before the rise of Elmo), and received the "Old School" Sesame Street DVDs for Christmas! My daughter & I have fun watching Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock during the day, though she is developing an odd preference for A&E's Pride and Prejudice. Unlike some of us, it's the music and not Colin Firth that attracts her!