Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Blast from the Past: Grasshopper Grammar

Does anyone else remember this? It's The Write Channel, a 10-minute show about grammar and proper puncuation that ran on PBS throughout the '80s. I loved it! But for years I couldn't remember the title, and was unable to find it through my very weird google searches ("educational talking grasshopper thing"). Then I remembered the magic words: Palabra jot! Palabra jot!
My second-favorite PBS show from that period, besides The Joy of Painting, was Gather 'Round, fairytales told by a guy who did all the female voices in a scratchy falsetto and illustrated with chalk. I also dug Reading Rainbow and Slim Goodbody (a man in a body stocking that showed the internal organs).

6 comments:

Karen said...

The only one of those I remember is Slim Goodbody and he freaked me out. I'm not sure if it was the depiction of the inside of the human body or how tight his body suit was....

Anonymous said...

OHMIGOSH!! I had totally forgotten about The Write Channel, I used to love that. I liked Reading Rainbow, but like Karen, Slim Goodbody's tight body suit gave me the heebee jeebees.

S.M. Elliott said...

That squeaky-voiced chalk guy prob'ly freaked out some people, too, come to think of it...

tweetey30 said...

Hey I e-mailed you yesterday or Saturday with a question. Just making sure it didnt get stuck in your junk box by accident. I remember some of these. I never really watched alot of tv even though I had a tv in my room. During the winter I perferred the tv but during the summer I was always outside.

tshsmom said...

I remember Reading Rainbow, Slim, and of course The Joy of Painting("We'll just put a happy little brook over here."), but I don't recall those other shows. They must've been on while I was at work.

S.M. Elliott said...

Yep, I think they were. You got out of them just like you got out of Barney and Blue's Clues! ;P

I wish they'd run the old Joy of Painting shows. I miss his happy little trees.