I'm 42 years old and a professional writer. Kids' Writes was my first writing credit. On the show I was listed as 10 even though I was only 9 at the time (they had an age limit). I'm glad you didn't shred my plot composition, character development, and symbolic nuance from my tour-de-force, "Dog Party". Getting selected for the show was actually pretty rad. They sent along an autographed cast photo and personalized letter, a Kids' Writes t-shirt, and best of all, an awesome, full-color dictionary/encyclopedia in one. I'm not kidding about the dictionary. Following the section with word definitions, the last third of the book had photos of the planets, earth topography, animals, and lots of other great information. I wonder if any other professional writers emerged from the show's contributors?
Heyyyy so I was that kid! I can’t believe I am just now discovering this video. In my second grade class, we didn’t know how to finish our stories, so they all ended “and then I died!”
I would've tried to submit so many things if I'd watched this show. I love how you can tell kids wrote these stories and poems and songs, it's just so wholesome.
I remember watching KW reruns on weekends as a kid in the mid-80s...honestly, was just waiting for Out of Control (which followed it) to start, but for a 6YO like me, was interesting to see the actors perform the viewers' stories, the original songs were catchy enough, and I still remembered much of the theme song 40+ years later before it popped up on YT!
I found on Idaho Public Television what appears to be Jim Mairs reciting the Gettysburg Address in 2014. This might help in your research of what the other cast members have been doing since the show ended.
Wow, thank you for this memory! I wrote two stories for this show - the first excerpted in your video where the kid drinks the drink and dies, and another was a straight ripoff of The Blob but I don’t remember all the details (hey I was 8). I would love to get the original episodes if that’s something available?
For something that didn't seem to take off it was a brilliant idea to let kids do the writing. It encourages creativity and gets kids to try their hand at creating. It needs to be brought back in some form or another.
Used to watch this one a lot back when it was on, they used to show an address for the kids to send in their stories to, but was removed in subsequent repeats.
This is one of those shows that was on when I was so young that I couldn't be sure if it was real or not. I think I only caught a couple of episodes in rerun when it was on very early in the morning. My only recollection of the show was that it was on an empty stage with men and women in weird colorful jumpsuits, and something about contortion (probably the make-an-animal segment) It's nice to have all this info to fill in what the show actually was.
I’m still counting down until we get to the first show I remember airing aside from pinwheel (you can’t do that on television), but as a retrospective of long forgotten shows nearly 40 years old this remains absolutely fascinating, even as the quality of the source program dipped a bit from the last episode 😇. I assume the “Brit sci-fi” = the tomorrow people. Which would be a good lead in to when it’s creator moved to Ottawa and developed a local comedy show for children......
I'm hoping that he'll also cover the YCDOTV spinoff UFO Kidnapped--a science-fiction drama that was meant to be a pilot, from the creators of YCDTOTV, featuring many of its main actors (Les Lye, Klea Scott, Kevin Kubusheskie, Alasdair Gillis, and Doug and Vanessa in faux-Ewok costumes.)
One of the You Can't actors actually ended up on the Nick remake of The Tomorrow People. It was one of the later year shows that was more focused on kids versus adults than even the early shows and wasn't as funny but he did well in the role. I'm assuming he'll discuss the remake when he gets to the 90s though.
Yup, I remember Les Lye, Christine McGlade, Kevin Kubusheskie, and Adam Reid showing up in Turkey TV sketches (between silent movie clips, British sketch comedy clips, and music videos).
wait hold up. John Rousseau directed a stage version of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride?! that's news to me! (definitely my favorite ride when I was younger during our disneyland trips!!) suffice it to say I was also only familliar with 'monsterpiece theater' though I may have seen the original show around the same time once or twice?
Not gonna lie, if this had still been going in the late 80s/early 90s when I was in grade school & starting to write for fun, I probably would have submitted something.
Also I hope we see a “Today’s Special” episode because I think I was the only one who interpreted the final episode of that show as the lead committing suicide...yeah.
My parents used to get super stoned when this and "Out of Control" was on! Now I'm nearly 50, the parents have passed on... I suppose that responsibility falls on me now. I bakewatch nick knacks!
I did some theater work when I was a wee kid. My brother did it first,a s I did soccer that year. That trope was a kid cast, pro writing, for kids thing. It was pretty decent. Then we did some plays, for a number of years, for a church. That was basically us preforming for our parents, and a circle jerk of the production crew. We didn't do jack in the later ones. We sang, and where background, while teens and adults did all the acting. I know this was a tangent, but it reminded me of that. My takeaway: Don't be shit to your audience, or your performers.
