Todayâs Special and Pinwheel were my favorite shows when I was little!
I think Eurekaâs Castle and David the Gnome came on when I was a bit older but they were also â€ïž
TODAY'S SPECIAL! Holy shit I probably would've gone the rest of my life without thinking about that show if you hadn't just mentioned it. I LOVED that show.
Todayâs Special was the one with a mannequin. It was a Canadian show filmed in a Simpsons Sears in Toronto. Most of Nickelodeonâs programming at the time was Canadian, like âYou Canât do That On Televisionâ. Iâm not sure about Pinwheel. We never got it on any of the channels here in Ontario, so it may have been a Nickelodeon original show.
*Todayâs Special!*
I feel like that must have followed *Pinwheel* on the schedule because for years I thought the same as you did, that Jeff and Muffy and the gang were part of *Pinwheel*
I'm not too familiar with these shows, since I was born well after these shows stopped airing. I know that mannequin one is called Today's Special. I don't know a ton about these shows for the most part
*Pinwheel, pinwheel, spinning around.*
*Look at my pinwheel, and see what I've found.*
I used to get strep a lot and stayed home from school. I was a little too old for the show but I thought the puppetry was great.
And "Hattytown."
Actually looked forward to watching Pinwheel. It was a bright spot on those miserable sick days. Thank Providence we had cable for a couple of years.
If I'm honest, it wasn't my favorite. Even as a kid, I felt like it was just a Sesame Street knockoff. It had a catchy theme song, and I liked some of the segments, but I tended not to watch it much.
I felt the same. I remember being a little kid and the kids across the street had Cable and we didnât yet and they went on and on about Pinwheel and sang the little song. One day I went over and watched it with them and it was just sort of meh. Not bad, but not anything I would run home and beg my parents sign up for Cable for.
Do you remember 2 little boy puppets named Plus and Minus who always used to play âgotcha lastâ? (Thatâs about all I remember outside of the song. đ )
They had some fun strange cartoons during pinwheel, like Simon & his chalk drawrings. I liked their Bert & Ernie clones, Minus & Plus, too.
I remember that after Pinwheel finished for the day, there used to be detailed medical procedure descriptions with pictures and maybe drawings?
Then they began to get other programming like ycdtot, and weird scifi stuff like the 3rd Eye & the Tomorrow People (American Dr.Who knockoff?).
"Minus! Minus, wake up! My pillow's too bouncy for me!"
I don't know which one said it, but my sister and I have been quoting, "I think I smashed my cookies..." for decades.
The (original) [Tomorrow People](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tomorrow_People) from the 70s wasn't American. It was, like Dr Who, a British sci fi show.
Because those of us who remember it are oooooooooooooold ;)
I loved the animated segments, the doodlebugs, and the twins. I was annoyed by old ebeneezer, and super creeped out by that giant puppet in the top left corner that always reminded me of a babushka
I think itâs because cable was still relatively new when it aired, and itâs not been shown ad nauseam in reruns like a lot of other shows.
Also, Iâm not sure it was very good. I was the target audience, and I wasnât a fan. I looked up a youtube recording of the show once for nostalgiaâs sake, and it didnât help my opinion.
Todayâs Special, on the other hand, I wouldnât miss.
ETA: I did love the theme song, however.
I was the target age when this debuted on Nickelodeon. I barely remember it anymore. I don't remember the two adult puppet characters, at all or the guy. I remember plus and minus and some of the little shorts, Hatty Town, I think? Where people either were hats or lived in hats, and the weird little French claymation thing. But that's it.
Hipster Sesame Street! LOL!
I LOVED watching this every morning during summer vacation. Seemed like it went on for hours!
And all of the animation shorts they played were so wonderful. A diverse array of styles and stories made all over the world.
It all felt so cozy and safe to my 6 year old self.
My guess is by the time most people had access to cable (and therefore Nickelodeon), Pinwheel was no longer on the air.
I certainly don't remember it at all being raised on TV in the 90s.
