Short and Sweet: 35 TV Openers That Make Us Feel Like Kids Again

Share:

Yesterday while watching the new trailer for Ramona and Beezus — a film adaptation of Beverly Cleary’s beloved books about Ramona Quimby and her sister Beatrice — we felt old. We blame the casting of shiny tween idol Selena Gomez as Beezus. We preferred the Beezus from that short-lived Ramona TV series from the ’80s, which starred Sarah Polley as Ramona. Anyway, as we sat there self-soothing over the magical opening credits, we started thinking about the other shows we used to love when we were little. And suddenly, we were too busy being incredibly entertained to feel old. Drink our youth-enhancing elixir after the jump.

1. You Can’t Do That On Television (1979)

2. The Smurfs (1981)

3. Alvin and the Chimpmunks (1983)

4. Fraggle Rock (1983)

5. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983)

6. Inspector Gadget (1983)

7. Kids Incorporated (1984)

8. Muppet Babies (1984)

9. Punky Brewster (1984)

10. Adventures of the Gummi Bears (1985)

11. Jem and the Holograms (1985)

12. She-Ra: Princess of Power (1985)

13. ThunderCats (1985)

14. Small Wonder (1985)

15. Pee Wee’s Playhouse (1986)

16. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987)

17. Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers (1989)

18. Hey Dude (1989)

19. Saved by the Bell (1989)

20. The Babysitters Club (1990)

21. Tiny Toons Adventures (1990)

22. Bobby’s World (1991)

23. Clarissa Explains It All (1991)

24. Darkwing Duck (1991)

25. Dinosaurs (1991)

26. Doug (1991)

27. Eerie Indiana (1991)

28. Salute Your Shorts (1991)

29. Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (1991)

30. Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1992)

31. California Dreams (1992)

32. Ghostwriter (1992)

33. Roundhouse (1992)

34. The Adventures of Pete and Pete (1993)

35. All That (1994)