Child's Play: Television From My Childhood

Were you a child of the 1990's? Well, I was born in November of 1990 so I'm definitely a 90's kid. I believe that my early childhood was blessed with iconic children's television, some programmes I can still appreciate at the age of twenty two! Don't judge me! What were the television programmes that shaped your childhood? Keep reading if you're a 90's kid or if you wish you had been one, because I'm going to relive my favorite television programmes from my early years.

It's Thomas The Tank Engine! This steam engine inspired children's television programme was one of my favorite TV shows as a young boy! As a little boy I would make sure that wherever I went I had a new Thomas The Tank Engine toy train, over the years I have accumulated a considerable amount of the original trains. Over the years the format and opening theme of this cartoon has changed almost beyond recognition comparing to the version I was familiar to as a child. This programme is now called 'Thomas and Friends' if truth be told I don't think the new title suits this programme at all, along with the name change the technology has turned Thomas The Tank Engine into a computer generated programme! Call me unreasonable but I believe that the integrity of this show has been compromised because of the technological development, well  I suppose its been spared when its compared to other children's TV shows that I loved. I'm going to try my best to remember this show how I did when I was four years old! 

Now that I'm twenty two the importance of these children's television has naturally faded out of my life, but thanks to the medium of YouTube I have been reunited with my childhood TV favourites! Along with that benefit I have found having young cousins the perfect excuse to get back into this types of television programmes, so thank you kids for bringing it back for me!

Who knew that collecting rubbish could be so entertaining? It's all about The Wombles of Wimbledon Common! This crazy little children's television show is another front-runner as one of my favorite shows from my childhood! What's not love about these Wombles going about their wombling business? From Great Uncle Bulgaria to the mysterious Madame Cholet this harmless show has to be the most random TV show of my childhood. Even to this day I find myself randomly catching a five minute episode of The Wombles on YouTube! Growing up is just not cool! 

My ultimate favorite Womble has to be Orinoco Womble, he's ridiculous! I'm sorry to admit that Tobermory, Tonks and Bungo just don't make me chuckle as much as Orinoco Womble does. I really want one of their white Wombles bags that they take on the Common scavenging for bit and bobs of nothing! It's mental because I haven't seen the Wombles on television for a considerable time, maybe I've been watching the wrong television channels?! Hat's off to the Wombles! Orinoco Womble Rules!

We all love getting a letter or parcel in the post, so who better than Postman Pat to deliver them? Along with his black and white cat Jess this uncomplicated children's TV show follows a normal cartoon postman going about his business within the village of Greendale. What children's show has had Royal Mail as its main feature? Nowadays, this programme has undergone serious modernisation with a name change and CGI technology used to transform this programme moving forward from its original format. 

In 2000, Royal Mail voiced that Postman Pat no longer suited its brand leading its sponsorship deal to be discontinued. Now known as Postman Pat's Special Delivery Service, this new format doesn't impress me as much as the original series did as its lost its integrity along with the new introduction of characters. Like with Thomas The Tank Engine I will just have to remember the original series of Postman Pat because its what I grew up with! I can remember when my six year old cousin was a toddler he liked the new version of Postman Pat as he had never seen the original series so there was nothing to compare to. 

The boy from Toyland has been kept until last, here is my ultimate children's programme from my childhood! The Adventures of Noddy definitely was my favorite out of all the programmes I have previously featured within this blog publication! This children's television programme is full of innocence, which serves the perfect children's programme. Noddy was my favorite because it just appealed to me, I still have the Noddy plush doll somewhere in my room at home. Yes, I'm now twenty two but that factor is irrelevant because I can still recognize things about my childhood that were fond and lighthearted. 

Noddy is still a favorite television show for children in this country and now across the world, with many new translations being aired on television. I remember changing the channel over in Wales and watching the intro to May Way For Noddy, I have to say that the opening song did sound very strange in Welsh but it is what it is! Noddy has been translated into Hindi, Polish, Greek and Welsh but I will always love it in English! I might sound bitter but I don't want to ever watch the new episodes of Noddy because they have been modernised so much it just doesn't look right to watch! I'll stick with my YouTube original Noddy episodes that I can remember from when I was five years old! Or better still I'll dig out my Noddy VHS's from the 90's to watch! Only if I had a video player now! It's all about the new generations so I can appreciate that but its just strange to see a programme look so different! 

So, this blog post has transported me back to my early years and I must say that I also loved Tots TV, even though I didn't mention it within the blog in depth I will always remember Tilly's French conversations with Tom and Tiny! 

Never Forget Your Childhood Television Programmes !!! Joseph Harrison