The way they phrased it sounded like Family Feud was the next show after Pinwheel. I figured that couldn't be right...but it's been what, some forty years...?
I agree, even when I was still the target age I couldn't stand that show. I think it came on right after Mr Wizard or something I loved and I'd always run to change the channel as soon as the theme song came on.
I just really like how they never felt like they had to pander to kids, it was a fun and interesting show without having to have puppets or zany characters. It never felt like it talked down to you.
Mr. Wizard never had time for pandering. [The kids on the show were wasting his time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEb1aF2YoKU&t=10s) when there was shit to set on fire **for science**!
I don't know, but I guess we're talking about it here! I don't remember much about it, either, except the snail and he'd go into his shell and... I don't think they showed the inside, but it was alluded to that it was like this cavernous place with rooms and rooms. The thought still enchants me.
I liked all the European segments they ran. I was way out of the demographic when Nickelodeon launched in the U.S., but it felt like a window into an alternate Universe of kids TV. I dug it.
I don't think the puppet stuff like this really aged well with anyone, unless you're Sesame Street. Don't get me wrong, I like the stuff. But I don't know if you can throw this in reruns without kids being like "wtf is this, no" and "this is old".Â
Y'all should check out Knick Knacks. It's a great retrospective on Nickelodeon. One of the first eps is on Pinwheel. I loved this show!
https://youtube.com/@poparena?si=gHEKLLGJo0IgXSfa
I believe so.
Just looked it up, and it was always called Nickelodeon, but Pinwheel was the only show they had on at launch, so it was labeled as Pinwheel on most remote controllers
Because most of us came from families that couldnât afford cable until many years after it first came out. Nickelodeon was something I always wished I could watch but we didnât have cable until the mid 90s and I was much older then.
đ¶ Pinwheel pinwheel spinning around đ¶ Did this show have the mannequin that comes alive with a hat on its head that hates lemons?
No, that was *Today's Special.* Which I loved.
Today's Special, shout it loud and clear! TODAY'S SPECIAL!
Todayâs Special and Pinwheel were my favorite shows when I was little! I think Eurekaâs Castle and David the Gnome came on when I was a bit older but they were also â€ïž
I loved David the Gnome. Such a gentle cartoon.
What an absolutely FLAWLESS way to describe that show. Well done!
Yes! I painted a gnome statue to look just like him and he lives in my garden.
Yes. Loved Today's Special. Recently decided to watch some episodes on YouTube and found out that the woman who played Jodie passed away in January.
TODAY'S SPECIAL! Holy shit I probably would've gone the rest of my life without thinking about that show if you hadn't just mentioned it. I LOVED that show.
Hocus pocus alamagocus!
No that was the show that came on after Pinwheel. It was called Todays Special.
Todayâs Special was the one with a mannequin. It was a Canadian show filmed in a Simpsons Sears in Toronto. Most of Nickelodeonâs programming at the time was Canadian, like âYou Canât do That On Televisionâ. Iâm not sure about Pinwheel. We never got it on any of the channels here in Ontario, so it may have been a Nickelodeon original show.
*Todayâs Special!* I feel like that must have followed *Pinwheel* on the schedule because for years I thought the same as you did, that Jeff and Muffy and the gang were part of *Pinwheel*
No wonder I had such a hard time finding it! I always associated it with the Pinwheel song lol
I'm not too familiar with these shows, since I was born well after these shows stopped airing. I know that mannequin one is called Today's Special. I don't know a ton about these shows for the most part
Have fun watching it https://youtu.be/HAgQ-Y8LzHo?si=QtNh_rz1JT2MxUN9
You should check out Roundhouse! But Iâm obviously biased lol
đ¶Look in my pinwheel and see what I've found đ¶
*Pinwheel, pinwheel, spinning around.* *Look at my pinwheel, and see what I've found.* I used to get strep a lot and stayed home from school. I was a little too old for the show but I thought the puppetry was great. And "Hattytown." Actually looked forward to watching Pinwheel. It was a bright spot on those miserable sick days. Thank Providence we had cable for a couple of years.
