Aspects of pop culture that will never be the object of nostalgia

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Last night during band practice, I suddenly remembered (for no apparent reason) the old Nickelodeon TV show "Zoobalee Zoo" (sp?), with adults dressed up in scary animal costumes and ugly facepaint to look like giant humanoid cats or something. This in turn lead me to remember the other old Nickelodean TV show with the male mannequin who would come alive in the department store at night and hang out with the muppet-esque rats and a female department store employee, which I can't remember the name of. Both of these shows have somehow survived the '80's nostalgia wave without being placed on ironic hipster t-shirts, I guess because they were both kind of frightening and not very good (though I would imagine that Zoobalee Zoo would be total wank-porn for furry fetishists). What other terrible pop culture from your childhood has escaped becoming fetishized by nostalgic hipsters?

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 15:59 (twenty-one years ago)

razorcandy

― kephm, Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:03 (twenty-one years ago)

the only way i remember my childhood is via nostalgia, hence i don't remember anything that isn't hipster-approved

― amateur!!!st (amateurist), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:05 (twenty-one years ago)

But man... "You Can't Do That on Television" was awesomely funny! Right? Right?

― Gold Teeth II (kenan), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Zoobilee Zoo was on Nickelodeon? I think it was on Ch. 50 in Chicago, which is now the UPN station. Wasn't BEN VEREEN on it???

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:06 (twenty-one years ago)

I think that show with the mannequin who came to life when you took his hat off or whatever was originally a PBS show. I'm thiiiiiiis close to remembering the name.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually, I wonder how many furry-fetishists turned out that way because of Zoobalee Zoo.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:07 (twenty-one years ago)

the hudson brothers variety show. does anyone remember this? I think i even saw the hudson brothers LIVE at a state fair when I was a kid. why? mark hudson exists now only in shameful interviews where he gets defensive about his neglect of his daughter Kate.

― kyle (akmonday), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I remember ZZ being on Nickalodeon, because we watched it when we visited my grandparents in Florida and all we ever watched was Nickalodeon, but I could be wrong.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:07 (twenty-one years ago)

OH SHIT was the mannequin show called "Tonight's Special" or something like that? That just popped into my head.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:08 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.nicoles-funworld.de/windowcolor/farbvorlagen/garfield/Garfield-Weihn.1.jpg
http://www.sd455.com/movielicensetodrive.jpg

― Remy (x Jeremy), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:09 (twenty-one years ago)

"Today's Special"? A theme song is floating around in my head now. My brainpower is totally wasted.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:09 (twenty-one years ago)

i am so glad i didnt grow up with nickelodean

― kephm, Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Why do I remember such stupid shit?

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:10 (twenty-one years ago)

"Todays speeeecial / it's about to appear..." Yeah, something like that.

And yes, Ben Vereen.

http://www.zoobileezoo.com/castsm2.jpg

― Gold Teeth II (kenan), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:10 (twenty-one years ago)

The Hudson Brothers show .. all I can remember is their manager offering them a sucker at the start of every show. "No thanks (*clap, slide*) tryin' to cut down."

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:11 (twenty-one years ago)

that petrol emotion

― kephm, Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Feast your eyes on the terror of Zoobilee Zoo.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:13 (twenty-one years ago)

those lollypops that play music through yr teeth

― Professor Challenger (ex machina), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:13 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.zoobileezoo.com/cty2.jpg

She doesn't look a *thing* like a kangaroo, but she is pretty cute.

― Gold Teeth II (kenan), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Must... supress... furry... thoughts...

― Gold Teeth II (kenan), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:16 (twenty-one years ago)

OHMYGOD the pictures on that page are so scary.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:16 (twenty-one years ago)

jesus christ I'd blocked that shit out of my mind.

― kyle (akmonday), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Zoobilee Zoo vs. the cast of Cats

― Professor Challenger (ex machina), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Awww, Zoobilee Zoooo!

― briania (briania), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:32 (twenty-one years ago)

TODAY'S SPECIAL. SHOUT IT LOUD AND CLEAR.

TODAY'S SPECIAL.

― still bevens (bscrubbins), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Did Jeffrey Jones play the fox?

