Cat Tales: Miscellany and Mischief

January 27 (30DBC)

30DBC January 27 Prompt: On this day in 1926 a Scottish inventor named John Baird demonstrated a pictorial transmission machine called the television. Do you remember seeing your first television...the one your parents had when you were a kid? What were some of your favorite shows? Do you still watch any of the old programs you enjoyed as a teenager?

Well, I'm still pretty young, so I grew up watching "Barney and Friends" and "Sesame Street." As I got a bit older, some of my favorite shows were cartoons on Nick and Cartoon Network: "Rugrats," "The Powerpuff Girls," "Digimon," "Rocko's Modern Life," "Hey Arnold!", and "Spongebob Squarepants" (I still watch that last one to this day, especially if I'm just feeling cruddy and need a good laugh).

I used to think that the actors/cartoons on television could actually see you. This could be due in part to the many TV shows for children that portray the characters asking for direct input from the viewer (curse you, Dora the Explorer!). Hilariously, I never wanted to participate in my aunt and mom's exercise video workouts with Richard Simmons because I thought "that weird guy can see me."

Surprisingly, my favorite shows for kids didn't turn up on my radar until my sister was born. I was around 10 when she was born, and as she grew up, I saw kids shows with more of a mature eye. Some of her favorites are ones that I would consider letting my own kids watch, and most of them are from PBS: "Cyberchase," "Dragon Tales," and "Between the Lions" are just a few I can recall. Educational, well done, and entertaining, even to a 15-year-old.

AlyCatAuthor