Pinwheel, Pinwheel Spinning Around

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Damaged_Tomato@reddit

I remember watching parts of this show but never watched whole episodes and the name pinwheel never stuck and neither did the theme music There was a memory of the 2 boy puppets then a scene in the basement with some contraption as the end view pulled back out the basement window and then further so you could see the whole house. I thought maybe every episode ended with the contraption so I could never figure out this memory I had until recently but even though I cant find that specific episode I'm absolutely sure it was this show. 1 vague memory of a few minutes of my life caused me to remember it and question what it was for over 35 years.

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threebeansalads@reddit

The fuck?! My parents gave my kids pinwheels for Easter and I was singing this song all day Sunday and everyone looked at me like I was insane. I pulled this exact video up to show them all. I haven’t thought about it in YEARS and then this post today?! Freaky! Lmao!!!!!

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bh4th@reddit (OP)

Pleased to have made your day a little more surreal, fellow ‘81er.

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shed1@reddit

I was more into "Today's Special."

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Just_Me_79@reddit

YES!!!!! I swear I’ve only met ONE other person IRL who remembers Today’s Special, which is SO sad, Pinwheel & Today’s Special are probably the earliest shows I remember after Fraggle Rock!

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bh4th@reddit (OP)

“Today’s Special” is another song I can sing without trying. My wife (1979) wasn’t allowed to watch any TV as a kid that wasn’t live action humans (don’t ask), so I introduced her to Fraggle Rock as an adult. Turns out it wasn’t just good because we were kids at the time — it’s actually an awesome show.

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No9No9No9No9@reddit

The store dummy that came to life with the hat, this is a core early media memory

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EatsCrackers@reddit

Jeff!

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WadeTurtle@reddit

Shout it loud and clear!

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SteakJones@reddit

I couldn’t remember what the name of that show was as a kid and would just ask if “Jeff & Jodi” were on.

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Curious_Ninja5952@reddit

Instantly thought of this one next

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Worth_Specific3764@reddit

Wow core memory unlocked!

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GalaxyRedRanger@reddit

I hated this show with a freaking passion. And it was on all damn day! Back when Nickelodeon had like 5 shows so they just ran Pinwheel back to back till like 2 in the afternoon.

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emmer@reddit

The first television show I can remember

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ralph_deadbeet@reddit

Me too. Born in '83.

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Juztaan@reddit

Same! And same!

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ilovefood755@reddit

Same and same too!

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WeenyDancer@reddit

Me too

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Just_Me_79@reddit

Me too! The Bunny with the ears he used to fly!

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KnownNormie@reddit

I wonder where stuff like this hides in my brain. I haven’t thought about this show in literal decades, but the song started playing in my head as soon as I saw the title.

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ralph_deadbeet@reddit

Pretty sure it was a formative part of the entire Nickelodeon network somehow. I remember watching it as a show too, however. The details are in the 90s Nick doc (which apparently I should rewatch). Also, firmly believe kids these days aren't built for this kinda content. It'd likely terrify them!

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big_ringer@reddit

This was when most of Nickelodeon's output were either cartoon reruns or imports from Canada, England, and Japan.

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threebeansalads@reddit

This show, however, was American. I, as a Canadian, was shocked to learn it was not Canadian, because it’s just weird enough that it ought to be. Lol!

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mr_Papini@reddit

WTF. I've always thought of it as Canadian Sesame Street. I can't fucking believe it.

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threebeansalads@reddit

I was as shocked as you to learn the same! Lol!!

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Kellzy1212@reddit

Yep. I loved Danger Mouse, which was on sometime around Pinwheel and Today’s Special. You Can’t do that on Television was Canadian too.

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DeSota@reddit

I remember it being on at 6am or something with Pinwheel being on afterwards, followed by Today's Special. You Can't Do That on Television was on around 4pm. Yeah...I was raised by Nickelodeon.

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Puzzleheaded_Race_90@reddit

It terrified me as a kid. I hate that show. It looks dusty. I was trying to describe it to someone i used to work with who was late 20's and she was mad that I was showing her nightmare fuel. The puppets on today's special were pretty bad and weird, but pinwheel.... hate, let me tell you how much I've come to hate the show....

