THE ELECTRIC COMPANY

Now this I do remember. In fact, for a while my mother forbade my brother and I from watching The Electric Company because this opening sequence would send us into spasms of kinetic energy that wouldn't subside for hours ... jumping from couch to easychair, rolling across the floor, screaming "Hey You Guys!" over and over again, not learning a damn thing but getting off hard on the show's barely-concealed irreverence. Sesame Street didn't have that effect (quite the opposite, actually) ... neither did Captain Kangaroo, Mister Dressup, Oopsy the Clown, The Friendly Giant, Mr. Rogers, not even Speed Racer had the same impact. Okay, Batman did and we got banned from that one too, but The Electric Company had a smirking intelligence and vitality that didn't seem quite so adult, like the coolest 15-year old babysitter on the block. I'm sure a few lessons sank in here and there, but overall, The Electric Company influenced my attitude more than my book smarts.

Posted by ChadODell.