Everyone's watching at the start of a movie, but are we TRULY paying attention?
In this real photo postcard, the hostess for the local WGAL-TV version of the Romper Room children's show in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is standing in front of the station's "Color Television" camera (the show was broadcast in color beginning in 1957). The unnamed hostess is holding a drawing of the show's logo, which featured a jack-in-the-box. Behind the hostess is a board with illustrations of "Don't Bee" and "Do Bee." The message on the right-hand side of the board is "Don't be toy selfish," and although we can't see the left side, the sentiment there was probably "Do be toy sharing." Wikipedia's Romper Room article mentions the Bees in its description of a typical episode: "A recurring character was Mr. Do-Bee, an oversized bumblebee who came to teach the children proper deportment; he was noted for always starting his sentence with 'Do Bee', as in the imperative 'Do be'; for example, 'Do Bee good boys and girls for your parents!' There was also a 'Mr. Don't Bee' to show children exactly what they should not do." Perhaps the most interesting and perplexing Romper Room prop--not visible in this photo postcard, unfortunately--was the magic mirror, whose appearance on the screen was always accompanied by a psychedelic mass of swirling colors (see the 1980 Romper Room Magic Mirror Clip on YouTube for an example). As Wikipedia explains, "At the end of each broadcast, the hostess would look through a 'magic mirror'--actually an open hoop with a handle, the size and shape of a hand mirror--recite the rhyme, 'Romper, bomper, stomper boo. Tell me, tell me, tell me, do. Magic Mirror, tell me today, have all my friends had fun at play?' She would then name the children she saw in 'televisionland,' saying, for example, 'I can see Kathleen and Owen and Julie and Jimmy and Kelly and Tommy and Bobby and Jennifer and Martin' and so on. Kids were encouraged to mail in their names, which would be read on the air--first names only." I'm not sure how long Romper Room continued on WGAL-TV, but the show apparently lasted into the 1990s in some areas. Originally posted on Ipernity: Romper Room, WGAL-TV, Lancaster, Pa., ca. 1950s. Update: In 2021, David Rose provided the following information in a comment: "Hello, My name is David Rose the picture you are commenting about is my mother. I am delighted to see my mother's picture. She is 89 and lives in Houston, Texas. Her stage name was Miss Nancy."
You see them practically everyday, but how well do you remember them?
Remember going through them and circling the toys you wanted? Well...prepare for a nostalgia overdrive
These drapes are pure genius. Remember to think of them when working in a situation that would suit them well. Elle Decor
Remember when you collected all those vintage frames but have no idea where to put them? Well, gather ‘round, my […]
Remember David and Jessica?? Well their wedding was a hit. Loved spending the day with them and getting to know them a little bit better. Th...
Do you remember the beautiful Christmas ball wreaths from last year? Well I made two of them and absolutely love them! So I was trying to fi...
i bought blackberries from the local farmer's market, right? and pureed them? and the blueberry reduction i made? remember? well, i had ...
Teach children colors through these Color pictures. They find them fun and remember the mixing of colors and recognise color words well. ...
Ilott Vintage takes classic mid-century rangefinder cameras and refurbishes them to working order. You do remember cameras that use film, right? Well,
Remember my Summer Bucket List? (How is your list coming along, BTW?) Well... I'm ticking them off. I'm super close to meeting my
Remember when Brody Jenner dated Nicole Richie? Well, here's what really happened with their romance and the real reason things ended between them.
Well, handing in my Magazine Layout tomo!.. remember those pictures i took on Flickr? .. we'll i've put them to good use!..for my magazine!....
Insects and other animals have fascinated me since I was a small child. I remember well how I used to pick them up and simply stare at them in wonder for
... Remember this post... well they're done and mounted, I just need to put them into a box frame... I added some lace, bling and gl...
You may remember Megan and Ben from around this time last year when I made them some bunting for their gloriously lovely wedding fest . Well...
Remember that pile of rusty fabric from my last blog post????? Well, I have been using them along with some embossed metal to create collage...
Remember hearing about the days when Grandma or Mom would sit down with their grand-daughters/daughters and teach them how to sew? Well, tha...
