My Old Dear, bless her cottons, got me a children’s TV DVD for my birthday. To be honest, I’ve been afraid to open it. Maybe it isn’t as good as I remember it? Turns out, I need not have worried. What an immense introduction it had! Children’s TV intros, they made the programs really, didn’t they? I have spent weeks trawling around YouTube trying to find my favourites. So, here they are in top 30 order. This is a blog after all.
Read on, it’s worth it, trust me.
30 - Alvin and the Chipmunks
Most annoying - but also catchy - kids TV intro ever.
29 - Around the World with Willy Fog
I think I watched the entire series about 3 times cause it was endlessly repeated on loop.
28 - Battle of the Planets
Don’t think I ever watched it, I know the theme though and it is immense.
27 - Bertha
“Berth, lovely Bertha, sometimes I think you’re a dream” - If only, eh? Working in that factory would be a right doss.
26 - Camberwick Green
Yes, technically this was from the 70s and I wasn’t alive. But if you can’t see past that, you have no soul. It’s Windy Miller!
25 - Charlie Chalk
You aren’t Elvis my friend, deal with it.
24 - Dangermouse
Oi Penfold! Funny at the time but let me tell you the insult really rather loses it’s charm when you now wear glasses yourself.
23 - Defenders of the Earth
Flash Gordon, obviously. The rest of them, what are their names? You don’t remember do you? They defended your Earth for so long as well. You should feel very bad.
22 - Dogtanian
One for all and all for one. Muskehounds are always ready, I think you’ll find.
21 - The Family Ness
Scotland as I remember it. We saw Ferocious Ness at the Hibernian game we went to. He appeared around lunch time and grabbed what could only be descried as a note or two.
20 - Funnybones
In a dark, dark town there was a dark, dark street… dark house then something about skeletons.
19 - Jamie and the Magic Torch
This is definitely Jamie Theakston, what other explanation do you have? That fat tongued idiot Jamie Oliver? Magic Torch? Is it free range? That is all the Jamie’s there are isn’t it?
18 - Jimbo and the Jetset
I trace my terror of flying back to this cartoon and it’s inept plane going by the name of “Jimbo”. He’s a liability in the sky, that boy.
17 - The Magic Roundabout
One for fans of hallucinogenic drugs. Pure and simple.
16 - Mr Benn
70s? Mr Benn. It’s Mr Benn, a shop keeper and so on.
15 - Fraggle Rock
“Dance your tears away! Worries for another day!”. That’s deep.
14 - Bananaman
Not to be confused with Bananarama. Easily done.
13 - Thundercats
I used to love Thundercats as I’m sure many of you did, but the one thing that always annoyed me was the moral message at the end. I’m here to enjoy myself. Oi, BBC! School ended at 3.
12 - He-Man
I had some of the toys for this - thanks Mum and Dad - including the different coloured, but basically identical panther things for both He-Man and Skeletor. I used to make them ride the wrong one. I’ll bet that confused them.
11 - Count Duckula
I don’t really remember what went on in this but, the intro is pretty special.
10 - Inspector Gadget
Go go Gadget <insert random body part here>. Of course it was his daughter that solved all the crimes as he - like all coppers - was inept.
9 - The Raccoons
Cyril Sneer was my hero at the beginning, but then mellowed out a bit and started being resonable. He lost all my respect then.
8 - Bagpuss
I don’t really remember watching Bagpuss, but as I recall my sister was all over it. Back in those days we only had one TV - apart from Marty McFly, obviously - so I must have heard it all the time. It’s no surprise I remember the theme tune then, although I was probably sat shitting in my nappy at the time.
7 - Superted
I’ve always feared the “spotty man” was a paedo.
6 - Button Moon
I once went to a fancy dress party as Mr Spoon. Ah, that was a good day.
5 - Pigeon Street
Every street is pigeon street these days.
4 - Postman Pat
Deeda Dat!
3 - Thomas the Tank Engine
Cue years of me looking at fat people and thinking “is he the fat controller?”. Turns out despite all their adventures, Thomas and his friends were still more reliable than First Great Western.
2 - Trumpton
It’s Trumpton! TRUMPTON!
1 - Trap Door
“Stay away from that trap door, because there’s something down there”. First shown in 1984. I’m probably 4. Stay away from what? I’m going to go down it, aren’t I? It’s just as well the house I grew up in didn’t have a monster in the cellar otherwise I could - through not fault of my own - be dead now. To be fair, the house I grew up in didn’t have a cellar, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make.
So there you have it. Did I miss out any of your favourites? Please let me know.
You be forgetting some:
Comment by drbond — September 4, 2008 @ 10:33 am
A list of top Youtube clips? Are you an editor for Musicradar?
Comment by Richard — September 5, 2008 @ 7:27 pm
Note the witty comments though, my friend. Do you get that on MusicRadar?
Comment by andyg — September 6, 2008 @ 10:47 am