I have been trying for years to remember what the show was that eventually got replaced by "Clarissa's Castle". Then, I heard the theme to "Pinwheel" today and suddenly I am 5 years old sitting cross-legged before a giant box tv.

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derioderio@reddit

I remember being stuck at home for a week with Chicken Pox having to watch that every day because my younger siblings were also sick at home with Chicken Pox. I was old enough that I thought it was stupid and lame and complained about it endlessly. I actually kinda enjoyed it and Today's Special, though I would have died before I admitted it.

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ReadGiant@reddit

Instant tears. Thanks for sharing.

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PersianCatLover419@reddit

I remember this and Belle and Sebastian.

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Xybots@reddit

The Mysterious Cities of Gold. Loved that one.

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Xybots@reddit

This takes me back to a time when Nickelodeon just sort of ended in the evening and became the A&E channel. Nick at Nite wouldn’t come around till ’85. I remember watching Pinwheel, but couldn’t tell you much about it. Captain Kangaroo and Sesame Street (RIP Mr. Hooper) occupy way more of my brain space.

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Own_Physics_7733@reddit

I think you mean Eureeka’s castle (it’s on Paramount+!)

That lineup (midday, late 80s) had Raffi, Today’s Special, Pinwheel, David the Gnome, and a few other cartoons I barely remember (I just remember a koala going down a slide in the theme song). I watched them when I was 4 when my brother was at school and my mom was dealing with my newborn little sister.

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TK-385@reddit

Eureeka's Castle had the purple puppet dragon before there was a purple dinosaur. Today's Special had a mannequin who turned into a real guy and some lady and a puppet would talk to him. Also, I think it was a Canadian show like You Can't Do That on Television.

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TheLastBlakist@reddit

i remember the koala show... It was adorable and apparently it came from japan...

I also remember a super dark show that had the original fucked up versions of kids stories. (the dancing shoes one comes to mind.)

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TK-385@reddit

I also remember a koala cartoon, but I don't remember if it was supposed to be set in Australia. Somehow I remember some animals that didn't look like they should be in Australia in it.

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ThatEvanFowler@reddit (OP)

Dammit. You're totally right. I conflated Eureeka with Clarissa from Clarissa Explains It All. Argh, too late to edit.

But yeah, I remember loving Raffi and Today's Special and always being bored senseless by David the Gnome. I get that I'm alone on that, though. I seem to always been alone in finding it dull.

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loptopandbingo@reddit

Was it Raffi or was it Fred Penner? My boi Fred was all over daytime Nickelodeon back then

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Dragonfly-Adventurer@reddit

Elephant Show

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Roscoe_P_Trolltrain@reddit

We all knew what you meant 😬

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RodneyTorfulson@reddit

The little Koalas were the Snoozles https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3OBGh-N8a04&pp=ygUIU25vb3psZXM%3D

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TheLastBlakist@reddit

My god kid me thought those two were one show...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANG4VzBuoZA

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_Face@reddit

holy shit. pinwheel, noozles, and little koala were long since purged from my memory. seeing and hearing the opening credits, i can pretty much instantly still sing the theme songs.

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ThatEvanFowler@reddit (OP)

Oh my god. My first girlfriend and I used to give each other Eskimo-kisses and called them snoozles back in junior high and I did not realize until this very moment, decades later, what it was in reference to. Crazy. I haven't thought about that in so long that it feels almost like recovering a repressed memory.

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Dragonlibrarian7@reddit

Oh man, thanks for that piece of info. Immediately put it on for the kids, not 2 seconds later I hear my wife from across the house "Eureeka's Castle?!?!" And now we've been watching it for the last hour and a half lol.

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runjeanmc@reddit

The Little Koalas! I used to have a recurring nightmare involving them 😂

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BunkySpewster@reddit

I know the people that created this show. It’s a husband and wife. They’re amazingly nice. I’m friends with their son. We used to get high in their workshop with all these puppets.

Their apartment is wild. Crazy knickknacks everywhere. Weird art. Just awesome people.

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boringsuburbandad@reddit

Did you know them when the show was airing?

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BunkySpewster@reddit

Sadly, no 😔

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One-Earth9294@reddit

I was so young watching this one that I BARELY remember it, but it basically subconsciously instilled me with a love for Queen Anne houses that have those gorgeous turret rooms lol.

