Happy Birthday Craig

Happy Birthday to Craig Marin, former puppeteer on Pinwheel. 

In Search of Saturdays

Welcome to “In Search of Saturdays" an advertising space I’ve designed to help our members find those long-lost movies, cartoons, TV shows, toys, games and anything else that we’ve all been looking for, for a very long time.

The instructions are simple. Post your personal “looking for” list in the comments and we’ll all see if we can help you find what you’re looking for. - This will be a group effort please.

If you can’t remember the name of a show or toy that’s alright, post what you can remember and maybe someone here will be able to tell you what it is. Also, please remember that if you are listing television shows or movies please let us know if you are looking to purchase these shows or if you just want to watch them online. Then we, the members of the group, will help try to help each other and go “in search of” those items for our fellow members.

A good place to start our searches is iOffer which, in my opinion, is better than eBay because you can find lots of shows there that you can’t find anywhere else.

*** MY WANT LIST ***

This is a list of the Classic Nickelodeon programs that I’m looking for to purchase. Please note that I am a private collector who does not copy and resell my collection. The videos and DVDs that I collect are for my own private viewing here in my home or my Mother’s house where I originally watched them. If you have any of these and would like to sell me copies – for my private viewing – please contact me at peggysueclay@hotmail.com  Also, IF YOU CONTACT ME VIA EMAIL PLEASE PUT THE NAME OF THE SHOW IN THE SUBJECT LINE. Thank you.

*** NON-VIDEO ITEMS ***

Muppets Magazine 1982

People Magazine – no date available – Marc Summers’ car accident article

Any '80’s women’s or children’s magazines

Early to Mid-1980’s TV Guides

*** REGULAR PROGRAMS ***

Dusty's Treehouse

Hocus Focus

Livewire

Nick Rocks Video to Go

Pinwheel (Other than what is currently on youtube.)

Spread Your Wings

Standby...Lights! Camera! Action!

Studio See

*** PINWHEEL CARTOONS ***

The Adventures of the Mole

Bunny in the Suitcase

Emily (my favorite)

Hattytown Tales

Magic Coco

The Magic Roundabout

*** SPECIAL DELIVERY ***

Beware, Beware My Beauty Fair

Clarence & The Ottaway (staring Billy Hufsey)

Kids’ Writes (other than the 6 episodes on youtube)

Mariposa

Silver City (The Righteous Apples special)

Classic Nick Rocks

Olivia Newton John – Make A Move On Me

Frank Stallone – Far From Over

Brother Phelps – Let Go

Yes – Owner Of A Lonely Heart 

Selena – Ya No

Special Delivery – Merry Whomas

For those of you who are wondering what “Whomas” is it simply stands for “Doctor Who Christmas.” Today is the sad day in which Peter Capaldi will be regenerating into the (fake) thirteenth doctor. (My opinion.) As a tribute to him, and as a tribute to the death of the show, to all of you, Merry Whomas. Enjoy.

Also, a quick note. While Doctor Who never appeared on Nickelodeon the goal of my blog is to post family friendly videos and Doctor Who has always been family friendly, especially during the original broadcast era. 

Galileo: Dr. Who video

Dr. Who Music Video – Back To The Start

Doctor Who | Disco Dancing Doctors | Babelcolour

The 12 Doctors of Christmas – Doctor Who

Doctor Who – Entire Cast & Crew 500 Miles

Doctor Who Parody by The Hillywood Show®

Behind The Scenes: Doctor Who Parody by The Hillywood Show®

The Doctor's Video Diary by The Hillywood Show®

Comic Relief - Catherine Tate & David Tennant by BBC

The Weakest Link Doctor Who Special (2007)

Doctor Who – The Wilderness Years

Doctor Who Confidential – A New Dimension - The eras of Who 1960's-1996

Doctor Who: The 1996 Movie Q&A | BFI

BBC Breakfast Interview with Christopher Eccleston

Doctor Who Confidential – Time Crash

Exclusive! The Five Doctors -- Official Doctor Who 50th Celebration

Paul McGann Interview – Eighth Doctor Spin-Off & A Five(ish) Doctors Return

Doctor Who – The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot (Please click the link.) 

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x17l9b4_doctor-who-the-five-ish-doctors-reboot-pdtv-x264-deadpool

Doctor Who – An Adventure in Space and Time 2013 – full movie Roger Godfrey

Doctor Who At The Proms 2008

Doctor Who - 50 Year at the Proms

Special Delivery – Christmas

Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman (1983)

The Snowman & the Snowdog (2012 – 30^th Anniversary)

Barbour Christmas Ad 2017 - The Snowman and The Snowdog – The story continues.

Rudolph's Shiny New Year

Jack Frost - Please click the link. 

