Being born in 1982, I consider myself a “child of the 80s” (although my 30something cousins would disagree because they claim the title).  But who cares..

The 80s were a great time to be a kid.  The TV shows were fun and educational, Nickelodeon didn’t have disgusting shows on with pregnant teens as the stars, and the toys were a huge part of pop culture (popples, carebears, strawberry shortcake!).  I remember my childhood well…even when I was 2..3..and 4 years old. 

My favorite television stations were Nickelodeon and PBS (ETV).  And one of my favorite shows was this Canadian show called “Today’s Special” that aired after Pinwheel on Nickelodeon.  It was about 4 friends who carried out adventures in a department store at night time - a security guard called Sam, this lady named Jody, a mannequin named Jeff who’s magical hat brought him to life, and a rhyming mouse named Muffy.  The show introduced children to a lot of educational concepts such as geometry, math, language arts, and things pertaining to relationships (caring, friendship, honesty).  Sam even had a personal computer…I believe she was a TXL series computer??  I’m not quite sure, but I do remember her.

What’s weird is that although “Classic Nick” shows are a cult phenomenon online, no one I know seems to remember these shows!  They think i’m nuts when I mention Today’s Special (”what is that??” they ask).  And you can forget about any of the younger generation (those under 18) knowing what I’m talking about!  Many kids nowadays don’t even know who Mister Rogers is.   What a shame that is.  I’m going to make sure Little Jack knows!  I’d rather let him watch these old shows I grew up with than the mindnumbing, watered down trash that’s out today.  Too bad Today’s Special series isn’t out on DVD yet.  i’d love to get them!  I know they have a few episodes on video, but that’s just not good enough. :)  They need to do a “season 1, season 2, etc” set for all of us 80s kids.

Here’s the opening theme for Today’s Special - I found it on YouTube!  Maybe someone out there in blogoland remembers this show as fondly as I do.

Tagged: 80s, child of the 80s, classic nickelodeon, today's special

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