Reviews

Double Dare may have been the first ever game show created for the first kids network and the most watched program in 1986, but this legendary game show which premiered in 1993 truly lives up to its name.

Olmec, the giant talking stone head, portrayed by Dee Bradley Baker, is the centerpiece of the entire show. He gives the legends about the lost artifacts the winning team gets to search for in an ancient looking Temple in each episode. My favorite round of the show is the Steps of Knowledge. I like watching the teams test their knowledge on the legends. But the Moat Crossing is more exciting to watch. You never know what the teams will use to get across that dangerous looking moat. And the Temple Games are even more entertaining when the two remaining teams test their speed and strength.

If there's one thing most fans of the Hidden Temple hated about the show and the freaked them out the most, it's those terrifying Temple Guards! The Temple Run, where the winning team gets the chance to run through Olmec's Temple to find the lost treasure, is got to be the most exciting part of each episode. You never know which rooms those Temple Guards would be hiding in, waiting to scare those adventuring kids out of their wits.

Another classic '90s Nick game show I also recommend that is just as exciting is Nickelodeon Guts.

This is my favorite Easter based episode from any Nick Jr. TV show, or any other show I've ever seen. I like how all the stories center on the Easter theme. In the first, Ruby is trying to find things to decorate for Easter bonnet for a contest to make it look like spring while Max tries to get Froggy to do tricks. In the second story, Ruby and Louise are decorating Easter eggs, and Max plans an Easter parade of his own combining the eggs and his toys. In the third, Ruby and the other bunny scouts go hunting for Easter eggs in the park, and Max plays the part of the Easter bunny and continuously keeps hiding the eggs after the girls find them.. I give this Easter based episode of Max and Ruby a perfect 10 overall.

The songs heard on this video were performed by Phylicia Rashad, who is known to the general public as one of the cast members on The Cosby Show. She sang the nursery rhymes wonderfully. I remember watching this special on Disney Channel when I was a kid. Of course, there is a full album that coincides with the video. However, since the video was only half an hour long, not all the songs from the album were used. Some songs from the album I wish they could've used include "Ride a Cockhorse," "George Porgie," and "Pat-a-Cake." The animation provided with the rhymes was lovely.

Look for the Rhymin' Time album, and other children's albums from Lightyear Entertainment, on Spotify or wherever you stream music.

I remember reading Thomas Rockwell's book when I was in elementary school, but I had no idea CBS would make it into an animated adaptation. After watching it, I really liked it just as much as the book. Billy Forester makes a bet with another boy, Alan, that he could eat a worm a day for fifteen days in a row. If he succeeded, he'd get fifty dollars for a minibike. For me, when it comes to eating worms, I'd prefer gummy worms. But nightcrawlers? Ugh! Not even boiled worms.

This episode from the CBS Storybreak anthology series is a must-see for all to enjoy. Look for this episode, and many others, on YouTube.

I remember watching this episode when I was in elementary school, but I have never read the book during that time until about two years ago. The book, and this CBS Storybreak episode, shows us that sometimes too much of a good thing - or something that may seem good - can be not so good. That's what happens to a boy named Henry Green. He had eaten chocolate all his life when one day he breaks out in big brown spots. Henry tries to run away because of his diagnosis of chocolate fever. He soon learns that he must try to give up his love of chocolate and not consume it so often.

This is an enjoyable episode about eating, and don't be surprised if they decide to make Robert Kimmel Smith's book into a movie. Speaking of eating, I also recommend another CBS Storybreak episode you should watch - How to Eat Fried Worms. Look for them on YouTube.

This animated special shows people how we humans are very much alike, despite the fact that they may fight sometimes. A girl named Cara, who has divorced parents, goes to New York to live with her grandfather. She learns from her grandfather that differences are all part of what makes people who they are. Some people live in one country, some live in another country. Some people eat one kind of food, some eat other food. People have different cultures and ethnicities and beliefs, but it's all part of what makes our world just what it is. Cara also thinks that that if all people were the same, there'd be no fighting.

