Jersey nostalgic for kid shows

Chuck McCann died the other day. I didn't know who he was but people older than me who grew up in North Jersey may have. He hosted a kiddie show called The Chuck McCann Show on WPIX in the mid-1960's before my time. Earlier he was instrumental on other kid shows like Captain Kangaroo and Rootie Kazootie. People who loved him probably felt the same way about him as I did about Bob McAllister. He hosted a children's show called Wonderama in the 1970's. I liked that he never seemed to talk down to kids in any way.

Every generation had their favorites. For producers Joe Votruba and Kylie Moore here at work it was Rugrats. Rugrats? Greasy little disgusting monsters is what I thought of them as. Then again I was no longer their target audience.

So what about you? If you had to pick your favorite thing on television as a kid, what was it? We asked our listeners and here are some of their answers. Do you remember any of these?

Derek called in with Livewire which ran on Nickelodeon from 1980 to 1985. It was basically a TV talk show but for kids. They even had Red Hot Chili Peppers as a music act.

Debbie's was Shenanigans, a kids' game show back in the 60's.

Eric is still haunted by Magic Garden, not because of Flapper the bird or the Chuckle patch flowers, but because he lusted after the two girls who wore denim overalls and hosted the show.

Elise had Winchell Mahoney Time as her favorite. You just don't get good ventriloquism today I guess.

Phil's favorite was Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories. Yes, he did this children's after his Jaws success.

Debbie offered up HR Puff n Stuff as her favorite. I'm sorry Debbie, this show was an acid trip without drugs, or a nightmare without sleep.

John suggested one of Doyle's own favorite shows, Runaround. It was a game show for children that didn't last more than one season. John and Bill may be the only two people on earth to remember this program.

Ryan, only 30 years old, was a fan of Soupy Sales because his father made him watch old shows on DVD.

Josh had Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, yes, from Sid and Marty Croft, the same guys who came up with the freakiness of HR Puff n Stuff.

Jeff Deminski can be heard with Bill Doyle on New Jersey 101.5, every weekday, from 2 to 7 p.m. Listen live online here at NJ1015.com or on the NJ1015 app. Follow Jeff on Twitter. Email him at jeff.deminski@townsquaremedia.com. The opinions expressed here are solely those of Jeff Deminski.

More from New Jersey 101.5