Rating: TV-Y
Target Audience: preschooler-young kids
Episode length: 30 min
Network/Schedule: Unfortunately, Lambchop’s Play Along ended in 1997
When I watch the television shows that are available to young children today, it always makes me miss the shows that were on and popular when I was a little girl. We also had the classics like Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street, but in my opinion shows back then were a little more creative (Cookie Monster actually ate cookies-go figure!!). Today there doesn’t seem to be as much of a variety of shows, they all seem to be cartoons that focus on one form of education. The shows that always standout the most in my memory from my childhood, are the ones that were live action with real people and/or real puppets. One of my favorite shows was and still is Lambchop’s Play-Along.
For those of you not familiar with or can’t quite remember Lambchop’s Play-Along, the show ran from 1992 to 1997 and starred Shari Lewis and her puppet Lambchop, an adorable and very spunky little sheep. You may remember it better as the show that introduced us all to “The Song that Never Ends.” In each episode Shari would help Lambchop and her fellow puppets Charlie Horse and Hush Puppy ( all of whom Shari provided the voices for) learn valuable lessons while they also had a lot of fun telling stories and jokes and having crazy adventures. The lessons were basic and what you would expect from any children’s show; ranging from learning not to be afraid to being polite. For example, I found part of an episode on youtube (thank you technology!) where Lambchop tells Shari she doesn’t want her to go out that night because she will miss her too much. Shari tries to explain that everyone needs alone time sometimes, but when Lambchop refuses to believe that, Shari promises her that they will spend the entire next day together describing “we’ll be so close, when you sneeze, I’ll have to wipe my nose!” Then it goes into a little montage of the next day and all the things Shari and Lambchop do together. By the end of the day Lambchop admits that maybe she does believe that everyone needs their alone time, but she would rather have Shari around. It’s really a sweet clip that not only teaches Lambchop and other children an important lesson, but also shows the vulnerable side of Lambchop that viewers don’t always get to see. Most of the time she’s very sarcastic and a little rebel that Shari constantly needs to keep an eye on. She’s Fantastic!!! :)
Just thinking about Lambchop’s Play-Along takes me back to the days when I was a little girl and developing my imagination. It’s the shows like Lambchop that are able to take a basic sock puppet and make you believe that it is a person with all the innocence, imagination, and energy of an actual child. You believe in these shows and these characters and they become a part of who you are. You’re constantly learning and growing with them without really realizing it because you’re having so much fun at the same time. On top of that, it’s not only entertaining for small children, but there is a lot of humor there that adults can enjoy as well which makes the show that much more special. It’s definitely a show that will remain in my heart forever.
Target Audience: preschooler-young kids
Episode length: 30 min
Network/Schedule: Unfortunately, Lambchop’s Play Along ended in 1997
When I watch the television shows that are available to young children today, it always makes me miss the shows that were on and popular when I was a little girl. We also had the classics like Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street, but in my opinion shows back then were a little more creative (Cookie Monster actually ate cookies-go figure!!). Today there doesn’t seem to be as much of a variety of shows, they all seem to be cartoons that focus on one form of education. The shows that always standout the most in my memory from my childhood, are the ones that were live action with real people and/or real puppets. One of my favorite shows was and still is Lambchop’s Play-Along.
For those of you not familiar with or can’t quite remember Lambchop’s Play-Along, the show ran from 1992 to 1997 and starred Shari Lewis and her puppet Lambchop, an adorable and very spunky little sheep. You may remember it better as the show that introduced us all to “The Song that Never Ends.” In each episode Shari would help Lambchop and her fellow puppets Charlie Horse and Hush Puppy ( all of whom Shari provided the voices for) learn valuable lessons while they also had a lot of fun telling stories and jokes and having crazy adventures. The lessons were basic and what you would expect from any children’s show; ranging from learning not to be afraid to being polite. For example, I found part of an episode on youtube (thank you technology!) where Lambchop tells Shari she doesn’t want her to go out that night because she will miss her too much. Shari tries to explain that everyone needs alone time sometimes, but when Lambchop refuses to believe that, Shari promises her that they will spend the entire next day together describing “we’ll be so close, when you sneeze, I’ll have to wipe my nose!” Then it goes into a little montage of the next day and all the things Shari and Lambchop do together. By the end of the day Lambchop admits that maybe she does believe that everyone needs their alone time, but she would rather have Shari around. It’s really a sweet clip that not only teaches Lambchop and other children an important lesson, but also shows the vulnerable side of Lambchop that viewers don’t always get to see. Most of the time she’s very sarcastic and a little rebel that Shari constantly needs to keep an eye on. She’s Fantastic!!! :)
Just thinking about Lambchop’s Play-Along takes me back to the days when I was a little girl and developing my imagination. It’s the shows like Lambchop that are able to take a basic sock puppet and make you believe that it is a person with all the innocence, imagination, and energy of an actual child. You believe in these shows and these characters and they become a part of who you are. You’re constantly learning and growing with them without really realizing it because you’re having so much fun at the same time. On top of that, it’s not only entertaining for small children, but there is a lot of humor there that adults can enjoy as well which makes the show that much more special. It’s definitely a show that will remain in my heart forever.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find an official website for Lambchop’s Play-Along, but for more info on the show you can visit:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166048/
Above picture from: tv.msn.com
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