Child of the 1980's - The Rise of Nickelodeon

                As a child in the early 1980’s choices for television were limited.  In addition to the Big Three networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC there were Boston-based local stations like WSBK TV-38, and WLVI-56.  Though there was cable television offered it was not as common as it is today.  When cable finally came into my life there were channels like ESPN and MTV but they did not appeal as much to an elementary school aged child.  However there was one channel which came along that became my go to for afterschool viewing, perhaps yours too?  That was Nickelodeon.  These are some of the initial classic shows which brought my afternoons and weekends joy during the mid-1980’s.

                Nickelodeon was first launched in April 1979 and was commercial-free until 1984.  The channel was meant to appeal to elementary school aged children roughly 6-11 years old.  I first became aware of Nickelodeon when cable was introduced to my life in 1984.  The shows which were on the network then have remained big parts of my childhood.  Here are just a few of those shows.  How many will bring you flashbacks?

                I can’t begin without my favorite show from those days You Can’t Do That On Television.
     For younger viewers it was where the popular green slime was introduced.  This Canadian sketch show became the fledgling channel’s first hit.  Starring a mostly child cast it debuted in 1979 locally before going international in 1981.  There were tons of funny, gross-out jokes, Barth’s Burgers, locker jokes, and of course saying ‘I Don’t Know’ to get slimed, or ‘water’ to get the liquid poured on your head.  The show was also notable for being the launching point for the career of singer Alanis Morrissette before it was canceled in 1990.

                Perhaps almost as well known was Nickelodeon’s hit game show Double Dare with host Marc Summers.

     The show which debuted in 1986 consisted of families competing against each other in a trivia contest and physical challenges to start and then an obstacle course at the end.  This was what the show became known for with its eight obstacles where you had to capture the orange flags.  The giant nose and Sundae slide were two of the most common rotating obstacles.  The show would be revamped as Super Sloppy Double Dare and Family Double Dare before ending its initial run in 1993.

                Nickelodeon also dipped its toes into the music industry with its countdown show Nick Rocks.

     The half-hour music video show hosted by Joe from Chicago ran from 1984-1989.  The network debuted the show as a way to combat what was seen as more adult-oriented music videos running on MTV.  The show is also known for The Monkees premiering their video ‘Heart and Soul’ on it after a disagreement with MTV.

                Then there was also the network’s Nick at Nite which when it launched in 1985 introduced some classic 1950’s and 1960’s shows to a new generation.  Shows like My Three Sons, Donna Reed Show, Car 54, Dennis the Menace and others were broadcast nightly beginning at 8pm.  It is still running today.

                One of my personal favorites was the delightfully different cartoon Danger Mouse.  

     The British series starred the eye-patch wearing mouse who was billed as the world’s greatest secret agent, parodying James Bond and Danger Man.  The show ran from 1981-1992 and was a staple of early Nickelodeon.  Danger Mouse had his trusted sidekick Penfold and battled his archrival Baron Silas Greenback.  Another rival Count Duckula actually got a spinoff series in 1988.

                Of course no reminiscing about old school Nickelodeon would be complete without Mr. Wizard’s World.

     It starred Don Herbert as Mr. Wizard and ran from 1983-1990.  This show was Herbert’s second as Mr. Wizard with the original, entitled Watch Mr. Wizard, airing from 1951-65 and 1971-72.  Just in case anyone was curious, Herbert did have a degree in general science, so he definitely was qualified to speak on the subject.  It had the popular Ask Mr. Wizard segment where he answered viewer questions and the show was a hit throughout its 78-episode run.

                There were many other shows and segments that I wanted to mention but perhaps those like Out of Control, Picture Pages, Pinwheel, and others can be saved for another time.  I hope that this has been a majorly awesome trip back to the 1980’s.  More to come so stay tuned!

Click here to check out my previous Child of the 1980's blog, about Early Educational Television Shows!

24 - In My Footsteps Maine Trip - Day 5

Initial Impressions Maine

Day 5 - October 5, 2010

1.  So that turkey sandwich from Hannaford gave me a stomach ache this morning.  Pay for what you get I guess, but I still would not have rather gone to see that tranny at Subway.

2.  My mentioning that I was a travel writer did not help me get any discount on my motel room.  I will still give them a positive write up, but it would have been way sweeter if I had gotten a perk.  Maybe I should have taken that stupid bottle opener/cork screw off of the wall, that would have shown them!