And the theme song is just coded on my DNA it dug its hooks into me so young.

I definitely remember Hattytown Tales from it, too.

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idleat1100@reddit

As soon as I saw the word pinwheel and that opening image that song and lyrics came back. Haven’t thought of it in 35-40 years and yet there it is. Ha!

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madsci@reddit

Pinwheel was actually the first show on Nickelodeon, and predated the network itself.

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joshhupp@reddit

God I hated Pinwheel. I always changed the channel

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krissym99@reddit

It was on for HOURS in the afternoon.

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jonasgrimms@reddit

Same!

It holds this weird, rare spot in my memory as something nostalgic that I actually hated.

Which always strikes me as weird because... Really, just how discerning could I have been at 5?

Apparently, fairly.

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xt0rt@reddit

For the longest time I thought that Pinwheel was a fever dream I came up with as a five year old at my babysitter's house.

🎶Pinwheel pinwheel spinning around. Look at my pinwheel and see what I've found... 🎶

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_Face@reddit

that snail made with flexible vent for a next is something I haven't thought about in nearly 40 years.

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TheLastBlakist@reddit

that creepy old muppet that kept dead grass in the basement.

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yourlittlebirdie@reddit

I don't remember anything about this show at all, not even the opening sequence, except the song.

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goat_penis_souffle@reddit

I always loved that little synth ditty that played while some kid slurred “PINWHEEL!”

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muggle_nurse@reddit

Omg same. Especially since none of my friends growing up remembered it. It’s only when I found this group that I realized I’m not crazy lol

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Intelligent_Flow2572@reddit

I can still hear it in my head.

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xt0rt@reddit

Same!

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GrumpyDietitian@reddit

I could not have told you a single thing about this show but as soon as I saw it my brain knew “pinwheel pinwheel spinning around”. Also that intro Is nightmare fuel

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will7980@reddit

Dear God! You opened a flood gate of memories that literally brought tears to my eyes! I remember being 5or 6 watching this pretty much the same way OP did lol! Big wood cases floor model TV and all!

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Imaginary_Attempt_82@reddit

This tune randomly gets stuck in my head to this DAY.

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TheLastBlakist@reddit

I am five.... at my grandparents because they had cable.

;-;

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muggle_nurse@reddit

Was pinwheel the show that had the guy that kept trying to go into outer space and would be stopped for some reason? Each time it was different

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MortgageRegular2509@reddit

If it’s not, I need the answer too lol

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Roklam@reddit

I loved all of that stuff.

Today's Special

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Eikthyrnir13@reddit

Wow. Some memories came crashing back. My family didn't have a TV until I was almost 10. I would go to a neighbors house and be transfixed by shows like this.

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Whatchab@reddit

I very much remember Eureka's Castle but not this Pinwheel thing, which is a bummer as it looks cool! Maybe I was too old (83)?

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Own_Physics_7733@reddit

Also - did Pinwheel have a character named “Odd”? (One of these shows did, and I think it was a puppet). It imprinted on my brain as “God”, and at church I imagined god looks like that puppet for many years.

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RodneyTorfulson@reddit

I remember pinwheel having a “Plus” and “Minus” but odd isn’t ringing a bell

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ThatEvanFowler@reddit (OP)

That's awesome. I always think of god looking like Leslie Nielson, because "Herman's Head" used to have him guest star as god. I like deadpan fart-joke god. He seems like you could negotiate with him.

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brightdark@reddit

I sing this theme song everytime I put my pinwheels out in my garden in the spring (the keep birds away from the vegetables).

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New-Anacansintta@reddit

Pinwheel was magical. We were the first gen who grew up on both Sesame Street and Nickelodeon.

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taleofbenji@reddit

Read my version here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Xennials/comments/1agug9t/the_poopy_loopy_song_mystery_solved_after_8_years/

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Bondedknight@reddit

Wow.... I have two shows I am trying to remember.... there was a show on 6:30 Saturdays, and that how I knew I woke up too early. I think that one had a bear singing who worked at the Daily Typo newspaper.

Then there was a show on at noon that I would watch on half days at school. I think that one had Hatty Town, where all the people were giant hats.

I loved my fever dream, surreal childrens shows

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