I like the songs heard throughout the special because they illustrate how the different people around the world live out their customs . And the Aboriginal story told by James Earl Jones gives the example of how even if we do have a fight, we can still share the same land. So don't be afraid of what you, or other people, don't understand.

This is the episode from the lost week of neighborhood shows I remember most, particularly where Rogers uses a record player. It's amazing how LP record players are going back in style these days.

In Make-Believe, the neighbors invite the people of Southwood to a peace passing celebration. Lady Aberlin also helps Lady Elaine who is working on a TV program about peace. Lady Aberlin interviews some of the neighbors on what they think of peace. But the biggest part of all was seeing Southwood neighbor Keith David using some of the Factory pieces and imagination to assemble a record player - something the Make-Believe school needed.

What surprised me most about this episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood is seeing an excerpt from The Holy Bible that is shown at the end. It was from Isaiah 2:4. Here's hoping the world will be at peace someday soon.

CCI want to focus on the Neighborhood of Make-Believe for this review. Lady Aberlin, Lady Elaine, and Bob Dog (as a peace delegation) go to Southwood to get the facts on what the neighbors there have been building with the parts they ordered from Corny's Factory. In Southwood Lady Elaine meets an old friend of hers, Betty Tempelton, who tells the Make-Believe neighbors that Southwood once had a war a long time back because of a misunderstanding. As soon as the peace soldiers return from their investigation in Southwood and report that they've been building a bridge, the king and the generals are relieved to hear the news. What's more, the Neighborhood of Make-Believe never had a war before and never will have to have one. King Friday was grateful at knowing that.

At the end of the episode, Rogers talks about the importance of rules for games like block building and marbles. Rogers is right. That could hurt if someone threw a block or a marble at someone else like a bomb, a bullet, or a missile. Let's all hope America and other countries will make the best rules to keep each other safe.

In this episode from the lost week in the Modern Era, Rogers shows the viewers a braille writing machine. I am a blind person myself,and I am very experienced in writing with the Perkins Brailler myself. I am also a very proficient braille reader. The visit to the cave was interesting. Think how old cave drawings are now and what they told people. I also liked the musician who played the marimba and drums.

In Make-Believe, Lady Elaine still not willing to help in making bombs happened to know someone who lives in Southwood, who King Friday thinks is going to make war. Accompanied by Lady Aberlin, Lady Elaine decides to ask Miss Cow at the school at Someplace Else to find information on that Southwood neighbor. And with permission from Commander in Chief Friday and his generals, the two ladies plan to go along with Bob Dog (acting as a spy) to Southwood as a peace delegation and get all the details on what they're making with Corny's mysterious parts.

In this second part of this lost week of shows, Rogers visits the US Mint in Phili to learn how coins are made for people to spend. But according to some research I did once, there is also another mint located in Denver, Colorado, as well as a couple of other places in the States. Rogers also said that he'd take the viewers to another US mint where paper money is made, but no arrangements have ever been made for that kind of visit. If you want to know how paper money is made, try looking on YouTube for a video on that.

In Make-Believe, King Friday thinks Southwood is going to have a war based on some mysterious parts that Cornflake S. Pecially had been manufacturing for them. The king thinks the pieces might be parts for making bombs, but there seems to be a big misunderstanding. Lady Elaine Fairchilde even refuses to help the neighbors assemble bombs. They ought to get the facts before doing something dramatic like that.

Rogers tells the viewers that there are different ways to deal with anger, even when there is war taking place somewhere in the world like right now.

I remember watching this particular week of Mister Rogers' show when it aired its last on PBS in April 1996. With the wars going now in Gaza and Israel, and another one going on between Ukraine and Russia, I feel this is the appropriate time to post reviews on these shows.

First off, I used to have one of those boxes like Rogers showed where you fit the shapes in the right holes when I was a child, only mine was of plastic and not wood. As for those coin banks Rogers' swim instructor displayed, they were neat. My favorite coin bank I've ever had was a Coca Cola can bank.

