Do You Remember These Classic Children’s Shows?

The season 1 finale of “Blues Clues” featured Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper welcoming their newborn Paprika into the world. Later seasons saw Paprika joined by a younger brother named Cinnamon, then twins Sage and Ginger. These spices joined a crew that included Mailbox, Tickety Tock, Slippery Soap, and Pail, who helped the blue dog and her buddy solve mysteries.

Everyone’s favorite purple dinosaur almost missed his big break. In 1988, a home video series called “Barney & the Backyard Gang” was introduced to local viewers in Texas. It was only moderately successful until 1991, when it was picked up by PBS and renamed “Barney & Friends.” The revamped series debuted in April 1992 and featured Barney and his dinosaur friends Baby Bop, BJ, and Riff.

Thomas the Tank Engine and his fellow locomotive friends work the railroads of Sodor, a fictional island located between the Isle of Man and Great Britain in the Irish Sea. This determined blue train is based on a character in a children's book series first published in 1945. The show “Thomas & Friends” premiered in the U.K. in 1984 and was released five years later on PBS in America as “Shining Time Station.”

Just one of the many unexplained surreal elements in the curiously named “H.R. Pufnstuf” is a flute owned by a lonesome boy named Jimmy that inexplicably turns gold and comes to life. Jimmy and Freddy the Flute become quick friends; unfortunately, the villainous Wilhemina W. Witchiepoo lures Jimmy to the Living Island, where he and his flute spend the rest of the series romping around with Sid and Marty Krofft’s other bizarre creations.

“Thunderbirds” creator Gerry Anderson combined the words “super,” “marionette,” and “animation” into “Supermarionation,” which perfectly describes the action in the show. Anderson used an electronic lip sync device to animate the mouths of his marionette puppets, but he had trouble making them walk convincingly — that’s why you often see the show’s characters standing or sitting in vehicles.

In 1994, the animated series “The Magic School Bus” launched on PBS. Based on the books by Joanna Cole, the cartoon starred an eccentric teacher who took her class on field trips in a special bus that could shrink, fly, go underwater, and even travel through space. Her trusty sidekick, Liz (a play on the word “lizard”), was a Jackson’s chameleon, a species that is known for its three horns and resembles a triceratops.

These colorful bears first came onto the scene in 1983, when American Greetings launched the plush toys and their first television special, “The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings.” The show featured 10 original bears: Bedtime Bear, Birthday Bear, Cheer Bear, Friend Bear, Funshine Bear, Good Luck Bear, Love-a-Lot Bear, Tenderheart Bear, Wish Bear, and Grumpy Bear.

Like many dog owners, TV producer Rick Duffield would narrate his dog's exploits around the house. After struggling to find a way to bring that notion to the small screen, Duffield glanced at his bookshelf and the idea for "Wishbone" was born. A three-day casting call was held to find the right hound when a fetching Jack Russell named Soccer dazzled producers and went on to star in the TV series.

In February 1969, the “Banana Splits Adventure Hour” theme song, "The Tra La La Song," hit No. 96 on the Billboard 100. The catchy number was written by N. B. Winkless Jr., who also created the “Snap, Crackle, Pop” jingle for Rice Krispies.

When musician Ringo Starr left the role of Mr. Conductor on “Shining Time Station” in 1990, the show’s producers looked for a comedian to take the part rather than a traditional actor. They enlisted George Carlin to step into the role for the show's final six years. At first, Carlin was nervous about performing without an audience, so producers brought in a teddy bear to keep him company in the recording booth.

Long before “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Driving Miss Daisy,” Morgan Freeman appeared on PBS’ “The Electric Company.” Freeman had found some success in theater by the 1970s but had yet to make an impact on the big or small screen. He debuted on “The Electric Company” in 1971 and portrayed many memorable characters, like Mel Mounds the slick, letter-obsessed radio DJ, and Vincent the Vegetable Vampire.

Oscar the Grouch was initially designed by Jim Henson to be magenta, but the TV sets at the time had trouble handling that vibrant color, so Oscar was orange for "Sesame Street’s" first season in 1969. It wasn’t long before Henson realized that a grouchy character deserved a grouchy color. Onscreen, orange Oscar took a vacation to Swamp Mushy Muddy and returned with a new permanent green hue.

“Arthur” aired from 1996 to 2022 on PBS. The series followed the daily lives of anthropomorphic animals in the fictional Elwood City. Viewers are sometimes surprised to learn that 8-year-old Arthur is supposed to be an aardvark, despite not really resembling one. Other characters include D.W. (Arthur’s sister, who is also an aardvark), Buster (a rabbit), Muffy (a monkey), and Binky (a bulldog).

"Reading Rainbow" host LeVar Burton starred in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” as the visor-wearing chief engineer, Geordie LaForge. Burton used his access to the hit sci-fi show to take viewers of his children’s show backstage, explaining everything from Klingon make-up to shot-blocking and editing.

Aloysius Snuffleupagus made his first appearance on “Sesame Street” in 1971. The shaggy, friendly creature was Big Bird’s pal, but at first, only Big Bird could see him. The gimmick was meant to play on the idea of an imaginary friend, but in the early 1980s, producers worried about having a storyline in which a childlike character such as Big Bird isn’t believed by adults. Snuffleupagus was gradually revealed as “real,” and has been visible to the whole cast since then. Very visible, in fact — as one of the larger puppets on the show, his bulk requires two puppeteers to operate.

In an interview about his time playing Cowboy Curtis on “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” in the mid-1980s, actor Laurence Fishburne said, “I always wanted to play a cowboy, I just didn’t get to do it the way I thought I would.” A few years later, Fishburne was nominated for a Best Actor in a Leading Role Oscar for "What's Love Got to Do with It" (1993). He's also won three Emmys and one Tony.

The CBS sitcom "Captain Kangaroo" ran for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984. One of the show's longest-running gags involved the mischievous character, Mr. Moose. The antlered puppet would ask jokes — typically knock-knock jokes — and the punchline would always include the phrase "ping-pong balls." As the words came out of Mr. Moose's mouth, ping-pong balls would then shower Captain Kangaroo.

Fred Rogers named the ruler of his Neighborhood of Make-Believe the exalted King Friday the XIII. The name was chosen to turn the otherwise frightful and superstitious day into a fun occasion. Rogers also decided to make King Friday’s birthday Friday the 13th, so each time that date arrived, the show would hold a celebration for him.

“Say, kids, what time is it? It’s Howdy Doody time!” Kids with a seat in the audience might be able to count Howdy’s trademark freckles, which total 48 — one for each state in the union when the show premiered in 1947.

Everyone's favorite Muppet friends were the creation of puppeteer Jim Henson. The famously friendly group of plush friends includes such beloved characters as Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and Fozzie Bear. Henson first crafted the puppets while attending college with his future wife, Jane Nebel. The two created a show that aired on a local television station and was enough of a hit that it stayed on throughout his college years. He coined the moniker "Muppets" as a mashup of "marionettes" and "puppets."