― Velveteen Bingo (Chris V), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 16:56 (twenty-one years ago)

"Fun Time with Bob McAllister," early 70s, 3-hour kids' show on Sunday mornings. One of the running bits was "Mister Finkleheimer," with a song that I can't purge... "the more you finkle, the less you heimer/the less you heimer, the more you finkle/Finkleheimer, Finkleheimer, Finkle Finkle Heimer" etc etc

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 17:05 (twenty-one years ago)

This thread needs more English people.

Gilbert The Alien
http://www.dunk-owen.demon.co.uk/pictures/pics%20of%20him/gilbert.jpg

― My Dinner With Little Lord Travolta (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 17:17 (twenty-one years ago)

What in the holy shit is that thing?!

― Je4nne ƒury (Jeanne Fury), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 17:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Gilbert the Alien. he is for kids.

― My Dinner With Little Lord Travolta (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 17:30 (twenty-one years ago)

he is a thing that should not be.

― Gold Teeth II (kenan), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 17:31 (twenty-one years ago)

nightmare fuel

― kephm, Wednesday, 6 October 2004 17:32 (twenty-one years ago)

He entertained and educated me, and I turned out fine!

― My Dinner With Little Lord Travolta (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 17:33 (twenty-one years ago)

http://vesuvius.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/thing8mm.gif

― Gold Teeth II (kenan), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 17:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Bad mohawk, chicken pox, and an underbite.... poor bastard. heh, xpost

― Je4nne ƒury (Jeanne Fury), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 17:34 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.actionplanet.com/origional-art/thing.jpg

― Gold Teeth II (kenan), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 17:35 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.carllewis.com/video.music.1.html

― Sir Kingfish Beavis D'Azzmonch (Kingfish), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 17:36 (twenty-one years ago)

I hearby predict that there will be no nostaliga market for those fake Raybans with the dayglo green earpieces that say "Newport" on them.

― andy, Wednesday, 6 October 2004 17:37 (twenty-one years ago)

HOWARD TEH DUCK

http://www.slightlywarped.com/movies/H/images/howardduck.jpg

also relatedly: Jeffrey Jones

http://www.wasteoftechnology.com/motw/jeffreyjones/rooney11.jpg

― Dale Panopticalis (cprek), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 17:43 (twenty-one years ago)

"Fun Time with Bob McAllister," early 70s, 3-hour kids' show on Sunday mornings.

You mean Wonderama? If so, you're wrong about it not "being the object of nostalgia." I warmly McAllister's three-hour TV marathon every Sunday, and I'm sure I'm not alone.

And oh shit, I remember the Hudson Brothers' show and that "we're tryin' to cut down" line. I also remember their song "why don'tcha take me on a rendezvous, rendezvous, ron-day ron-day ron-ron..."

― mike a, Wednesday, 6 October 2004 17:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I have plenty of nostalgia and love for Howard The Duck, but the comic, not the movie.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 17:58 (twenty-one years ago)

There LOTS of nostalgia for Jeffrey Jones, both in Ferris Bueller and in Beetlejuice.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 17:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't know how much Jeffrey Jones nostalgia there is among 14-year-old boys. He was good in Amadeus too.
Kids Incorporated. K-I-D-S! Ooh we're gonna make it, we're kids incorporated. Why did all these shows have such crap theme songs.

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 18:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Not up for revival any time soon:

Kids, Incorporated
The Jets (of "Crush On You" fame)
Tiffany
Debbie Gibson
Saved By The Bell
The Mighty Orbots
Small Wonder

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 18:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I hate to say it, but I think you're wrong about nearly all of those. For example, "Saved by the Bell" season one is out on DVD in the US.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 18:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Saved by the Bell is great, yo.

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 18:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I think we've had this discussion on ILX before, and determined Saved By The Bell doesn't count as a nostalgic reference, because many grown adults now have been watching it frequently since it's heyday, ie the Don't Call It A Comeback, I've Been Here For Years Decision of 2002.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 18:49 (twenty-one years ago)

omg PINWHEEL

PINWHEEL PINWHEEL SPINNING AROUND
FIRST YOU GET DIZZY AND THEN YOU FALL DOWN*

*note: I have a feeling this is the lyric we made up to replace the actual lyric to the PINWHEEL theme song

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 18:49 (twenty-one years ago)

this thread sort of defeats itself.