3.  My payback for no perk was to leave a stack of business cards neatly tucked in between a pair of brochures.  No, they were in the open, I'm not gonna hide them, then nobody sees them, come on.

4.  Thought of hitting this local restaurant called the Log Cabin.  Breakfast buffet for $7.99, how can I lose, right?  Then I read all of these online reviews about how crappy it is so I got on the road before eating.  My stomach was growling about 20 minutes later.

5.  Once I got through Ellsworth, just north of Bar Harbor, I realized how wide open Maine’s coast is.  There were more hills than on MTV, and no places to eat.  Had to drive an hour into a town called Machias to find a McDonald’s.  

6.  I had a breakfast platter, three bucks and it had sausage, pancakes, eggs, hash browns, and a biscuit.  That was good eatin’.  It was pretty much the only area during the entire 2 hrs. 10 mins. drive to Lubec that resembled a normal town, the other areas were like stuff out of 1950's calendars.

7.  As a side note, on the way up to Machias I found myself behind a truck of old Texans.  They were so damn slow that I finally whipped past them, legally of course.   Then they caught up with me at McDonald’s and gave me the evil eye.  Nothing like coming out of the bathroom and being face to face with angry old rednecks.  So I flew out of there but met up with them again in Lubec at West Quoddy Head Light.   They stared again but were more interested in putting their Texas flag near the lighthouse for a photo.

8.  The ride out to Lubec was smooth until I ran into about 5 miles of nonstop road work.  There were 3 areas nicely spaced so that once I got up to highway speed there was the damn construction sign.  At one point I had to drive sideways in the dirt to get by, I swore my car was going to flip, at least there was equipment to get it turned back over right there.

9.  Every now and then on my drive up the coast there would be this overpowering stank of fish with the wind.  I thought to myself ‘is this how it always smells up here?’  And if so how the hell can people stand it? 

10.  Seeing West Quoddy Head Light in Lubec was like meeting a rock star for me.  I have been dying to see it since the beginning of the year but a 7 ½ hour drive from the Cape was not happening.  So I did 4 hours to Owl’s Head, 1 hr. 40 mins. to Bar Harbor, and then 2 hrs. 10 mins. to Lubec, that’s much easier!

11.  I did hug the lighthouse when I saw it, that was not a lie.  I was like a kid meeting the Jonas Brothers, screeching and crying.  Well, not that bad but I was happy, felt like I had reached a seemingly impossible goal.

12.  Had a sort of magical moment while shooting the ‘spark plug’ lighthouse near Lubec.  I left my car running and ‘Hey Jude’ was playing, a nice warm sunny day and the sound of The Beatles filling the air, I just stood with my arms open wide and soaked it in.  Wish someone had been filming it, quite inspirational!

13.  That lighthouse is called Lubec Channel Light, just to share correct information.

14.  I then got to see Canada!  From the Maine coast, sorry, no passport.  I was so close to Campobello Island in New Brunswick that I could hear the people across the water with their ‘eh’s’ after every sentence. 

15.  I shot Mulholland Point Light in New Brunswick since it was only about 300 feet away once I got out on the breakwater.  Don’t know why I am so excited that I have a Canadian place in the photo collection.  Oh and I also got to see some seals diving for fish there.  The seagulls were flipping out trying to catch the loose fish guts that floated up to the surface.

16.  Only when I got back to Owl’s Head did I realize how far I had driven.  It ended up being over 400 miles.  That's longer round trip than any trip I had ever taken, besides the New Hampshire one.  The funny thing is that it was just another day at the beach for me which shows me that I can definitely handle the long drives.   

17.  I was ready to pass out but got back in time to find out Randy Moss was going to be traded.  The Patriots are worse in the short term, but an angry Moss would not have done them any good since it's obvious he was being phased out of the offense.

18.  I ended up doing almost 6 hours of driving just today, but it was still worth it to see that barber shop pole-looking lighthouse.  I wanted to steal it and bring it home with me.

19.  Speaking of that, like an idiot I didn't even stop at a gift shop to buy one of those little lighthouses.  So now I have to order one, plus shipping charges, damn it!

Photos of the Day:

West Quoddy Head Light, Lubec

I was so sad to leave it,obviously.

Mulholland Point Light, Campobello Island, New Brunswick

Penobscot Narrows Bridge, old and new, in Bucksport

Lubec Channel Light