It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Question: What TV star donated to the Smithsonian one of the sweaters his mom knitted for him, in 1984?

The days of my childhood were spent watching shows on PBS. I'd start out my day with Sesame Street, then Romper Room, The Polka Dot Door, and finally Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

Sesame Street back in my day didn't have Elmo, and I'm almost thankful for that. My son doesn't watch a lot of Sesame Street, but when he does, Elmo is constantly on the screen. When I was his age, Big Bird had an "imaginary" friend named Snuffelupagus. Snuffy is no longer imaginary. Everyone can see Snuffy now, which kind of takes away the mystique surrounding him. Oscar is still grouchy and Cookie Monster still scarfs down his cookies (although he was the Fruit Monster for awhile, and that's just wrong). Super Grover still saves the day and Mr. Hooper's store is still running even though he has long since passed.

Romper Room was also one of my favorites. I used to get mad when she didn't see me in her magic mirror. Luckily, Heather is a pretty popular name for my age group and she "saw" me often enough that it wasn't a huge issue. It was probably the show I learned the most from since I could say the Pledge of Allegiance when I was 2 (although I did admittedly say "Underdog" instead of "Under God").

I don't remember much about the Polka Dot Door, but I know there were some puppets and a door they would peek into to see a movie clip of some sort. There was also a lot of songs and I would sing along and dance. I don't remember much about the human hosts of the show, but they weren't the focus anyway.

And of course, there is always Mr. Rogers. Nowadays, he may be seen as a little creepy and I don't think he would have gotten his own show. I loved how as soon as he walked through his door, he'd put on his sweater and change his shoes. I always wondered where he went at the end of the show when he'd put his dress shoes and jacket back on and leave. I did usually lose interest, however, when Trolly came by and took us to the puppet world where Mr. Rogers did a very poor voice change to be that scary looking cat puppet.

I often wish some of these shows were still around and they would hold my son's attention, but alas, everything is slicker, faster, and usually more animated. They just don't make simple children's shows like they used to.

Answer: Mr. Rogers

Who You Gonna Call?

Question: What was the hungry green apparition in the movie Ghostbusters christened when he starred in his own spinoff cartoon series?

The 80s brought us a plethora of great comedic movies, and Ghostbusters had to be one of the tops. Not only did it spawn two movie sequels, it had its own successful Saturday morning cartoon that also had a spinoff. Even the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man became a pop culture icon. How could it be anything but great with the combination of Dan Akroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis. The dialog was simple and cheeky, just as a story about crazy ghosts and the heroes who save the city from them should be. What other movie could have pulled off the deadpan delivery of a line like, "He slimed me"?

They kept that same formula for the cartoon spinoff as well. Of course, the heroes were joined by a ghost turned to the good side that got them into more trouble and hilarious predicaments. No other movie that I can recall had as much success with spinoffs, cartoons, and subsequent merchandising. The theme songs from the movies ("Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr. and "On Our Own" by Bobby Brown) are also holding strong in pop culture history with their catchy hooks and fun melodies.

My husband mentioned the other day that they are making a Ghostbusters III. It is going to be a fully animated (ala Pixar films) adventure much like the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. I will definitely miss the original actors, but I'm looking forward to the ghosts in this movie. I just hope the improved graphics don't completely eliminate the cheese factor.

Answer: Slimer

"As long as we've got each other..."

Question: What surname did the Growing Pains family get, to honor a Mets pitching ace?

Back in the day before Kirk Cameron was afraid of being "Left Behind", I faithfully watched Jason, Maggie, Mike, Carol, and Ben (and later Chrissy, too) get in and out of predicaments that could always be solved in a half an hour and end with a group hug. Growing Pains was my favorite show and I never missed an episode. I, like millions of little girls, had a crush on Kirk Cameron and read every Tiger Beat and Bop! magazine that his crooked grin could be found in.

I like the character of Carol because she was smart. Yeah, she was whiny a lot, but I was always the smart girl in school so I understood who she was. The fact that she got to date the hunky football player who was dumber than a box of hammers gave me hope for the future. Alas, I never dated a football player (probably because my school didn't have football...) but then again that means my make believe football boyfriend also didn't die from internal injuries suffered from a car accident, either.