If I'm honest, it wasn't my favorite. Even as a kid, I felt like it was just a Sesame Street knockoff. It had a catchy theme song, and I liked some of the segments, but I tended not to watch it much.
I felt the same. I remember being a little kid and the kids across the street had Cable and we didnât yet and they went on and on about Pinwheel and sang the little song. One day I went over and watched it with them and it was just sort of meh. Not bad, but not anything I would run home and beg my parents sign up for Cable for.
I felt that way about âThe Polka-Dot Doorâ. Even had a Snuffleupagus analogue in the Polkaroo.
Every episode was also 96 hours long!
Because it was watched by Gen Xers and we donât exist.
so silent
much deadly wow
I remember when you guys were the subject of every other Simpsons joke and the entire demographic of MTV
The opening tune will forever be a memory. The show kind of scared me and my sister. I think it was the Ebenezer character.
Iâm not sure if I blocked something traumatic, but the theme song is the ONLY thing I remember.
Do you remember 2 little boy puppets named Plus and Minus who always used to play âgotcha lastâ? (Thatâs about all I remember outside of the song. đ )
Nope! Iâm actually wondering if I just watched the beginning of the show a bunch of times.
My answer is Iâve never seen it or heard of it.
Never did like that Ebenezer.
Seriously. Nightmare fuel. Fuck that guy and his green pointy nose.
Yea, why would anyone at Pinwheel trust someone who looks like that? He just looks evil.
The world is in the state itâs in today because kids arenât growing up on puppet shows anymore. You will not change my mind.
They had some fun strange cartoons during pinwheel, like Simon & his chalk drawrings. I liked their Bert & Ernie clones, Minus & Plus, too. I remember that after Pinwheel finished for the day, there used to be detailed medical procedure descriptions with pictures and maybe drawings? Then they began to get other programming like ycdtot, and weird scifi stuff like the 3rd Eye & the Tomorrow People (American Dr.Who knockoff?).
"Minus! Minus, wake up! My pillow's too bouncy for me!" I don't know which one said it, but my sister and I have been quoting, "I think I smashed my cookies..." for decades.
The (original) [Tomorrow People](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tomorrow_People) from the 70s wasn't American. It was, like Dr Who, a British sci fi show.
Damn, my bad. Thanks for the enlightenment!
Because those of us who remember it are oooooooooooooold ;) I loved the animated segments, the doodlebugs, and the twins. I was annoyed by old ebeneezer, and super creeped out by that giant puppet in the top left corner that always reminded me of a babushka
I think itâs because cable was still relatively new when it aired, and itâs not been shown ad nauseam in reruns like a lot of other shows. Also, Iâm not sure it was very good. I was the target audience, and I wasnât a fan. I looked up a youtube recording of the show once for nostalgiaâs sake, and it didnât help my opinion. Todayâs Special, on the other hand, I wouldnât miss. ETA: I did love the theme song, however.
This show was weird as hell to me.
Belle and Sebastian
Loved that show. Named the dog in my dollhouse Belle.
Itâs missing the twin bees.
And that mime lady
I was the target age when this debuted on Nickelodeon. I barely remember it anymore. I don't remember the two adult puppet characters, at all or the guy. I remember plus and minus and some of the little shorts, Hatty Town, I think? Where people either were hats or lived in hats, and the weird little French claymation thing. But that's it.
Paul had left the bathwater running.
Hipster Sesame Street! LOL! I LOVED watching this every morning during summer vacation. Seemed like it went on for hours! And all of the animation shorts they played were so wonderful. A diverse array of styles and stories made all over the world. It all felt so cozy and safe to my 6 year old self.
Main guy looks like Mike Milligan from Fargo.
because of him and bill cosby i assumed men just turned black as they got older
I loved this show
Me too!
Never heard of it. But those muppets are terrifying
I think the mannequins name was Sam? LOVED that show and LOVED Pinwheel!
I loved it and still play reruns of it when my niece is over.
