RIP Soupy
July 3rd, 2010 tykoWhen I was a kid, there was the terrific Soupy Sales… “Soupy Sez,” was our Voltaire. 
The man revolutionized children’s programing, appealing to kids and adults, alike.
RIP, Art
May 27th, 2010 tykoThe passing of Art Linkletter ["Kids Say The Darndest"Things"] brings back memories. His 50’s TV xhow helped humanize children. I think he was a pioneer. RIP.
From Howdy Doody To South Park
January 1st, 2010 tykoI remember when Tina, my Nursery School playmate, and her mother Goldie, invited me over to watch Buffalo Bob and Howdy Doody on television.
Within weeks, the RCA Victor truck drove up with our own tube filled box. Remember, these were the the days before online betting and surfing the net. There existed a need for mindless entertainment, and television filled the void quite nicely, thank you…
Children shows like Kukla, Fran and Ollie [mind numbing] and Winky Dink and You [which, at least, was interactive... we drew and traced on a plastic sheet on the screen] sprung up like hot cakes. 
Kids were thrust in front of the “one eyed monster,” and a new age of “childcare” was born.
My son watched his “Barney,” a benign enough Character…
… [and, as time went on] shows such as South Park and Family Guy, where nothing can be described as “benign.”
He was taught to understand satire, at a very early age… and that, often, the tone of one’s voice dramatically changes the meaning of the words.
Studies show that children in childcare watch an average of five hours a day. That concerns me more than the content of the shows they’re watching… and watching, and watching some more. Over the past twenty years, child obesity has increased dramatically, and reading scores have plummeted. This is a bad combination. Picture, if you will, an entire generation of overweight adults, without the ability to read a calorie chart. Oh my…
On a more serious note, what does your child watch on television at home, and how many hours a day do they watch? At childcare?