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June 8, 2005

Talking Hats

Steven Johnson, author of Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter visited The Daily Show yesterday.

STEVEN JOHNSON: We grew up around the same time I think, in the '70s. We watched some horrible programs. People remember Mary Tyler Moore and All In The Family...
JON STEWART: Lidsville. Remember Lidsville?
JOHNSON: Starsky & Hutch and Fantasy Island.
STEWART: Remember Lidsville?
JOHNSON: I don't even know what you're talking about.
STEWART: Really? Charles Nelson Reilly? With the puppets? The hats that talked?
C'mon Johnson, do your research.

Even the DVD cover frightens and confuses me.

Men Without Hats - "The Safety Dance (Extended Mix)"

Apologies -- obviously I have run out of things to blog about. That's why for the first time ever there will totally be SURPRISE GUEST BLOGGER Friday while Stereogum is at Bonnaroo (which, incidentally, is decorated like Sid & Marty Krofft's attic). Stay tuned...

Posted at 4:45 PM
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27 Comments

i think saw that creature on mushrooms once

Posted by: Satisfied '75 at 06/08/05 4:51 PM | Reply
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i think i saw that creature IN HELL once.

Posted by: Irish Mike at 06/08/05 5:25 PM | Reply
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Welcome to Drugachussets.

Posted by: Jake at 06/08/05 5:39 PM | Reply
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Here's a Lidsville VJ remix I've been messing with...I want to edit it more, but every time I work with it, I go more and more INSANE!!!

http://www.robotkid.com/video/lidsville_remix.html

-Robotkid

Posted by: Robotkid at 06/08/05 5:45 PM | Reply
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This was a frightning show...the opening credits were something of my childhood nightmares...didn't know their origins until much later when I stumbled across a copy of it and flipped my lid.

whoops. did I just say flipped my lid?

Posted by: darren at 06/08/05 6:04 PM | Reply
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you can watch the first 8 minutes of the lidsville dvd at rotten tomatoes. i mean in theory, you could, but you won't.

Posted by: pufnstuf at 06/08/05 6:55 PM | Reply
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Did Sid & Marty Krofft also do the Great Space Coaster? Or that other terrible farm one with the frog, Henrietta Hippo, and the owl?

Posted by: chris at 06/08/05 7:00 PM | Reply
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If I recall correctly Steven Johnson also said that todays worst TV shows, like Fear Factor, are better than yesterdays popular shows like 'The A-Team'.

I think he's wrong.

Posted by: Lord Fader at 06/08/05 7:43 PM | Reply
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Henrietta Hippo & the Owl was "The New Zoo Revue," which was NOT done by Sid & Marty. The Kroft's were also responsible for "The Bugaloos" (the Banana Splits but British, human and with wings), "HR Puffinstuff" and "Sigmund & The Sea Monster" (starring Johnny Whitaker furing his horrid pubescent years).

Posted by: toby at 06/08/05 9:55 PM | Reply
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New Zoo Revue! ... Wasn't Gary The Gnu namedropped on Madvillain's latest? Or did I dream that?

Posted by: stereogum at 06/08/05 10:38 PM | Reply
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Fucking hell, I'm starting to feel old. I used to watch Lidsville. And Electro Woman and Dynagirl. And Dr. Shrinker. And Sigmund and the Seamonsters. The whole Krofft Superstars Hour. Is anyone on this thing over 30?

Posted by: Drewbacca at 06/08/05 11:42 PM | Reply
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I love lidsville
I bought a video for a dollar and it came with a nifty iron-on

Posted by: wemightbegiants at 06/08/05 11:54 PM | Reply
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Has anyone seen the E! True Hollywood Story on Sid and Marty Kroft? It is highly entertaining. I cant belive that was considered children's programming back in the day, I feel high just watching it. Also isnt there a Mr. Show where they do an HR Puffinstuff parody?

Posted by: Kt at 06/09/05 12:42 AM | Reply
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um, just saw the first eight minutes.

not cool.

Posted by: pearl at 06/09/05 2:44 AM | Reply
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anyone else notice how scenestars.net is eerily not coming up anymore?
did capitol and the riaa jump on EJ after last week's coldplay fiasco/leak?

Posted by: chris at 06/09/05 3:14 AM | Reply
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I remember, as a kid, having to sit through New Zoo Revue waiting until the cartoons came on. If I remember correctly, Saturday morning cartoons would start at 7:00am and New Zoo Revue started at 6:30, it would be absolute t_o_r_t_u_r_e sitting through that show.

Posted by: seiche at 06/09/05 9:49 AM | Reply
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Yeah, but did you ever see the hot gay action between Freddy the Frog and and Charley the Owl?

http://www.tvparty.com/g2d/newzoo01.ram

Posted by: Drewbacca at 06/09/05 11:56 AM | Reply
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The first time I saw HR Puffnstuff, I crapped my pants in horror.

Posted by: Jeff at 06/09/05 12:36 PM | Reply
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Anybody recall that show with the puppets on Vegetable Soup called "Outerscope" It had something to do with these kids who built their own spaceship, travelled to different planets and learned how people from different species are just like you and me. It was also a really haunting show, for me at least. Not in the scary, Lidsville way. Just something about those puppets. I was 5, okay?

Posted by: Max Power at 06/09/05 12:46 PM | Reply
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Two words -- Magic Garden.

Posted by: HOMER at 06/09/05 1:38 PM | Reply
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drewbacca,

i'm part of the O-30 club here. does that make you feel any better, huh?

and, i was in love, IN LOVE, with jimmy in HR PufnStuf. and i hated, HATED, Witchiepoo or w/e her name was.

god, is it any wonder, after watching all goodness that is Sid and Marty Krofft in the 70's as a kid, that i'm not in extreme psychotherapy at this point in time? damn you krofft superstar hour!!!

Posted by: melina at 06/09/05 1:46 PM | Reply
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Much better, thanks. And Witchiepoo scared that shit out of me when I was a kid.

Actually, I watched the Sigmund & The Seamonsters pilot about a year ago and it scared the shit out of me as a 30-year-old.

I think maybe I'm just scared of puppets and/or Billy Barty.

Posted by: Drewbacca at 06/09/05 2:03 PM | Reply
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what was the scenestars/coldplay fiasco? did they post the entire album in MP3s? because the legal stream was already around last week... can someone fill me in?

Posted by: seeking irony at 06/09/05 2:28 PM | Reply
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Drewbacca... 31 representin'

Posted by: chris at 06/09/05 2:31 PM | Reply
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I don't remember if I loved Lidsville or hated it - but I watched it. And The Bugaloos. And HR. And Dr. Shrinker("He's the madman with an evil mind.".)

I'm sure they all scared the crud out of me but at that age I'd watch car wrecks as long as my parents didn't turn the TV off.

Saturdays used to kind of crap out, if I remember:
Land of the Lost
Ark II (Argh- still taking up space in my brain.)
And the supreme weirdness of: SPACE 1999.
(Funny, the real 1999 seemed a bit more subdued.)

Posted by: Skatelip at 06/09/05 3:05 PM | Reply
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Uncle Croc's Block. Look it up.

Posted by: emptypockets at 06/09/05 3:29 PM | Reply
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I rember alot of the super stars.does anyone rember Bigfoot and Wildboy. i have a book of sid and marty kroft iron ons with alot of the shows in it ive had it since iron ons where the thing to do.

Posted by: jabba_255 at 12/15/05 2:32 PM | Reply
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