ZOOM

Come on and ZOOM! Come on and ZOOM! Come on and ZOOM-a ZOOM-a ZOOM-a ZOOM!

Being a ZOOMer would have been so much fun! Just getting to do different activities all day. The ZOOM activities fell into different categories such as ZOOMsci, CafeZOOM, ZOOMdo, and ZOOMbuild. Me and my mom would do some of the activities together. I think ZOOM was a good show because it got kids involved. They would watch the show and then want to go and try out the things that they have learned to do. Me and my grandpa use to tell each other jokes all the time and I would get some of my jokes from watching ZOOM. Not only was ZOOM fun to watch but it was educational. I think it helped that you can see other kids just like yourself doing the activities. Some episodes of ZOOM can be found on YouTube.

Here is part one and two of one ZOOM episode.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch

Who didn't want to be teenage witch? I know I did! I also think it would be fun to have aunts like Hilda and Zelda. Hilda would be great for when you wanted to let loose and have a good time and Zelda would be great to have around if you need to talk and get some good advice. I always wished that Sabrina could just try and follow the rules so that she could get her witches license. Although I can understand how hard it would be having powers and not being able to use them. I absolutely loved Salem and wished I could have a talking cat like him. I'm sure he would get on my nerves though with all his schemes. I was so happy when Harvey found out that Sabrina was a witch. I always wanted them to be together. Two people I did not want to be together were either aunt with Mr. Kraft. He just creeped me out. I liked the college episodes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch but I liked the high school episodes more. There just seemed to be more ways to get into mischief. I've always liked Melissa Joan Hart as an actor. I like to watch her latest show "Melissa and Joey" which has Joey Lawrence in it from "Brotherly Love" Full episodes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch can be found on YouTube. There is also the animated series of Sabrina the Teenage witch can be found on Netflix and YouTube.

Here is an episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch where Sabrina tries to do good with her magic but it backfires. No surprise there!

Friends

Although Friends started airing in the 90's I didn't start watching it until last year. I instantly fell in love with it though! It's one of those shows I can watch over and over again and not get sick of. I really like the humor in it. I feel like in a way everyone has somewhere down the line been friends with a Rachael, Phoebe, Ross, Chandler, Joey, or Monica. Maybe you just never all hung out in the same group though. I would love to have a group of close friends like that all living near by. Especially after dealing my friends going to different schools and then the friends I've made at Bradley will be going to different locations for jobs. I think my favorite out of the group would probably be Monica, even though she is a feisty control freak. Phoebe is a close second. I love all of her weird songs such as "Smelly Cat".  I think my least favorite is Rachael. To me she just isn't as funny as the rest. While watching Friends I noticed a few things. When Phoebe gets replaced at Central Perk by a professional singer she sings outside and has her guitar case open for people to throw money in. As her and Rachael are talking a teenage boy runs to them asking if he dropped a condom in her case. The boy later became her brother Frank Jr. I also noticed that after Emma was born, Ben stopped making appearances on the show. 

There have been some rumors that Friends was going to have a new season in 2014 showing the reunion of the 6 friends. I was really excited at the possibility of this happening but didn't want to get my hopes up Unfortunately, today I read where the co-creator of the show said there will not be another season. I wanted another season not only out of my pure love for the show but also because the final episode had me pondering a few things. How crazy was it for Monica and Chandler to raise the twins? What do the twins look like now? What does Monica and Chandler's house in the suburbs look like? How is Phoebe and Mike's marriage going? Do they have kids? Did Joey ever settle down? Then of course the question everyone is most concerned about, did Ross and Rachael get married? I guess I'll never know the answers to these questions. 

Episodes of Friends are shown on TBS and Nick at Nite. Online episodes can be found at nickatnite.com. Since there are episodes online and multiple reruns at multiple times available on TV I am not going to post an episode of friends. Instead, I am including the link to 35 Phoebe Buffay songs. 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/lizlanteri/35-phoebe-buffay-songs-from-friends-63hh

The Amanda Show

Mah-Ha!