In Make-Believe, Prince Tuesday has been thinking about war. From what I heard, Fred Rogers was just a teenager when WWII took place, particularly when Pearl Harbor got bombed by the Japanese in 1941. As for what King Friday said, I agree. There are other (nonviolent) ways to resolve difficult issues. Let's hope America won't go to war again, and may there never be WWIII.

I remember first reading Anne Frank's diary 25 years ago when I was in my freshman year of high school. I also remember watching this version of the film adaptation back then. The story of Anne and her family who tried to hide from the German Nazis during the Holocaust is very intriguing and shows all the struggles Anne tried to get through. I also hope to watch the 1959 version. I also recommend the documentary, Remembering Anne Frank, which I've also seen. Anne's diary has been translated in many languages all over the world and should be read by anyone who wants to experience a real life person who tried to live through WWII.

The new year has just begun, so I thought I'd write a review for one of the episodes of one of PBS's longest animated kid shows. I have never read the "Sleepover" book before I first saw the Arthur TV show back in 1996. And from what I found, PBS usually runs this episode on the last day of the year - December 31 - since the second story deals with New Year's Eve. That is, unless you choose to stream it on the Prime Video app with the PBS Kids add-on.

My favorite story was the "Sleepover" story. I got my chance to read the book version a few years after watching it. I give the episode as a whole a 10. This is a true classic. Don't be surprised if a UFO landed in your yard as you and your friends were having a sleepover.

I enjoyed this Blue's Clues birthday episode when I first watched it with my young friend 25 years ago. Of course, it would be years later when I checked out the VHS copy from my local library. I wish they could have released that version on DVD with the extended opening and closing. I wonder if Timely the clock might be friends with Tickety Tock. Many fans of the show should have no problem recognizing the celebs seen in Blue's birthday card like Gloria Estefan, Tia and Tamara, and even Rosie O'Donnell, who many Nickelodeon fans should know for her hosting the Kids Choice Awards for most of the '90s. My favorite part would have to be the "present time" segment of the episode. Many kids birthday parties should have something like that when it comes to birthday presents.

This is a classic Blue's Clues birthday episode, and there are a couple of other birthday related ones, but this episode takes the cake... so to speak.

First off, I remember first watching this Charlie Brown special on Disney Channel before 1995 began. Also, Charlie Brown is to read Tolstoy's novel, "War and Peace," during Christmas vacation. This is not really grade school material. It is more for college students. If I was assigned to read a lengthy novel during vacation taking a college course, I'd pick a Jules Verne novel like "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" or "Around the World in 80 Days." I also remember when this special ran on Nickelodeon at one time or another.

My favorite part of this Peanuts special is the musical chairs game. I always like to watch this special to ring in the new year, but I don't I'd want to read "War and Peace." It's too lengthy for me to read.

This wacky adventure takes Ronald and his friends to a mysterious lake in McDonaldland. When they arrive, they go in search of a legendary monster. Many are uncertain if this monster is friendly or scary, but there are also plenty of secrets. Birdie is the one who first befriends the monster.

It took me at least 15 years to finally be able to watch what would be the final wacky adventure of Ronald McDonald. It would've also have been considered to be lost media, but thanks to YouTube, I finally got my chance to enjoy it. Don't forget to check out all the other wacky adventures with Ronald and the gang.

This classic special features your favorite Stone Age family. When Santa Claus falls off the roof, it's up to Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble to save Christmas.

At first, Fred refuses to play the part of Santa at the community center until he has a talk with Mr. Slate. And after Santa falls from the roof, Fred (as Santa) and Barney (as his elf assistant) are to deliver the presents themselves. Also, Pebles and Bamm-Bamm learn a little something about hope and miracles as they wait for Santa to arrive.

There are several other H. B. holiday specials with the Flintstones, one of which I also recommend is A Flintstones Christmas Carole. But the Flintstones Christmas is really the star atop of the Christmas. I also recommend another H. B. Holiday favorite - Yogi's First Christmas.

