Board Thread:Fun and Games/@comment-28396600-20180827000654/@comment-28396600-20180927065023

Top 10 Best Live Action Kid's Shows:

With Sesame Street hitting it's 50th season fairly soon, I think how would be an appropriate time to list the top 10 most influential kid's shows that aren't animated.

10. Between the Lions - The show was funny, clever, and educational at the same time. While it's primary audience was young children, they would often slip in tons of pop culture jokes that only parents would understand. Between the Lions was a very unique way to get kids to read and in fact it was written cleverly enough that I still watch the show every now and then at 19-years-old. The only reason it's at number 9 is because it's sole focus of educational content is specifically on reading. While reading is certainly an important thing, no other topics are ever addressed aside from words and language unlike the following shows on this list.

9. Hap Palmer's Baby Songs - These cute little videos had a feature that most children's shows don't:Realism. While most little kid shows are fantastical, these shorts were very down to Earth and just showed footage of kids being kids. While they would occasionally break format and do bizarre yet memorable puppet skits like the one with the bath tub alien, the focus overall was kept on average every day situations and it's rare to see something like that in a genre populated with talking animals and weird creatures.

8. Bear in the Big Blue House - This adorable show was a favorite of mine growing up and the memories I have of it are just amazing. The series featured an eclectic bunch of unique Muppet characters including my personal favorite, Shadow. I've always been interested in the art of puppeteering and I find the unconventional tactics used to bring the Shadow Muppet to life to be very intriguing. Even though I haven't seen the show in years, I tend to find myself singing the Good-Bye song every once in a while. It's one of those wonderfully catchy tunes that once you hear it, you're never going to get it out of your head.

7. Bananas in Pajamas - The concept of this show is definitely rather strange for obvious reasons:It uses the odd concept of giant bananas who teddy bears down the stairs from some reason. But that doesn't make it any less cute. If one could get past the somewhat creepy theme song, it's actually a very sweet and wholesome show for kids. In addition to kids, the incredibly weird nature of the show's has reportedly appealed to adult stoners as well. So if it keeps Cheech and Chong entertained, it's okay with me lol :P.

6. The Big Comfy Couch - This show may seem rather outdated and old fashioned nowadays due to it's minimal use of technology. But that doesn't make it any less great. While clown Loonette and her doll Molly are the show's main focus, there is also a good deal of rather entertaining side skits. To this day, I can vividly remember cracking up at those damn dust bunnies!

5. Eureeka's Castle - This is literally the only kid's show that I still watch to this day. I don't just mean occasionally tuning into it when I'm bored as hell, I seriously go out of my way to watch this masterpiece. Referring to this as simply "just another kid's show" would be an insult to the talented people behind Eureeka's Castle. There was great humor vaguely reminiscent of classic Looney Tunes-type stuff (minus the drinking, tobacco, racial stereotypes, and guns of course), extremely memorable characters, and creative plots. Trust me, if a young kid's show is good enough to entertain me, the 19-year-old man who generally sticks to adult cartoons with his animation/puppet show diet then it's gotta be pretty freaking amazing.

4. Fraggle Rock - Jim Henson was an all around genius! Having created countless iconic works that appeal to both kids an adult alike from the comedic adventures of The Muppets to the dark, gothic fairy tale setting of The Dark Crystal, I think it's safe to say that Jim Henson should easily be listed alongside Walt Disney as one of the best family friendly entertainers of all time. With his great track record of awesome shows, it should come as no surprise that Fraggle Rock is no exception to that rule. The one thing I always thought was kind of weird however was the concept of Marjory the Trash Heap, a giant talking pile of trash that often gives the Fraggles advice during tough times. So wait a minute, they literally get advice from a huge pile of garbage!? That's crazy!

3. The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss - It's a show that combines the work of two of the greatest creative minds of the 20th century, Jim Henson and Dr. Seuss. Do I even need to go any further as to why this one is number 3!?

2. Mr. Roger's Neighborhood - While I personally have never been a big fan of Mr. Rogers myself, it's near impossible to deny the huge impact he's head on people all over the world. Fred Rogers is one of the nicest people I've ever heard about. He had a strong passion for taking care of children, he loved everyone equally no matter what their race or gender (keep in mind that his show first debuted in an era here racism was practically a epidemic), he was never afraid to discuss serious subjects in a smart way to his kid audience, and many people who were abused as children have reported that Mr. Rogers's famous "You are special," quote made them feel like someone actually loved them. He was such a nice man in fact that if you post anything negative about him on 4Chan, they will treat you like some sort of monster. That's right, freaking 4Chan of all sites doesn't tolerate even the slightest bit of disrespect towards good old Fred. That shows just how good of a person he really was. He was only human so naturally he wasn't completely perfect and flawless, but I can almost guarantee that the world would be a far better place if there were more people like Mr. Rogers out there.

1. Sesame Street - Let's be real here, what other show could be number one. Sesame Street has made the biggest positive global impact on our society than arguably any other scripted television show of all time. Sesame Street may be known for teaching kids letter and numbers, but the show has always touched upon serious subject matter that most kid shows would be too afraid to even mention. Heavy topics such as death, divorce, the birth of a new sibling, anti-bullying, Autism, physical disabilities, incarceration, marriage, house fires, and even 9/11 have all been dealt with in relatable, smart ways. The writers of Sesame Street know that kids aren't stupid and discuss serious things in the most respectful and caring way I've ever seen on TV. I also love how they discuss other cultures on Sesame Street as well. The show premiered in the late 1960s, just one year after Martin Luther King Jr. got assassinated. It was the first TV show to show black kids playing with white kids, to portray Latinos and Asians as normal people rather than offensive stereotypes, and to consistently embrace Jewish culture by including several Hannukkah related segments in all their Christmas specials. One of the main reasons this show is highly respected by me however is the recent addition of Julia. I have nonverbal learning disorder which is very similar to high functioning Autism which means that I can relate to Julia's character in more ways than one. Other shows have dealt with Autism in the past but Sesame Street has what is possibly the most respectful portrayal of a fictional Autistic person to date. Generally Autistic characters in fiction such as Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory only exist to be laughed at (with very few exceptions such as Rain Man). But Julia is shown to be a normal part of society aside from her disability and the other characters often embrace the fact that she's different rather than judging her. That is a very wonderful message to send to their audience and I'm beyond happy to see them do such a thing. Anything that could possibly help end the bullying of Autistic people in the future is wonderful to me.