― kephm, Wednesday, 6 October 2004 18:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I realized that after actively googling Zoobilee Zoo and Today's Special.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 19:07 (twenty-one years ago)

nickalicious' lyrics are much better than "Look in my pinweel and see what I've found" which is what I think the real ones are. Perhaps. I predict there will be no revival of "Under the Umbrella Tree" anytime soon.

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 19:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Chuck Klosterman wrote a whole essay about Saved by the Bell in his last book.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 19:28 (twenty-one years ago)

http://lotscape.hp.infoseek.co.jp/iraq.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 19:31 (twenty-one years ago)

there was this totally weird kid who lived across the street from who was really obsessed with today's special. it was weird

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 20:12 (twenty-one years ago)

"Today's Special" was actually TVOntario original programming, I think, and Jeff Hyslop then went on to star in Phantom of the Opera.

― Kim (Kim), Thursday, 7 October 2004 00:38 (twenty-one years ago)

http://users.bart.nl/~aschman/grieco2.gif"

― m.e.a. (m.e.a.), Thursday, 7 October 2004 00:51 (twenty-one years ago)

http://users.bart.nl/~aschman/grieco2.gif

― m.e.a. (m.e.a.), Thursday, 7 October 2004 00:51 (twenty-one years ago)

crap....sorry to double up. Mr. Greico isn't worth that sort of assertiveness.

― m.e.a. (m.e.a.), Thursday, 7 October 2004 00:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Mike A — "Wonderama" rings a bell, so that may be the kids' show I'm thinking of. You're the first person I've come across in 30 years who remembers it. (But I haven't made the search my life's work or anything.)

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 7 October 2004 01:23 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.x-treme21.nl/howto/3_4.jpg (bustin' a sag)

― Remy (x Jeremy), Thursday, 7 October 2004 01:26 (twenty-one years ago)

haha everyone in Ontario is nostalgic for Today's Special. Except Kim. My old roommate and I used to sing Tiffany songs to kill time at work.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Thursday, 7 October 2004 03:14 (twenty-one years ago)

And at a recent 'open' performance of John Zorn's Cobra (which allows you to pastiche other styles or songs at parts) here, this dude started singing "I Think We're Alone Now" at one point. I know Tiffany didn't do it originally but she popularized it to a generation. Also, Sterling to thread.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Thursday, 7 October 2004 03:17 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm still wating for a Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors big budget hollywood movie.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Thursday, 7 October 2004 08:54 (twenty-one years ago)

http://tv.cream.org/lookin/saturdaymorning/images/lkbadidea.jpg

Ratz, the computer generated cat's head from CBBC. That never worked properly.

Worst CBBC puppet ever!

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 7 October 2004 08:56 (twenty-one years ago)

http://blog.livedoor.jp/akkim13/a97f0748.JPG

― Velveteen Bingo (Chris V), Thursday, 7 October 2004 09:45 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.tvparty.com/lostnywonder.html

Just in case anyone else's wondering about Wonderama.

― mike a, Thursday, 7 October 2004 18:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Warm it Up Kris!
I'm about to......

Save your money kids, it's a short ride.

― Angus Von Santana, Thursday, 7 October 2004 19:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Love See
No Color

― Angus Von Santana, Thursday, 7 October 2004 19:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I googled up that Wonderama info last night -- it was pretty much the template for Nickelodeon's early years, wasn't it?

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 7 October 2004 19:49 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.d3.dion.ne.jp/~m2m/gerardo.jpg

― Baaderoni (Fabfunk), Thursday, 7 October 2004 20:33 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.sd455.com/movielicensetodrive.jpg

Chris Morris | Patrick Swayze

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Friday, 8 October 2004 11:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I remember being fascinated by this children's program called "You and Me, Kid" where adults and their kid wear matching workout outfits and do weird exercises like on gigantic foam green beans. I can't find a fan site anywhere which proves it has NEVER been an object of nostalgia.

― Towelette Pettatucci (Homosexual II), Friday, 8 October 2004 12:08 (twenty-one years ago)

dosse posse

Also, SHELLSUITS.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 8 October 2004 12:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha, I was just about to post Spilffy Jeans.

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Friday, 8 October 2004 12:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought about buying a lacoste shellsuit recently. if it wasn't expensive I might have. I doubt I'd have worn it all at once. to be honest I just wanted the jacket part.

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 8 October 2004 12:20 (twenty-one years ago)

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