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3hb0p9

'Twas The Night Before Christmas - Please click the link.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2brixg

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Merry Christmas Mr. Bean

The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

The Christmas Pageant

The Sweetest Christmas (Please click the link.)

https://gomovies.pet/film/the-sweetest-christmas-22669/watching.html?ep=1097567

Snowden on Ice

The Man In The Santa Claus Suit

Classic Holidays Rock

The Monkees – Riu Chiu

The Wiggles – Here Come the Reindeer

Gayla Peevey – I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas

Meet the Singer Of "I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas"

(Cast of) Victorious – It's Not Christmas Without You

The Waitresses – Christmas Wrapping

Sha Na Na – Say Ho Ho Ho

The Monkees – Christmas Medley '86

The Mistle Tones – 12 Days of Christmas

Bing Crosby & David Bowie – The Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth

Band Aid 1984 – Do they Know it's Christmas

You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch

Snow Miser & Heat Miser Song

Put One Foot In Front Of The Other

Classic Nick Rocks

Gene Autry – Up on the House Top

Olivia Newton John – Make A Move On Me

The Mistle Tones – Joy to The World

Frank Stallone – Far From Over

Clarice (Janis Orenstein) – There's Always Tomorrow

Special Delivery – Christmas 3

Frosty the Snowman (1969)

Frosty's Winter Wonderland

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964)

Special Delivery – Christmas 2

Gene Autry – Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Sha Na Na – Santa's On A Diet by

Fat Albert Christmas Special

Garfield Christmas Special

A Muppet Family Christmas

Classic Nick Rocks

Howard Jones – No One Is To Blame

Go Fish – We Three Kings

Selena – Bidi Bidi Bom Bom

Jewel & Nedra Carroll – Rudolph

Quiet Riot – Come On Feel The Noize

Nic’s Interview with George James

Recently I got an email from a Pinwheel fan who had a few questions for Mr. George James who played “Jake” on Pinwheel. He asked if I would mind forwarding them to him and of course I didn’t. After Mr. George sent back the answers I asked if I could please blog the interview and was given consent.

So, with that I would like to say a huge thank you to Nic Nagel for allowing me to post this interview.

Re: Fan Questions

George James

Today, (Monday, December 4, 2017) at 3:03 PM

Dear Peggy Sue and Nic,

How great it is to have people like you continue to show interest in Pinwheel. It validates the idea that people were moved, involved and positively affected by the show; which was the hope of all who took part in creating Pinwheel.

Nic I hope that I can answer your excellent questions to your satisfaction.

1-How did he get to be on Pinwheel?

This could be a very long answer because I’m not sure where my road to Pinwheel began. My parents exposed me to the magic of theatre and music and fostered in me a love of people and of life of all types. I developed a passion for flexing the imagination in pursuit of expressing thoughts and feelings, which I had no lack of.

When I first saw Sesame Street I immediately realized what a powerful vehicle for presenting positive and informing ideas about the world children's television had become.

It was a time when children’s television was breaking new ground and creating programming for children of all ages. A new idea had emerged that children’s programming could and should entertain and inform everyone and play up to young people rather than down. It was very exciting. At the time that all of this was happening I was not involved in children’s programming, I was involved in recording and record production, but the thoughts of what was happening in children's television were ever present in my mind. And as luck would have it, someone who knew someone who was looking for someone to join a team developing a children’s show for the new and experimental initiative of creating programming specifically for cable tv called me to audition.

I auditioned and was hired by Warner Communications to be part of the Pinwheel creation team as developer, music director, song writer and actor. I was overjoyed!

I hope that this explanation adds to the information that Peggy Sue has already provided. If you want to know more specifics, I’ll be glad to answer.

2-Who was his favorite character on the show?

Nic, I’m sure you’re aware that the characters in the world of Pinwheel were by design diverse. Each with their own particular charm and appeal. I grew to appreciate the specialness of each of the characters and never considered which one I liked best. Sal, Smitty and Kim were as sweet and lovable off set as they were on camera. The brilliance of the puppet design and puppetry of Craig Marin, Brad Williams and Olga Felgemacher (now Ola Marin) was always a source of fascination and wonder. The artwork and puppetry of Jim Jinkins was as fresh, clever and imaginative as it gets. What I’m getting at is that I held everyone on the show in such high regard that picking one out as my favorite would be difficult. I did like working with Minus thought.

3-What does he think of Nickelodeon from the the 90's-now days? And did he think that Nickelodeon would become this big when working for it?

We had a saying between cast and crew that floated around the set which provided much laughter as well as thought. It was “Life is change…how it differs from the rocks”.