A few years ago, I watched the Growing Pains movie when Maggie was running for congress. It was just strange to see the kids as adults, but it was a pretty well done script with the characters staying mostly true to who they were during the series. Of course, Mike was now a responsible family man, but aren't most of those mischievous suburban high school boys from the 80s?

I was also excited to watch the E! True Hollywood Story about the Growing Pains crew. All of the juicy backstage gossip was highlighted. It was great to hear the stories behind the presumed off screen romance of Joanna Kearns and Alan Thicke, Tracy Gold's anorexia, Kirk Cameron's finding God and his future wife Chelsea Noble, Jeremy Miller's stalker, Julie McCullough getting kicked off the show because of her Playboy spread, and the eventual addition of Ashley Johnson and Leonardo DiCaprio to the family in order to try and save the show from cancellation. Alas, it was not to be, and the show sadly ended its run and left a gaping hole in my television viewing schedule.

Thank goodness for syndication!

Answer: Seaver

"Bonzaiiiiiiii!"

Question: What spiritual 1984 Ralph Macchio movie featured the somnolent stylings of pan flutist Zamfir?

Wax on, wax off. Sand the floor. Paint the fence. Paint the house. The Karate Kid was one of my favorite movies growing up. I just happened to be flipping through channels this afternoon and caught it on the ABC Family channel. Even though I own the DVD, I haven't actually watched this movie in at least 5 years. I wasn't surprised, however, that I remembered almost all of the lines. What I didn't remember, was the horrible fashion from the movie. If Ralph Macchio's pants were pulled up any higher or were any shorter, he never would have been able to do all of that physical labor that taught him the karate moves. Elizabeth Shue's big hair was also quite funny and really took over entire scenes.

The walls of my room were covered with pictures of Ralph Macchio when I was about 6 years old. He and Ricky Schroeder were the dream guys in my young girl world. Watching The Karate Kid again today, I can see that Ralph Macchio actually became my "type" of guy as I grew older. I have always been attracted to impossibly skinny, somewhat tall, dark-haired, borderline nerdy guys (just like my husband--I love you, honey!). Seeing the scenes of Daniel-San in the ocean learning to balance made me laugh at exactly how skinny he really was.

The Karate Kid has some really great lessons to learn throughout the movie beyond how to properly wax a car. Patience, trust, and hard work triumph in the end over the bad guys. This is a story we can all appreciate and a philosophy everyone should live by. Thank you, Mr. Miyagi, for teaching us all a little something. After watching the movie, I feel like I can accomplish anything like catching a fly in chopsticks and I won't be "squish...like a grape."

Answer: The Karate Kid

Teen Pop--80s Style

Question: Who began to challenge Debbie Gibson as the new teen queen, after taking I Think We're Alone Now to the top of the charts?

In one of the classes I teach, I happened to mention Debbie Gibson and Tiffany and they had no clue who I was talking about. Granted, these kids weren't born until the 90s, but come on! How can you not know who Debbie Gibson is? The closest I got was one of the girls realizing that she was a judge on American Juniors, that awful spin off of American Idol.

Debbie Gibson and Tiffany were the voices of my Electric Youth. I learned how to Shake Your Love and what Could've Been. Long before the Britney vs. Christina debates were those of us who spent our time defending our choice of teen pop queen--Tiffany or Debbie. Debbie Gibson wrote her own songs, but Tiffany was vocally superior--even if most of her songs were Beatles covers. Boys found themselves choosing between the saccharine blonde Debbie and the sultry redhead Tiffany. It was a tough decision to make. I decided to like them both and had all of the cassette tapes they released throughout their careers. I even got to see Tiffany in concert when she came to the Heart of Illinois Fair (and the then unknown New Kids on the Block was her opening act).

I still sing along to Tiffany and Debbie Gibson when I hear their songs on the radio during Flashback weekends. I've even done some of their songs when I've sung karaoke, although most karaoke DJs don't stock that type of music. What a shame. There is an entire generation of kids who have never known the original queens of teen pop.

Answer: Tiffany