I Remember…The Disney Channel

Day 344

Back in the early 1980s my siblings and I received a special Christmas gift from our parents - a subscription to The Disney Channel! Now, this was back in the day when pay cable TV was relatively new, and therefore not customary. And for me it felt like a special privilege to have this special channel that not everyone had at the time. Flash forward to the present time and The Disney Channel is still on TV, although no longer a paid subscription - it is standard with basic cable TV now.

I enjoy watching The Disney Channel - there are some very clever shows that are geared to children and adults. But I miss The Disney Channel that I grew up watching, as it seemed to be focused more on the classic Disney cartoons and movies. Today I’d like to review some of the favorite things I liked about The Disney Channel back in the 1980s.

Every month we would get The Disney Channel Magazine and I was always excited when it would arrive. I’d be the first one in my family to read it - I’m the same way now when it comes to the TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly! Anyway, I loved reading about the upcoming shows/specials/movies, particularly the movies. It was on The Disney Channel that I was able to see a lot of the older, classic Disney movies (like Swiss Family Robinson, The Parent Trap, etc.); while many of these movies were available on video (good ol’ Beta), a lot of the movies were not, so the only opportunity to see the movies would be when they were shown on The Disney Channel.

While I was excited about learning what movies would be shown throughout the month on The Disney Channel, I also loved reading up on the shows. These are some of my favorite shows that were on the air at that time:

Donald Duck Presents

* I was a big fan of Donald Duck - I loved his voice and how he would always lose his temper and throw a huge tantrum. This ½ hour show was devoted to Donald Duck cartoons and was great fun to watch!

DTV

* Just like on Nickelodeon with the show Nick Rocks, The Disney Channel had its own music video show. The difference was that the videos consisted of various cartoons and images from Disney animated movies set to music. There would be classic rock ‘n roll songs like “At The Hop”, as well as current hits like “Kiss On My List.”

Dumbo’s Circus

* As a kid I loved shows that featured puppets or people wearing animal/character costumes, and this was one of those shows, which was all about Dumbo and his circus (hence the title of the show!)

The Edison Twins

* This was a very cool show about a twin brother and sister and their younger brother and their various adventures, in which they would solve mysteries using science. Quite intriguing, educational and fun!

Mousercise

* Aerobics was all the rage in the 1980s, and this was an exercise show geared towards the kids. The aerobics instructor was Kellyn (very cute, very perky) and she would do these great routines - nothing too strenuous.

Welcome To Pooh Corner

* Another show, like Dumbo’s Circus, that used puppets and people in animal costumes. As a kid I loved seeing a live-action version of Winnie the Pooh and all of his friends in the 100 acre wood.

I still enjoy The Disney Channel, but the nostalgic (i.e. OLD) side of me misses the channel from the 1980s. Those really were the days!!