Old School Thursday

Welcome to another installment of Old School Thursday. Today we honor:

It's Lamb Chop's Play-Along, where kids come to play along, and fun things are all we ever do! [click here to watch the show's intro].

The show aired on PBS from 1992-1997. Shari Lewis, an American ventriloquist and puppeteer, lives with Lamb Chop, Hush Puppy and Charlie Horse in a farm setting. It's a variety show setup as the show features fun and hilarious segments such as knock-knock jokes, Betcha-Time and "This is the Song that Doesn't End," which was used to end every episode.

Shari Lewis, who died in 1998, was one extremely talented woman. The program was basically a one-woman show as Lewis voiced and controlled all three of her four-legged co-stars, sang and did stand-up comedy.

Personally, I thought Hush Puppy was cute, but I don't understand--was he supposed to be foreign? Charlie Horse was hideous, but Lamb Chop was the cutest sock puppet I've seen. But it was not just her looks--oh no--it was her sharp wit coupled with her sweet little innocent voice that made her the barnyard's best.

I learned some pretty awesome tricks from Lamb Chop's Play-Along, and plenty of jokes that I found hilarious when I was 7 years old. (...but who ho am I kidding? I'm sure I still would.)

The only thing that creeped me out a little was when they brought out the 6-foot, life size Lamb Chop for dance numbers and she would dance with Shari and the kids.

...that, and when during the intro, Shari Lewis directed children to bounce their bottoms everywhere and proceeded to demonstrate. That was a little weird. But oh, to be young again.

Old School Thursday

This week, we remember Creepy Crawlers.

Creepy Crawlers, originally a Mattel Toy, are best described as rubbery bugs formed from some sort of goop that you poured into a mold and shoved in a miniature oven. You undoubtedly burned yourself taking the tray out of the oven, and subsequently burned yourself a second time trying to get your multicolored spider out of the mold without ripping his tiny little rubber legs off.

Check out some of the old school commercials for these things: commercial 1 and commercial 2


If they still sell these things, someone better get me one for Christmas.

Old School Thursday

I've decided to add a little weekly special to The Jerc Store called "Old School Thursday," where we pay homage to forgotten gems of the past. Suggestions are welcome.

They're tiny, they're toony, they're all a little looney...presenting 1990's Tiny Toon Adventures.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE OPENING THEME


Your main players were Buster and Babs Bunny [no relation]. Most of the characters were meant to be mini-versions of originial Looney Tunes characters [hence the "we're all a little looney" - get it?]. There was also Plucky Duck, and personally, some of my favorite scenes were of him as a Baby Plucky because he was just so precious ["want to go on the elalator" and water go down the hoooole"]. There were also skits featuring They Might Be Giants, and I must admit, I have "Istanbul" and "Particle Man" on my iPod.

I may have had a crush on Buster when I was little, but Babs was totally my fav, all her crazy impressions and songs. And could an episode go by where you didn't wish Montana Max would get hit by a piano instead of poor little Furball?

Buster: Say goodnight, Babs.
Babs: Goodnight Babs!

Now tell me that doesn't give you a sense of nostalgia.