The 5: TV Shows That Raised Our Kids by Decade
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This Week on The 5: The TV Shows That Raised 5 Generations of Kids
Children watch more tv than anyone else. They’re also really fickle. But each decade had one show that held the attention of kids, taught them lessons, and had them completely hooked. Kids couldn’t miss a show, and in later years, just had to have any show merch they could get their hands on. These are the five shows that held the most influence over kids of their decade.
- The 1960’s. The Flintstones. The 1960’s were a strange time for children’s programming. Shows like The Mickey Mouse Club and Howdy Doody had come to an end, Captain Kangaroo hadn’t quite reached his stride yet, and Mr. Rogers was still a few years away. Meanwhile a prime time show was catching the attention of kids everywhere. Fred and Barney and their stone-age families dominated the decade. Although not designed as an educational show (in fact it was initially aimed at adults) the Flintstones and the Rubbles taught lessons each week –mostly on not acting like Fred. Original episodes aired from 1960 to 1966 on prime time on ABC and continued to be loved by kids for decades after its initial run.
- The 1970’s. Sesame Street. There were many shows that influenced kids of the 70’s but it would be tough to find any show that had more influence than Sesame Street. Premiering in 1969, Sesame taught kids just about everything– from the alphabet, to how to count, how to be a good friend, to value diversity, and even how to grieve. Sesame Street continues to educate children even today, but its earliest viewers in the 70’s were arguably the strongest and most captivated of all of the generations of Sesame Kids.
- The 1980’s. Fraggle Rock. Even as the Nickelodeon star was beginning to rise, Jim Henson dominated childhood once again with Fraggle Rock in the 80s. It first aired in 1983, and although it was loaded with high energy silliness that promised to “dance your cares away”, the show nonetheless tackled all kinds of morality issues ranging from diversity to the environment to right/wrong and even spirituality. Even though it initially aired on HBO, it later expanded to basic cable television and ultimately worldwide.
- The 1990’s. Barney and Friends. There wasn’t a pre-schooler on the planet who didn’t watch Barney in the 90’s. Barney was a soft purple dinosaur and he was everywhere, along with his unimaginative theme song. Everything about the show seemed soft, with safe, happy, rounded corners. Barney and Friends used simplistic themes to mesmerize tiny viewers everywhere, and there was no stopping it. The show was both praised and hated for its unconditional love and perma-happy attitude. The show started airing on PBS in 1992 and continued into the 00’s.
- The 2000’s. Dora the Explorer. Bi-lingual, into the earth, and fiercely independent, Dora the Explorer inherited the reigns as the must-watch show in the 2000’s. The show focuses on Dora completing various quests, and in the course of her adventures, encouraging viewers to solve puzzles and overcome the obstacles along with her until everyone can say “We Did It!” Dora’s massive popularity has gone international, with adaptations in at least two dozen languages.
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