The Most Popular Children's Shows Through the Years
Who remembers these theme songs?!
Someone, maybe "Beaver" Cleaver, once said Saturdays are the only good day to be a kid. That's an exaggeration, but it's certainly was once the best day of the week to be a kid, especially if your childhood's Saturday-morning TV lineup included any of the below. Keep scrolling to jog your memory, and hit play on your decades' clips for a serious dose of nostalgia.
Kukla, Fran and Ollie
An improvised kid’s show starring comedian Fran Allison and her puppet buddies Kukla and Ollie, it ran from 1947-1957 on the local Chicago network WBKB and started broadcasting on NBC as well in 1949.
The Gumby Show
This stop-motion show is based on characters created by Art Clokey in a 1953 short film. The Gumby Show had an impressive run from 1955-1969 and still lives on as a beloved kid’s program through reruns and revivals.
The Shari Lewis Show
The Shari Lewis Show ran on NBC from 1960-1963, then again on BBC from 1968-1975.
RELATED: Why Shari Lewis Struggled with Marriage and Motherhood
The Yogi Bear Show
Yogi Bear was first introduced in the show Huckleberry Hound in 1958 and became so popular that he got star treatment in a cartoon that aired in syndication from 1961-1962. Yogi Bear and other residents of Jellystone Park have been featured in tons of continuation shows lasting to today with Jellystone on Max.
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood started off on Canada's CBC in 1963, then came to the U.S. in 1968, where it ran on PBS until 2001.
H.R. Pufnstuf
H.R. Pufnstuf's original NBC run lasted from September to December of 1969, but reruns aired on Saturday mornings until August 1972.
The Electric Company
The Electric Company's talented cast (including Morgan Freeman!) educated and entertained PBS' youngest viewers from 1971-1977.
Sesame Street
Sesame Street debuted on PBS in 1969 and is still going strong today.
Schoolhouse Rock!
Debuting on ABC as a series of interstitial shorts between main programming, Schoolhouse Rock! has educated and delighted kids through seven seasons from 1973-1985, and a more brief revival from 1993-1996.
Land of the Lost
A mix of live-action cast and stop-motion animated dinosaurs, Land of the Lost ran from 1974-1976 on NBC and moved to ABC in 1991 for a two-season remake.
The Elephant Show
Canadian musical trio Sharon, Lois & Bram's The Elephant Show originally ran on CBC from 1984-1989 before it aired on Nickelodeon until 1996.
Pee-wee's Playhouse
A CBS Saturday morning staple from 1986-1990, Pee-wee’s Playhouse starred Paul Reubens and featured a surreal set with odd characters populating the playhouse.
The All-New Mickey Mouse Club
One of several revivals of the Disney variety series, this incarnation ran from 1989-1994 and featured future stars like Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears, Keri Russel, and Christina Aguilera.
Pingu
Pingu is a delightful stop-motion animated children’s show that first aired in Switzerland from 1990-2000, and became particularly popular in Britain and Japan
Lamb Chop's Play-Along
Shari Lewis was back at it again with Lamb Chop's Play-Along! from 1992-1995.
VeggieTales
One of the earliest computer-animated kid’s shows, VeggieTales began as a direct-to-video (and later DVD) franchise from 1993-2015, aired other spinoffs on broadcast and streaming networks, and released two films.
Jacob is a Temporary Partnerships Editor at Hearst based in Queens, New York with his partner and cat Tiger. He loves learning and writing about Film and TV, Video Games, and the weird histories of unexpected subjects.
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