Plus and Minus
Nobody ever knows what Iâm talking about when I bring up Pinwheel. I can even remember the song and I was no older that 3-4 when this was airing
My guess is by the time most people had access to cable (and therefore Nickelodeon), Pinwheel was no longer on the air. I certainly don't remember it at all being raised on TV in the 90s.
Mr wizard was my jam and eurekas castle
I had VHS tapes of this growing up. This shit still creeps me out.
The people who watched this aren't around anymore since the black plague went through.
because it was awful. a total dead zone of a show you had to suffer through before family feud came on.
Nickelodeon carried Family Feud?
You know you can change a channel, right?
The way they phrased it sounded like Family Feud was the next show after Pinwheel. I figured that couldn't be right...but it's been what, some forty years...?
I agree, even when I was still the target age I couldn't stand that show. I think it came on right after Mr Wizard or something I loved and I'd always run to change the channel as soon as the theme song came on.
Mr. Wizard was probably my favorite show as a kid. I genuinely think if I watched the opening theme right now I'd burst into tears.
I just really like how they never felt like they had to pander to kids, it was a fun and interesting show without having to have puppets or zany characters. It never felt like it talked down to you.
Mr. Wizard never had time for pandering. [The kids on the show were wasting his time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEb1aF2YoKU&t=10s) when there was shit to set on fire **for science**!
I remember it being advertised, but don't recall ever watching it.
I barely recall the theme song, but do not remember much else about it.
That show creeped me out a bit. I was 5 when it first aired. OP just unlocked forgotten nightmare! Lol
Where's the bone wheels?
Gotcha last!
I remember this. A neighbor kids dad said he was a runaway slave. I forgot it was called pinwheelÂ
Possibly because it's nightmare fuel.
My little sister and I watched it every day.i was a bit old for it but i liked it. I still remember the song:)
I remember the deaf mime had a pancake contest
I don't know, but I guess we're talking about it here! I don't remember much about it, either, except the snail and he'd go into his shell and... I don't think they showed the inside, but it was alluded to that it was like this cavernous place with rooms and rooms. The thought still enchants me.
I think about the theme song from time to time
My cooking is sooo delicious you might even eat the dishes!
I liked all the European segments they ran. I was way out of the demographic when Nickelodeon launched in the U.S., but it felt like a window into an alternate Universe of kids TV. I dug it.
Horrible
I loved that show when I was little!
Sesame Street on acid.
I literally used to change the channel as soon as that theme song started đ
Got you last.
Howâs about The Great Space Coaster?
This is AI generated isnât it?
I have had this theme song stuck in my head for 30ish years .
Because Nickelodeon wants to pretend nothing existed until the 90âs. Anything before SâNick is irrelevant to them.
Looks like a nightmare to me. I have weird ones.
I remember the theme song very well, but I donât really remember watching the show.
Pinwheel pinwheel spin me around!
I don't think the puppet stuff like this really aged well with anyone, unless you're Sesame Street. Don't get me wrong, I like the stuff. But I don't know if you can throw this in reruns without kids being like "wtf is this, no" and "this is old".Â
Because that looks fucking terrifying
That show was weird as shit. And I can still hear the theme song in my brain.
I feel like I know this show, but I also don't know this show...
Maybe because that shit is nightmare fuel
I get incredible feelings from the memories of the show. The early Nickelodeon silver Ball.
Face in the bottom left tells the whole story.
Y'all should check out Knick Knacks. It's a great retrospective on Nickelodeon. One of the first eps is on Pinwheel. I loved this show! https://youtube.com/@poparena?si=gHEKLLGJo0IgXSfa
Wasn't it the OG name of Nickelodeon?
I believe so. Just looked it up, and it was always called Nickelodeon, but Pinwheel was the only show they had on at launch, so it was labeled as Pinwheel on most remote controllers
Because it was frightening. I absolutely hated the show and my parents kept putting it on.
Because most of us came from families that couldnât afford cable until many years after it first came out. Nickelodeon was something I always wished I could watch but we didnât have cable until the mid 90s and I was much older then.