Nostalgia Time!
So okay, when I was little I used to watch a lot of Disney channel and Nickelodeon, back when they were still good. Most of it was animated cartoons, but a lot of it was also puppetry or live-action-costume style kid's shows, since those seemed to be the common themes in the late 80's to early 90's. Eureka's Castle, that live-action Winnie the Pooh thing, a live-action Dumbo's Circus, Under the Umbrella Tree, Fraggle Rock and various muppet-related shows, etc. And then there was this show on the Disney channel, Adventures in Wonderland. I was APESHIT for this show when I was little, for some reason. I'd be zonked out on the couch before school at like 6 in the morning just being all ":333 !!" at the TV.
I don't remember why the hell I liked this show so much (well, I do know at least one reason, but that's separate) but I know I've always tried to find clips or full-length versions of some of my favorite episodes. This was all at least a few years ago, and I never had much luck. The other day, I randomly remembered the show again and did a quick Youtube search for it. OMG DDD: Some person had acquires some of the VHS tapes they'd released and put a TON of the episodes up on Youtube.
There's the intro, if anyone else remembers it, and here's the uploader with all of the episodes:
http://www.youtube.com/user/melpierson
It's so stupid but I've been watching an episode here or there for the past week, sometimes not all the way through but just having MASSIVE flashbacks. And honestly? The show is actually a lot better than I thought it would be. Y'know how you remember some tv shows as being SO AWESOME and then you watch them and it's like PFFT WHY THIS IS AWFUL (the My Little Pony series did that for me). Well this is the opposite. Granted, the tendency to burst into song at least twice an episode is sometimes amusing and sometimes irritating, but the show is a lot smarter than I probably realized as a kid. One thing I do remember is learning a lot about spelling, language, and grammar rules from this show, like moreso than watching Sesame Street or whatever would have done. Lots of more adult concepts (very subtle but poignant hints at racism, for example) and "big" words in there that subtly eeked their way into my vocabulary before they might have otherwise.
Also? It's still funny to me, idk. The humor is SO cheesy and stupid and pun-tastic but I'm finding myself smirking on more than one occasion as I'm rewatching a few episodes. In particular the Hatter and Hare make me crack up, they are SO stupid but I remember having the BIGGEST crush on the Mad Hatter when I was little. Kinda relieved to see that yeah, he's still pretty cute in a nerdy, dorky doofy kinda way (dem eyebroooows lol), but he's endearing. And FREAKING tall. Lawl.
The proto-fursuits they run around in though, omg! So creepy now, but like I said, that sort of thing was the norm for a lot of shows that were on the air around the same time. I have to say, though, I'm kind of impressed with the mobility they have in them. The White Rabbit is done up in full padding and make-up that must have taken hours, and gets around on rollerblades, so of course he has to have clothes and full safety gear ontop of the suit because LOL GOOD EXAMPLE FOR THE KIDS. And the actor still manages to get around and emote very well. He must be SWELTERING in there.
Anyway. AMUSEMENT. What other shows from your childhood turned out to be surprisingly as good or better than you remembered, once you re-discovered them?
I don't remember why the hell I liked this show so much (well, I do know at least one reason, but that's separate) but I know I've always tried to find clips or full-length versions of some of my favorite episodes. This was all at least a few years ago, and I never had much luck. The other day, I randomly remembered the show again and did a quick Youtube search for it. OMG DDD: Some person had acquires some of the VHS tapes they'd released and put a TON of the episodes up on Youtube.
Click to viewThere's the intro, if anyone else remembers it, and here's the uploader with all of the episodes:
http://www.youtube.com/user/melpierson
It's so stupid but I've been watching an episode here or there for the past week, sometimes not all the way through but just having MASSIVE flashbacks. And honestly? The show is actually a lot better than I thought it would be. Y'know how you remember some tv shows as being SO AWESOME and then you watch them and it's like PFFT WHY THIS IS AWFUL (the My Little Pony series did that for me). Well this is the opposite. Granted, the tendency to burst into song at least twice an episode is sometimes amusing and sometimes irritating, but the show is a lot smarter than I probably realized as a kid. One thing I do remember is learning a lot about spelling, language, and grammar rules from this show, like moreso than watching Sesame Street or whatever would have done. Lots of more adult concepts (very subtle but poignant hints at racism, for example) and "big" words in there that subtly eeked their way into my vocabulary before they might have otherwise.
Also? It's still funny to me, idk. The humor is SO cheesy and stupid and pun-tastic but I'm finding myself smirking on more than one occasion as I'm rewatching a few episodes. In particular the Hatter and Hare make me crack up, they are SO stupid but I remember having the BIGGEST crush on the Mad Hatter when I was little. Kinda relieved to see that yeah, he's still pretty cute in a nerdy, dorky doofy kinda way (dem eyebroooows lol), but he's endearing. And FREAKING tall. Lawl.
The proto-fursuits they run around in though, omg! So creepy now, but like I said, that sort of thing was the norm for a lot of shows that were on the air around the same time. I have to say, though, I'm kind of impressed with the mobility they have in them. The White Rabbit is done up in full padding and make-up that must have taken hours, and gets around on rollerblades, so of course he has to have clothes and full safety gear ontop of the suit because LOL GOOD EXAMPLE FOR THE KIDS. And the actor still manages to get around and emote very well. He must be SWELTERING in there.
Anyway. AMUSEMENT. What other shows from your childhood turned out to be surprisingly as good or better than you remembered, once you re-discovered them?