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odin_the_wiggler@reddit

* Pinwheel * The butterfly episode of Today's Special * Land of Confusion music video by Genesis Where all childhood TV trauma began

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ralph_deadbeet@reddit

Although I'm sure I saw it as a child, I don't remember the butterfly ep of Today's Special. I will, however, be seeking it out!

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Raekin17@reddit

The butterfly epsidoe? The one that haunts me was when they ended up in some spooky castle somehow and the paintings eyes followed them.

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iaperson2015@reddit

Not the butterfly episode!

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Puzzleheaded_Race_90@reddit

Nothing hurt me the way pinwheel did.

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ethnicvegetable@reddit

I'm terrified right now.

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Puzzleheaded_Race_90@reddit

It's awful, right? As a side note, are you familiar with the i feel fantastic video on YouTube? To me, it's the same kind of vibe. Just strangely horrifying

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bascule@reddit

Nickelodeon was originally called “Pinwheel” after the show

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Roobix9@reddit

Wow. I haven't heard this song in ages and yet remembered every word

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Goth-Sloth@reddit

Oh wow! Haven’t thought about this in ages

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Additional_Egg7024@reddit

Omg core memories unlocked

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dixiebandit69@reddit

When that show came on, it was my cue to go play outside.

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rosewalker42@reddit

This is freaky. Before I saw this post, I had no memories of this show. I can't remember ever thinking about it or recalling it or anything reminding me of it. But I instantly remembered all of it when I watched this and sung along flawlessly. So I guess there are still memories tucked away in my brain that can be accessed.

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LasagnahogXRP@reddit

I just mentioned this show in an old school Nick post. It was like poor man’s Canadian (I know it was American) Sesame Street. I actually loved it

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MetalLinkachu@reddit

Yep, I love this show more than Sesame Street as a little kid. Pinwheels, Tofay’s Special, and The Littles!

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LasagnahogXRP@reddit

Today’s special was so wholesome I didn’t want people to know I liked it. I tried to balance it out with dukes of hazard and fall guy

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Raekin17@reddit

Core memory is a scene with Ebenezer in the basement talking/singing to his plants.

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supergooduser@reddit

Early Nickelodeon is wild where it predated Disney and started as a premium kids channel. Pinwheel was one of it's first original shows. Eventually they dropped the premium and became a pretty common default cable channel. I do enjoy the shared experience of Xennials where Nickelodeon was the default "24/7" kids channel (with Nick at Nite being kind of a strange kids outlier)... it wasn't until 1992 we got cartoon network and Disney was a bougie $50 in 2026 bucks until it dropped the premium everywhere by 1997. Nickelodeon is fun as well, to build up it's content basically had an Avengers assemble moment and pulled content from around the world... Danger Mouse from the UK, You can't Do that on television and Today's special from Canada, Mysterious Cities of Gold, Belle and Sebastian from Japan and David the Gnome from Spain. Then went buck wild with Double Dare in 1986. We all have these fun as hell memories of Nickelodeon.

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spiral_larips@reddit

The Sub makes me sad. I scroll through it and remembering all the things and I wish I could just go back to the simplicity of it.

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SteakJones@reddit

Plus and Minus, Minus and Plus 🥰

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catplumtree@reddit

I remember the song, but not the images. That shit is nightmare fuel.

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KuzYaGotSkillz@reddit

I remember this show vividly - and how bored I was by it as a kid. It always felt kind of off (like the worst parts of a craft store coming to life) and was mostly something to get through before the better shows aired (today’s special, you can’t do that on television, etc). There was one segment of pinwheel that for whatever reason I still remember - it was a kid making a plane propeller sound and running around with a toy plane - no dialogue - just that sound and odd visuals of the kid running. Bizarre then. Moreso now.

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_TenDropChris@reddit

Now this is a core memory for me. I think I actually liked this show more then Sesame Street back in the day. Makes me wonder how much of it is lost media.

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