The Amanda Show only spent one year in the 90's but it still counts! Amanda Bynes had her own show that was a spin off of "All That". In the show Amanda performs different skits where she plays different roles. In between roles she would be on the front stage interacting with the audience, or dancing with lobsters. Some of the skits were Judge Trudy (a spin off of Judge Judy), Penelope (a skit about Amanda's number one fan, she has a website amandaplease.com which is actually real), Crazy Courtney (a very annoying girl whose catch phrase is mah-ha!), The Girl's Room (a story told inside a girl's restroom) and many more. There were also fake commercials shown throughout the show for weird items such as lunchbay.com or Sumo Soda. I thought both commercials were pretty gross though. I loved The Amanda Show, it always kept me laughing, I would love for it to be on again.

On another note, I love Amanda Bynes. I think she has been great and hilarious in all of her roles. Some of my favorite movies of her are She's the Man, Easy A, Sydney White, and Hairspray. Unfortunately, she kind of jumped on the crazy train, but then again so did Britney Spears and she turned out okay...for now.

Here is a clip of the Girl's Room and the Lunchbay.com commercial.

CatDog

Who would have thought that a TV show about a conjoined dog and cat would be so entertaining? The even better question is who thought that they could get along so well? Sure they have their fights, but that's a part of life. I guess if you have no choice but to be stuck together you set your instincts aside. Just like many other cartoon friendships (ex: Pinky and the Brain & Kenan and Kel) one was smarter while the other was more easy going and fun loving. Cat was usually coming up with plans to trick Dog into doing what he wanted. Dog on the other hand was more concerned about chasing garbage trucks. I did feel a little bit bad for Cat when Dog took off after a garbage truck, I mean I wouldn't like being dragged all around town. I'd also hate to get heartburn from something that someone else ate. Dog is so adorable though, you just couldn't get mad at him. He also knows how to have a fun time while Cat is more uptight. Too bad both of them have to live with Winslow, the rude mouse that lives in the walls of their fish/bone house. My grandparents even liked CatDog. They enjoyed watching it with me when I was over at their house. They thought all of their craziness was hilarious. I would say that is a great quality in a show when it can reach into two age groups that for the most part don't have much in common. A few CatDog episodes can be found on YouTube.

Here is one of their crazy adventures! I've also attached the theme song!

The Nanny

I didn't start watching The Nanny until the 2000's but it has been around since 1993. Most people would say Fran's voice is annoying but I actually like it! It makes her unique. I liked how it showed that you shouldn't judge people because of where they come from because they can make a big impact anywhere. She showed the kids a whole new side of life. Niles was absolutely hilarious! I loved his sarcasm! Another character I liked a lot and thought was funny was Gracie. She had such a large vocabulary for a child her age and a wide knowledge of medical conditions. She also had her imaginary friend. I felt kind of bad for C.C., she just couldn't get a break. Whether it was in her career or with Mr. Sheffield she just couldn't seem to get what she wanted. Speaking of Mr. Sheffield I always hoped that him and Fran would get married. I wish the show would have shown their new married life more. Full episodes can be found on YouTube. Below is the first episode to air.

Barney and Friends

This one is taking it way back! Even though I watched Barney when I was a youngen I still remember it well. He was everyone's favorite purple dinosaur. I had a Barney plate, lunch box, thermos, and sheet set. I also had a Baby Bop doll. After watching an episode of Barney I'm not really sure what it was that I liked so much about it. I guess it isn't like Rugrats where you are still entertained the older you get. Maybe it was the songs and adventures that I found so entertaining. Barney did teach children to use their imagination and to be a caring and kind. Watching it now it does make me laugh the way Barney giggles and hops around. I'm starting to think Barney looks a little bit more like an alligator than a dinosaur. It's something about the shape of his nose/mouth. Any thoughts? It is cool how when they are imagining things it is how you would actually imagine it yourself. For example, in the video below they pretend that a bench is an airplane and baggage check was the slide, which is what I would have done. This is a more realistic way than just showing their imagination from more of a "day dream" perspective. Full episodes can be found on Youtube and Netflix. I might as well end this blog the way Barney ended all of his episodes...I love you, you love me, we're a happy family, with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, won't you say you love me too.