Blarney! Watch out for the harpies and banshees, and hold on to any gold you have. Here is a wonderful holiday story which takes place in the Emerald Isles. Even though the song, "Christmas in Killarney," was performed in this Rankin-Bass holiday special, too bad Bing Crosby wouldn't heard singing it. My favorite song, next to "Christmas in Killarney," would have to be the one about "The Golden Gold of Ireland." So put on your best pair of Killakillarney shoes and enjoy this Irish tale of Yule tide warmth. Don't to forget to watch more great holiday specials from Rankin-Bass. One of wich I also recommend is Pinocchio's Christmas.

In this classic Rankin-Bass holiday special, Santa Claus isn't feeling well and decides to take time off his annual rounds delivering Christmas gifts. When the world hears about it, some people stop believing in Santa Claus. They don't even think he exists, or does he exist? Even the Miser Brothers try to keep Santa out of the holiday picture. Also, would you believe in Christmas if there was snow? After a while though, kids start writing letters and sending gifts to Santa himself telling him they miss him.

One of the songs heard in this special is "Blue Christmas," and don't even expect to hear Elvis Presley to perform it. Whether your Christmas has Santa Claus or not, it's the holiday spirit that matters most.

Who would want a stuffed bear that has an upside down smile and whose fur is tanned to a tangerine color? In this delightful holiday special, find out what happens when an ordinary teddy bear with a smile that was stitched upside down by mistake ends up in an emporium window with some other odd toys waiting for someone to buy them in time for Christmas.

There are several voices in this holiday video you should have no trouble recognizing. One of which is none other than Howie Mandel (the voice of Jack), who is known for his work on Bobby's World and before he hosted Deal or No Deal. Two other familiar voices include Country singer Trisha Yearwood who narrated the story, and Johnathon Tailor Thomas who voiced the main character.

Will Tanggy find a home in time for Christmas? Watch this heart-warming favorite holiday video and find out.

Ronald and his friends help their friend, Franklin, who has to clean up the attic before his dad comes home. But when they discover a machine that can travel through time, they are in for an adventure back through the ages. They meet dinosaurs and cave people, crabby kings, and a wild bunch of cowboys. One of the biggest surprises in this fifth wacky adventure video is seeing a sorely missed McDonaldland character, Mayor McCheese.

One important lesson to learn from this video is that cutting corners and looking for an easy way of doing chores can make the work pile up more than you think. So if you liked "Birthday World," hold on to your seat for adventure through time.

In this fourth installment of everyone's favorite McDonaldland clown, Ronald McDonald has a surprise birthday party. At first, Hamburglar doesn't have anything to give as a present for Ronald until he meets a crazy professor who gives free tickets to a place he calls Birthday World. Little do Ronald and his friends know what evil plans that scientist has up his sleeve.

Watching Ronald and his friends getting zapped and turned into little kids is something to experience. I wonder if they're familiar with the term, "forever young". It'll have to be up to Hamburglar, who got his friends into this jam, to correct the situation.

I've heard the story of Squanto from a different source before watching this. The part of the story I was surprised the most was where he was captured with other natives and sold as property, even though he wasn't treated as an Afro-American. The part I enjoyed most was when he arrived in America and taught people how to fish and hunt. That was around the time that the Mayflower docked in America. Thus began the first Thanksgiving.

If you want some more info about the first Thanksgiving, than check out the episode on the Mayflower voyage from This Is America, Charlie Brown. Another Rabbit Ears title which I also recommend is Scargo and the Birthday Pumpkin.

I remember watching the story of Pecos Bill when I was in middle school. The story was told by the late, and great, Robin Williams. He narrates it like nobody else can with a twangy Texan sort of drawl. The story of Pecos Bill, which was first released 35 years ago, is my all-time favorite story from the Rabbit Ears series. This legendary cowboy really put the wild in the Wild West. I even like Williams' impersonation of John Wayne.

If you love the story of Pecos Bill, I also recommend the Legend of Sleepy Hallow and the story of John Henry. You're going to love them! Don't forget to check out other great stories from the Rabbit Ears collection.