Bell bottoms. Pigtails. Dull pastel shirts. A frustrated squirrel. A zany bird. Some swings. A bunch of laughing flowers. And that song. Yes, the hello song. "It's nice to say hello. Hello! Hello. Hello! Hello. Hello! It's nice to say hello. Hello! Hello and how are you?"
If you're immediate reaction is to reply, "I'm fine, me too, we're fine and how are you?" then yeah, you totally remember the kids' show "The Magic Garden" from the '70s. I have absolutely no clue why I'm bringing that up, except it just popped into my head. I loved that show for some insane reason as a kid. It starred two young ladies named Paula and Carole as they walked, talked and sang in the "Magic Garden." I definitely remember the trouble-making squirrel Sherlock and the annoying bird Flapper (who didn't join the series till later). Though my favorite part was the Chuckle Patch, a pack of flowers that would literally chuckle and produce jokes on it's leaves. Yeah, I guess if you've never seen it, this sounds really, well, trippy. But it's super tame compared to stuff that Sid & Marty Kroft were putting out for kids back then like H.R. Pufnstuff (see photo above).
There was also some storybox that would open and well, tell stories. I know kids' shows today are primarily cartoons (with a few exceptions such as Sesame Street), but there's definitely something to be said about live-action programming. Even if it is drowning in cheese and bell bottoms.
And just to prove I'm not drinking this early in the morning, here's a clip of the infamous Hello Song for you. Do I know how to treat you guys or what?
COUPON TIME:
Well spring is around the corner (it's been in the '50s here lately) and I did mention the Magic Garden, so how could I not offer up some gardening coupons for you gardeners out there?
10% off online orders at ParkSeed.com
Use coupon code 10SPRING.
Valid through: March 31, 2008
Not valid on previous orders. Cannot be combined with other coupons.
10% off online orders at Jackson & Perkins
Use the above link to get the coupon code.
Although you must enter the coupon in your shopping cart, you won't see the discount until Step 3 of checkout.
Valid through: March 31, 2008
15% off an order of $25 or more at Gardener's Supply
Use the above link to activate coupon.
Discount should appear in your shopping basket if your order total before shipping and tax is $25 or more. Cannot be combined with other promotions.
$20 off an order of $50 or more at Michigan Bulb
Use the above link to activate the coupon.
$20 off a purchase of $40 or more at Gardens Alive!
Use the above link to activate the coupon.
2 Responses to “It's Nice to Say Hello”
I haven't seen but a YouTube clip myself, but there's a lot of buzz right now around Nick Jr.'s Yo Gabba Gabba!, which definitely has that Seals & Croft vibe mixed with indie music and urban vinyl toy design. The clip I saw featured Elijah Wood teaching kids to do a dance. Check it out!
@Justin - Don't get me started on Yo Gabba Gabba! Yeah, my kids are into that a bit and I even saw the one with Elijah Wood dancing. Talk about scary!