Of course, we knew that rocks changed too but the point was made. What this meant to many of us was that it was important to stay flexible and positive to the prospect of and even the. inevitable of change. To resist change is stagnating, to prepare for and initiate change is growth. I do regret that Pinwheel was not given a chance to develop and grow, there was much more to be achieved. In the early days of Pinwheel and Nickelodeon, although there were some rough edges, the intentions and objectives of all involved were.

Heartfelt and genuine. We knew that it was something new for television and we cared deeply about what we were presenting to our audience. I am not that aware of what Nickelodeon is like today, but I hope that some, if not all, of that initial excitement and commitment is still present.  I really had no idea how big Nickelodeon would get, I don’t think that anyone did. But one did get a sense of how big programming for cable tv was going to be. Although Pinwheel aired into the 90’s we taped our last season in the mid 80’s in the infancy of programming for cable tv.

4-Apparently in the shows early years their where 3 more birds (besides Admiral) that came from Zintar. Is this true?

The Wonkles! 

5-Does he have any funny behind the scenes story's?

See answer 3

6-If Pinwheel where to come back would he return to his role as Jake?

If Pinwheel came back and I was asked to be a part certainly I would, but I would be different, Pinwheel House would be different, with hopefully the same feeling from the heart!

Nic, thanks for your great questions and for sharing the experience with me.

All best,

George “Jake” James

Classic Nick Rocks

Paula Abdul – Forever Your Girl

 Fame – Joy To The World

 El DeBarge – Rhythm Of The Night

Sha Na Na – Rock Rudolph Rock

Weird Al – I Love Rocky Road

Contact Info Needed

Could someone PLEASE help me? We would like to bring Double Dare to our city for the NickCon event in 2019. When I contacted Marc, he told me to contact Cyma Zarghami, president of Nickelodeon. So, I googled Nickelodeon and found this number (212) 258-7500. When I called I was on hold for over an hour for three days in a row. On the fourth day I was told that “this is no longer a working number.” O-k-a-y…so then I called Viacom who transferred me to Nickelodeon where I left a message. Three times now.

The president of the chamber of commerce has been waiting for me to get back to him with this information for two weeks now and I can’t get a hold of anyone! Can someone PLEASE help me with ***RELIABLE contact information*** on how to bring double dare to our city?!

Special Delivery – Christmas 1

You Can't Do That On Television – E69 – Christmas

The Monkees – "The Monkees' Christmas Show"

Old School Lane Casual Chats Episode 97: Interview with Peggy Sue Clay

We all have different dates as to when Nickelodeon’s 40^th anniversary is. For some it’s December 1^st, the day when the Pinwheel Network first aired. For me, personally, I go with 1979, the year the Pinwheel Network was relaunched as “Nickelodeon.” But regardless as to when we celebrate Nickelodeon has turned the big four-0 and I’d like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to Patricia at Old School Lane for interviewing me for her youtube channel. It was truly an honor.

Old School Lane Casual Chats Episode 97: Interview with Peggy Sue Clay

Classic Nick Rocks

Neal McCoy – The Shake

Don Most – Christmas Medley

The Bugaloos – Senses Of Our World

Jeff’s Christmas Dance

T'Pau – Heart & Soul

Classic Nick Wed. – Misako Koba

Little Miss Misako and the Food of Love

By Jane Ennis

>>This article has been retyped from an British magazine from the 1970’s.<<

A Japanese girl came six thousand miles to London for a holiday. She was 18 years old, five feet talk and ask pretty as a favorite doll – but she spoke very little English. She met a young man in a café, fell in love and married. The couple settled in Blackpool and she planned to devote herself to learning the skills of an English housewife. Instead, she became a cabaret singer and ended up playing the part of a Tibetan goddess in the children’s TV series The Tomorrow People.

Tracing the tiny footsteps of Misako Koba from the Japanese Island of Goto where she grew up to the youngest of ten brothers and sisters, via a Wimpy Bar and the Blackpool Tower to star in an ITV series, is a modern Samurai-style legend where fate takes a very big hand and virtue triumphs.

The Chance Meeting

(In which their eyes meet across a crowded hamburger parlour.)

It was a dreary day in London’s Earl’s Court. Misako, the weary traveler, walked into a Wimpy Bar. She says in her now good but highly accented English: “I spoke very badly then and every time I went into a café and ordered something, it would come out differently to what I had expected. Then I discovered Wimpy. There were photos on the menu and could point to what I wanted. I sat down in a spare seat opposite a young man. I pointed to a picture, but that waitress started talking and I couldn’t understand. Then the young man came to my rescue.”

The young gallant turned out to be actor and entertainer Colin Sherwood and, as in all good legends, it was love at first sight.

