We are a product of our childhoods, but in our case it's as much about the television we watched as kids than the games we played or the places we lived. Educational or just plain fun, here are our top 10 picks for children's television of the '90s.
10) "Reading Rainbow" There's two types of people in the world - those who know LeVar Burton from "Star Trek," and those who know him from "Reading Rainbow." Put us firmly in the latter category. Aimed at promoting reading to kids, this classic series featured celebrities lending their dulcet tones to reading of children's classics and reading suggestions for kids, by kids. Late in it's run the show began to tackle more serious issues, but its true heart was captured in it's perfectly hummable theme song and the unforgettable image of Hulk Hogan reading to a group of intimidated youngsters.
9) "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood" Everyone in the world should be jealous of the amount of friends Mr. Rogers had - talk about connections! He knew the postman, firefighters, publishers, musicians, you name it! And he was always nice enough to take us on his adventures with these wonderful people. When we weren't having a chat on the stoop with one of Mr. Rogers' besties, we were traveling to King Friday XIII's kingdom in the "Neighborhood of Make-Believe." We witnessed Mr. Rogers solve the kingdom's problems, and we got to return to his living room and feed the fish. R.I.P. Mr. Rogers, we were your neighbors from "Hello."
8) "Wishbone" Wishbone, the Jack Russell Terrier whom thousands of children turned to for their first taste of the literary world, combined the best of the classics of the Western canon with the watchability of a puppy in an adorable costume. The show's controversial embrace of darker, more serious material meant that children grew up with stories free from watered-down pleasantries in a surprisingly frank approach to children's programming.
7) "Sesame Street" This list is sponsored by the letter S. Any child placed in front of the television in time for "Sesame Street" had their favorite character, at least back in the day when Cookie Monster's cookies weren't just a sometimes thing. Who didn't play one of these things is not like the other or learn to count to 10 in a foreign language on PBS? "Now, all I need to know is can you tell me how to get, how to get to 'Sesame Street.'"
6) "Rugrats" Do you remember Reptar? How about Dotted-Line Girl? Surely you remember the time the watermelon grew in Chuckie's stomach. "Rugrats" had some of the most memorable story lines of Nickelodeon's '90s lineup, featuring remarkable treks across imagined and embellished wonderlands. Tommy's backyard could become a sweltering jungle choked with foliage, while a walk up the stairs transforms into an epic scaling of a rocky abyss. Chock full of jokes for the adults in the room, this is one series that holds up, even if you think you're too old to let your imagination get the best of you.
5) "Zoom" If you've got a video, give it up and they'll put it on the show. Got a zoop or a zinger? Z, double O, M: ZOOM! Dubidubn't yubou jubust lubove Zuboom? It was like hanging out with your friends, but they made Rube Goldberg machines and super cool crafts. And it was on PBS. Support public television. Fanny Doollee loves "Zoom," but doesn't love Nickelodeon.
4) "Bill Nye the Science Guy" Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill Nye! Learning has never been as fun as it was when Bill Nye was standing in front of you with science goggles and his white jacket - and, of course, the bowties. The Science Guy taught us physics, chemistry and biology better than any teacher could. Apparently, he went to Cornell University and worked for Boeing before giving that all up to teach kids safety and science. Lucky for us he did, because SCIENCE RULES!
3) "Salute Your Shorts" What a disappointment to go to actual summer camp only to find that your cabin mates weren't as cool as Sponge and Budnick. Though only running for two seasons, "Salute Your Shorts" became one of those shows that shaped our childhood culture. Full of colorful characters (the nickname Budnick comes with an expectation of fun after all) and heartwarming camp pranks, this show let us imagine we were raising some poor guy's boxer shorts up the flagpole in the morning at Camp Anawanna instead of having a boring summer in the suburbs.
2) "Doug" Have you ever lamented people copying your daily uniform of a green sweater vest and khaki shorts? Is your best friend turquoise? Did you love The Beets? "Doug" defined a Nickelodeon generation, if not with realism then with relatability. Sure, maybe you've never recorded a love song about your crush in a booth at the mall, but you've certainly experienced the emotion behind it.
1) "Wild and Crazy Kids" Nearly all Nickelodeon game shows in the '90s featured gross-outs like slime, gak, whip cream and so forth, but few succeeded quite so well in pitting kid against kid as "Wild and Crazy Kids." Plus, Cuba Gooding Jr.'s younger brother, Omar, had a hand in hosting this spectacular that adapted games like Battleship to large-scale disgusting results. Fun fact: Eagle staffer Mike Lock participated in an episode of this show.
