How often does this happen to you?
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You: “Hey, remember that show? That was on Nickelodeon? With the bears?”
Other Guy: “Bears?”
You: “Yeah, with the little bears and the girl?”
Other Guy: “You’re going to need to be more specific.”
You: “It was a show about a girl and two bears, I think they were koala bears, one was blue and she used to hug it and the other was pink and it could fly and was sort of like a fairy or a pixie or something— ”
Other Guy: “Yeah…”
You: “— and I think it was a Japanese cartoon, it looked like a Japanese cartoon now that I think about it–”
Other Guy: “No, I don’t think I do…”
You: “Other Girl, you know what show I mean right? The girl had sort of strawberry blonde hair maybe, and it was on Nickelodeon— or maybe Nick Jr! But they’d get into all kinds of trouble—”
Other Girl: “Sorry You, I don’t think there was such a show. I watched every show on Nick, and I don’t remember it.”
You: “— and the blue one wore overalls. No! It was a show… You guys! With two koala bears… wait up! They’d rub their noses together! ”
* There was a show on Nickelodeon with two koala bears and a girl.
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In my experience, variations on that conversation have been plentiful. But with the advent of the internet, especially since YouTube, these conversations are less painful, and much shorter. Within minutes we can find out if You is remembering an actual show or a frenzied fever dream by entering “koala bear show on Nick” into our smart phones. The video evidence is usually just a click away. I can’t tell you how relieved I was to learn that Bonkers were in fact a fruity chew from the eighties whose commercials featured fruit falling from the sky and crushing people as an old lady laughed maniacally.
Yet some bits of childhood television bliss have remained uncataloged. Some are still too obscure, too hard to locate. But oh! the sweet rush, the sublime thrill of satisfaction when just one more is found!
Today, I hit pay dirt.
When my sister and I were children, we would watch videos from the rental store and library endlessly. There was a video featuring nursery rhymes sung and recited with puppets and accompanied by traditional English instruments. After each segment, a page would be turned in a book on screen, and the next scene would be set as though it had emerged from it, as from a pop-out book. I don’t know if we got this video from a library, or if our father was responsible for us having it (he’s from England). So I don’t know if anyone reading this will remember it.
But my sister and I remember it. We are sure we learned the song Aiken Drum, who played upon a ladle and whose coat was made from good roast beef (years before Lady Gaga!), from this video. My mother remembers us watching it. But no one else has ever corroborated its existence. I’ve searched for it, but never could find it.
Until today. I give you, Aiken Drum!, from Longman Video Nursery Rhymes, circa 1983.
I watched most of the posted videos, and was struck by how brilliantly fun and violent these nursery rhymes are. I remember being terrified of the bit they did for Humpty Dumpty, yet I still watched this video again and again.
OK. So here’s the moral: Believe in your dreams. You may find that commercial or video or toy or whatever that you swear exists but has been shrouded in the mists of time. You’ll find it on YouTube probably, and everyone who said you were crazy will be forced to say “this proves I’m wrong- how foolish I was to doubt you.”
I just hope that when that day comes, you don’t allow your joy to carry you away from studying for your midterms. Like I have.