Soon, the couple were married. Misako’s family gave their blessing and wrote to say that at the time of the marriage, all the relations would go to the top of the highest mountain on their island, face Britain and cheer from the bottom of their hearts for the couple’s lifelong happiness.

Settling in Blackpool

(In which Misako moves to the water margins and learns to live in a strange land.)

Colin’s work took him North. He became an entertainer and singer compering shows in the big Blackpool hotels in summer and working in repertory during the long winter.

Blackpool welcomed Misako with open arms from Day One.

“Every time I go to shop for food, it takes me half an hour for a five-minute trip because I must stop and talk with the many friendly people I meet.”

Misako worked hard at becoming a good English housewife.

“It was very difficult. I come from a quiet little country village. No one ever locks doors or windows. It would do no good as they are made of paper and there are no thieves. We have very little furniture. We sit on the cushions laid on the tatamis – rush mats. We have a big cupboard and when we eat, we take out a table with folding legs and our pots and pans and put it away again when we’re finished. When we want to sleep, we pull out a mattress and unroll it on the floor.

“The English housewife has no such dusting and polishing – so many rooms and all full of furniture. I have only just got to know the routine – to learn what to use for what. Your Brillos, Brassos, Fairy Liquids, Spring Cleaning and Jumble Sales – there is so much to learn.”

A strange English custom which Misako says she will never get use to is kissing in public. “At home, we only kiss little children in public. Kissing between adults is part of sex. I used to get very upset when I saw and when people tried to kiss me, I would back away. I accept it now but still don’t like it.”

Old Customs Prevail

(In which you can lead a girl to a fishmonger, but you can’t make her cook.)

Although Misako has adjusted remarkably well to the English way of life, some old Japanese customs still remain to delight or horrify her very British husband.

Misako treats Colin with something near to reverence. She does everything for him from serving him warm saki to changing the channels on the TV set at his command. Says Misako: “This is the Japanese way, but I am afraid it is making him fat because he never has to move.”

Colin, who laps up this sort of treatment, says his friends are very jealous of his home life. But there is one Japanese custom he doesn’t’ like and that is the habit of eating raw fish.

“When I buy cod, Colin has his cooked, but I eat mine raw,” says Misako, “I have to shut myself in the kitchen because he can’t bear to see it.”

“Neither can the cat,” says Colin. “It drives her completely crazy to see Misako eating her dinner.”

Once Colin took Misako to watch the fishermen on Blackpool’s North Pier.

“She saw an angler pull a fish out of the water and she began licking her lips. I warned him to put his fish away quick.”

Misako also eats raw eggs with rice once a week, but Colin doesn’t join in. His favorite dish is steak and kidney pudding and he is looking forward to the day when Misako learns how to cook one.

The Show Must go On

(In which a nightingale finds her voice.)

One evening, shortly after their marriage, Colin took Misako to the Blackpool Tower to watch a show presented by his friend Alex Monroe. Alex spotted Colin’s new wife and asked her up on stage. He asked her if she sand and she said yes.

Colin recalls: “I started to panic. There was sweat pouring off me as I heard the organist start to warm up and say, “What key, love?’.”

Misako said she would sing without the organ and launched into a Japanese fold song. Says Colin: “She was a knockout.” A show stopper. She was so good that Alex offered her a contract for the summer season.”

Colin, who had always treated Misako like a loveable child, began to wonder what he had married. “I couldn’t believe she had such a good voice. It was a shock.”

The Big TV Part

(In which Misako triumphs over great odds and a star is born.)

During winter while Colin was working at Oldham rep, his agent told him they were auditioning Japanese actresses for a role in The Tomorrow People.

Lots of actresses had been interviewed, but none of them could pass all of the severe conditions – namely that they had to look 16 and oriental, and speak with a genuine Japanese accent. Colin thought Misako might as well have a go.

“I gave her three audition pieces. By the end of the week I was literally banging my head on the wall because she was so awful. It was unbelievable.”

“Poor Colin, I nearly drove him mad with worry.” Misako says.

When the say came for her to go to London, Colin patted her on the head and put her on the train saying: “Do your best, love. It’ll be an experience for you, but you won’t get the part. Just enjoy yourself.”

The next morning, the producer of the show, Vic Hughes, phones and said he was sending Misako home with three scripts, that she had got the part and they were delighted with her.

“I couldn’t believe it. She is the luckiest girl alive. The Tomorrow People crowd have been wonderful to her – so nice and friendly.”

“But it’s all thanks to Colin,” says the dutiful Misako, “He goes though all the scripts. Without him I would be nobody.”

Where will the charmed life of Misako take her next? We watch to see in what further ways the gods will favour her.

>>Rather than typing this out I will just post the picture.<<