Fresh Prince of Belair

"If she doesn't know the words to the Fresh Prince of Belair theme song....she's too young for you bro." I saw this on a meme once and I totally agree. If you are a 90's kid you have to know the theme song! The Fresh Prince of Belair was a great show, I mean you can't go wrong with Will Smith. I absolutely loved the Carlton dance! I think the episdoes with Jazz were so funny because of how dense he was. I think him and Hillary definitely should have gotten married. Jeffrey the butlers sarcasm was also hilarious. Will also had some pretty entertaining outfits. Anyone have a preference on which aunt Viv they liked better? I think I preferred the second one played by Daphne Reid. Instead of posting a full episode I decided to post the theme song because I mean who doesn't love it? Full episodes can be found on Youtube though.

Hey Arnold!

Hey Arnold! was a good cartoon to show that everyone has different families but that doesn't make them any different. It wasn't a child living with their mom and dad, instead Arnold lived in a boarding house with his grandparents. He was still loved and had a good time hanging out with his friends. His best friend Gerald was always there for him. Even Helga who tormented him most of the timing calling him football head was secretly in love with him. I think in another blog I mentioned how my mom use to call me Helga if I was being grumpy. Helga was also kind of creepy the way she carried a picture of Arnold around with her.  His grandparents definitely weren't ordinary. I mean his grandma was a black belt after all. His grandpa would tell stories of Arnold's parents that kept us wondering what had happened to them. There were a lot of interesting head shapes and hairstyles in Hey Arnold! The outfits were pretty interesting too. Arnold's shirt made him look like he was wearing a kilt and his hat looks like it would fit a Barbie. Then there is Helga who has a giant floppy pink bow. Did anyone else wish they Arnold's room? It was so cool with the rooftop access and everything! Here is an episode of Hey Arnold that I found on Youtube. There are also episodes on Netflix.

Kenan and Kel

Who loves orange soda? Kel loves orange soda! Is it true? Mmm Hmmm, I do I do I do-ooooo!

Kel loves orange soda and I loved Kenan and Kel! They were always getting into some sort of trouble and it was hilarious. Even my grandpa loved this show. We would always watch it together. Every now and then you can still catch it on tv. I don't think there was ever an episode that didn't have me cracking up. If you think about it they are kind of like the human version of Pinky and Brain. Kenan was always coming up with a scheme and Kel usually made it harder to accomplish the plan with his aloofness. Something unique about this show was the beginning. Kenan and Kel would stand in front of the curtain and interact with the audience, sometimes they would even go out into the audience. Then the curtains would open and the show would start. I think this connected them to their viewers because it showed them acting the same way in real life as they did in the show.

Kenan and Kel also brought us a great movie in the 90's, Good Burger! Welcome to Good Burger home of the Good Burger can I take your order? I think this movie worked really well because it was somewhat related to Kenan and Kel in the way that they had about the same roles Kenan's character (Dexter) scheming and Kel's (Ed) not being the brightest crayon in the box, but at the same time it was different enough to not just think you were watching a longer episode of Kenan and Kel. Plus, they added Sinbad and even Shaq made an appearance. I always wanted to try Kel's special sauce! I definitely did not want to try a Mondo burger though. Those looked so disgusting! Something unique about the physical aspect of the movie is that the VHS tape was orange! (Thanks Joe Mangieri for reminding me of that!)

Here is one of my favorite episodes of Kenan and Kel. Awww here it goes!

Pinky and the Brain

"Gee, Brain, what do you want to do tonight?" "The same thing we do every night Pinky, try to take over the world!"

Two lab rats trying to take over the world, how could that not be a good show? I think the catchy theme song is what made this show so awesome. I'm going to attach a full episode at the end that includes the intro and I guarantee if you listen to it you will have the song stuck in your head for the rest of the day. In the song it says that one is a genius and the other is insane, Brain is the genius and Pinky is insane but I would say Brain is a little insane as well. It was interesting to see all the creative ways to plan taking over the world. Pinky being so clueless makes him lovable. Pinky and the Brain didn't always get along, mostly because Brain was too focused on his diabolical plan while Pinky was enjoying the simple things in life, but like any other classic partnership they still love each other. They taught us a lesson that no matter how small you are you can make a big impact, or at least try (pay no attention to the fact that they tried by scheming). They never gave up though. Brain has a very sophisticated vocabulary, some words I'm still not quite sure what they mean. Pinky and the Brain first aired in 1995 so I would have been 4 years old, I'm not sure when I first started to watch it but I wonder if I had any idea what brain was talking about half the time. I've noticed that the graphics of old cartoons have changed over time, I'm sure the change is due to technology but I prefer the way it was. It use to look more like an animated story book. It made you feel as if you were apart of the story. Here are two episodes of Pinky and the Brain. More episodes can be found on Youtube.

NARF!

Power Rangers

It's morphin time! Just like a lot of other girls I wanted to morph into the pink power ranger and get the pterodactyl dinozord. So much that it was my Halloween costume one year. Every day I watched the gang fight Rita (Rita might make a pretty good Halloween costume now), Lord Zedd, Goldar, and the putties. I liked Rita better than Lord Zedd. To me Lord Zedd just seemed inside out, I'm not sure if that is what he is or if he is just suppose to be muscle without skin? Zordon was basically the president in my world back then and having a robot like Alpha would have been the greatest. When McDonald's started giving power ranger action figures as the toy in Happy Meals I had to have them all. I was successful at getting them all to. When we went my grandma would make sure to ask for one of characters that I was missing. I was then able to create my own Power Ranger's "episodes" while I was waiting for the actual episodes to come on tv. It's amazing how great of a show Power Rangers is considering it is extremely predictable. The same thing happens in every episode, the Power Rangers are just going about their daily lives and then they have to go see Zordon and Alpha and they tell them about the monster Rita has created. Then they go to defend the town and fight the monster. Then the monster grows to an enormous size so then the rangers have to combine their dinozords to create the Megazord and then the Megazord defeats the monster with its power sword. The two monsters that automatically come to my mind are Purse Head and Lipsyncher. Who knew handbags and makeup could be so dangerous? Power Rangers also had some pretty good movies. Sadly over the years the Power Rangers have went down hill. I will always remember the good ole 90's days of the Power Rangers though. I couldn't find any full episodes but some can be found on Netflix.

Here is a video of the previews of each episode in season one. It gets kind of repetitive but still brings back some good memories.

Rugrats

Halt I am Reptar! I loved Rugrats! It showed the inside of every kid's imagination. Things like breaking out of the play pen became a 007 mission. The weird thing is that I think we were all watching Rugrats even way past when we were babies, maybe because there's always that part of us that never really grows up. I think the shows like that are the best which is why I would definitely buy all the episodes of Rugrats to show my children instead of having them watch the junk that plays on Nickelodeon now. Rugrats is just irreplaceable. I can remember when I was being grumpy my mom would call me Angelica...and sometimes Helga (Hey Arnold). Anyone else think that Angelica's doll, Cynthia, was super creepy with the patches of hair and what not? Also, who didn't want a Reptar Bar? Chocolate with bright green goo in the middle that turned your tongue green, sounds amazing right? I found a recipe for the Reptar Bars. It has pecans in it which I do not like so I may not be testing the recipe out. Although I could try the recipe without the nuts. I'll attach the link to the recipe and if anyone tries it out let me know! In case you didn't know you can find some full episodes of Rugrats on Youtube and I think there are some on Netflix too! Just in case you need to take a break from growing up :)

Reptar Bar Recipe

Boy Meets World

I don't know about you but I always thought it would be cool to have a Mr. Feeny follow me all through my school years. One teacher you feel comfortable with and can depend on that you already have a relationship with. Also, I can't come across "Feeny" without saying "Fee hee heeny" in an Eric Mathews voice. Some shows today you wouldn't want your child to watch with fear that it would give them the wrong ideas about how they should act in life but Boy Meets World is just the opposite. They set a great example for children to follow. Corey and Topanga is probably one of the best love stories ever. You couldn't do anything but root for them to make it. Shawn may have had a troubled childhood but he still was able to make a good life for himself. In case you guys didn't know Boy Meets World still comes on from 6:00am-8:30am on ABC Family. Sometimes it's just worth waking up for.

Not going to lie, I teared up at the end of this video.