The Tomorrow People you say? I was expecting The Third Eye with that teaser. My siblings and I grew up with the 90s incarnation, which also aired on Nick. Will that be a separate episode?
Without getting into the kneejerk 'this is creepy and therefore bad' garbage criticized in the last video- there's something about this that feels _off_ to me. I don't think I agree that this doesn't have a sense that the performers are broadcasting that they're being silly, though I don't think the sense is that it's silly because they're adults performing children's material- it's just they're so broad, and seem to be playing everything with no subtlety, that it conveys a feeling of ha ha this is soooo wacky! The jumpsuits certainly don't help. Like- compare the affect here to Pinwheel. The source material being performed in Pinwheel is different, but I think more fundamentally, the performances are pitched differently, and it feels a bit quieter and more dignified. I just get the sense that with this show, if I were a kid, and I saw them perform something I'd submitted, I'd think they were making fun of me.
I think Zoom did a much better job at this idea for a show better then Kids Writes. For one thing obviously the show was hosted by kids, but not kid proformers. They were just ordinary kids who auditioned at a cattle call in Boston. also in zoom, There were a lot of segments in the show where the kids (know as zoomers on the show) would have talk sessions about things kids would talk about, getting sick, bullying, rasicm, and even death. I would much rather watch kids talking about their lives rather then some theater adults doing scripted improve. They also did more then songs and poems, they did games, crafts, running inside jokes (Ubbi Dubbi and FANNEE DOOLEE) and show films about kids in different parts of the USA. Zoom worked because it was better at providing different content, and having it be sent in by kids. Idk I’m a huge zoom fan so maybe I’m digging to much into this. Anyways, not a big fan of Kids Writes, but love Zoom. Props to Chris. ❤❤❤
But Guys, If it is showing Pinwheel & Video Comics & By the Way & Nickel Flicks & America Goes Bananaz & Children's Classics & Hocus Focus & First Row Features & PopClips & Special Delivery & What Will They Think of Next! & Dusty's Treehouse & Livewire & Matt and Jenny & Studio See & Adventures in Rainbow Country & Vegetable Soup & Nick's Family Picks & Reggie Jackson's World of Sports & The Tomorrow People (1973) & Kids' Writes & Spread Your Wings & The Adventures of Black Beauty & You Can't Do That on Television & Today's Special & Against the Odds & Standby... Lights! Camera! Action! & The Third Eye & Mr. Wizard's World & Going Great & Spirit Bay & Danger Mouse & Nick Rocks: Video to Go & The Saturday Concert & Belle and Sebastian & Vic's Vacant Lot & Lassie & Powerhouse & Out of Control & Hangin' In & National Geographic Explorer & Turkey Television & The Adventures of the Little Prince & Dennis the Menace & Bananaman & Star Trek: The Animated Series & Curious George & The Mysterious Cities of Gold & The Monkees & Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea & Zoo Family & Rated K: For Kids By Kids & The Bad News Bears & The Shari Show & Maple Town & Adventures of the Little Koala & Miss Peach of the Kelly School & Kids in Motion & Sharon and Lois and Bram's Elephant Show & 16 Cinema & Finders Keepers & The World of David the Gnome & Count Duckula & Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp & Don't Just Sit There! & Kids' Court & Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics & Nickelodeon's Total Panic & Think Fast & Hey Dude & Eureeka’s Castle & Make the Grade & The Patty Duke Show & The Kids of Degrassi Street & Camp Runamuck & SK8-TV & Wild and Crazy Kids & Flipper & Outta Here! & Kidsworld & Cartoon Kablooey & Nick News: Special Edition & Fifteen & Welcome Freshmen & Get the Picture & Clarissa Explains It All & Nickelodeon's Launch Box & Mork and Mindy & Nick Hit List on Nickelodeon, I Hope they would posting all full episodes from Pinwheel & Video Comics & By the Way & Nickel Flicks & America Goes Bananaz & Children's Classics & Hocus Focus & First Row Features & PopClips & Special Delivery & What Will They Think of Next! & Dusty's Treehouse & Livewire & Matt and Jenny & Studio See & Adventures in Rainbow Country & Vegetable Soup & Nick's Family Picks & Reggie Jackson's World of Sports & The Tomorrow People (1973) & Kids' Writes & Spread Your Wings & The Adventures of Black Beauty & You Can't Do That on Television & Today's Special & Against the Odds & Standby... Lights! Camera! Action! & The Third Eye & Mr. Wizard's World & Going Great & Spirit Bay & Danger Mouse & Nick Rocks: Video to Go & The Saturday Concert & Belle and Sebastian & Vic's Vacant Lot & Lassie & Powerhouse & Out of Control & Hangin' In & National Geographic Explorer & Turkey Television & The Adventures of the Little Prince & Dennis the Menace & Bananaman & Star Trek: The Animated Series & Curious George & The Mysterious Cities of Gold & The Monkees & Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea & Zoo Family & Rated K: For Kids By Kids & The Bad News Bears & The Shari Show & Maple Town & Adventures of the Little Koala & Miss Peach of the Kelly School & Kids in Motion & Sharon and Lois and Bram's Elephant Show & 16 Cinema & Finders Keepers & The World of David the Gnome & Count Duckula & Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp & Don't Just Sit There! & Kids' Court & Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics & Nickelodeon's Total Panic & Think Fast & Hey Dude & Eureeka’s Castle & Make the Grade & The Patty Duke Show & The Kids of Degrassi Street & Camp Runamuck & SK8-TV & Wild and Crazy Kids & Flipper & Outta Here! & Kidsworld & Cartoon Kablooey & Nick News: Special Edition & Fifteen & Welcome Freshmen & Get the Picture & Clarissa Explains It All & Nickelodeon's Launch Box & Mork and Mindy & Nick Hit List on Paramount+ 😔
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm 42 years old and a professional writer. Kids' Writes was my first writing credit. On the show I was listed as 10 even though I was only 9 at the time (they had an age limit). I'm glad you didn't shred my plot composition, character development, and symbolic nuance from my tour-de-force, "Dog Party". Getting selected for the show was actually pretty rad. They sent along an autographed cast photo and personalized letter, a Kids' Writes t-shirt, and best of all, an awesome, full-color dictionary/encyclopedia in one. I'm not kidding about the dictionary. Following the section with word definitions, the last third of the book had photos of the planets, earth topography, animals, and lots of other great information. I wonder if any other professional writers emerged from the show's contributors?
James Dziezynski omg i remember that story! That was actually one of my favorites!
"It means peace be with you."
A few lines later...
"I died!"
Can I please meet the kid who came up with this? Cause that made be laugh a lot.
Heyyyy so I was that kid! I can’t believe I am just now discovering this video. In my second grade class, we didn’t know how to finish our stories, so they all ended “and then I died!”
Bless you for this story every time I hear it it still makes me laugh
@@matthewrouse6467 Whomagotcha!
I would've tried to submit so many things if I'd watched this show. I love how you can tell kids wrote these stories and poems and songs, it's just so wholesome.
Ten years after Kids' Writes aired, MTV had a show called "You Wrote It, You Watch It."
“The Magic Carpet Signal” sounds like what Aladdin uses to summon Carpet.
I remember watching KW reruns on weekends as a kid in the mid-80s...honestly, was just waiting for Out of Control (which followed it) to start, but for a 6YO like me, was interesting to see the actors perform the viewers' stories, the original songs were catchy enough, and I still remembered much of the theme song 40+ years later before it popped up on YT!
I found on Idaho Public Television what appears to be Jim Mairs reciting the Gettysburg Address in 2014. This might help in your research of what the other cast members have been doing since the show ended.
I finally caught up with this series last night, glad I didn't need to wait too long for a new one!
Wow, thank you for this memory! I wrote two stories for this show - the first excerpted in your video where the kid drinks the drink and dies, and another was a straight ripoff of The Blob but I don’t remember all the details (hey I was 8). I would love to get the original episodes if that’s something available?
Happy birthday to you! Oh, and thanks for the gift!
I'm kinda reminded of Axe Cop, since that had a similar premise but as a webcomic (and with one, ongoing story instead)
For something that didn't seem to take off it was a brilliant idea to let kids do the writing. It encourages creativity and gets kids to try their hand at creating. It needs to be brought back in some form or another.
Used to watch this one a lot back when it was on, they used to show an address for the kids to send in their stories to, but was removed in subsequent repeats.
Man I loved this as a kid. I did drawings of the cast.
Oh my goodness, this show looks so wholesome!
I've waited all of... one week for this video!
Love the classic fake-out with "Michael Eisner". A bit John Oliver, but I like John Oliver. :-)
I know it's immature of me, but the guy with the mustache and curly hair immediately reminded me of the Chicken Lover from South Park.
This is one of those shows that was on when I was so young that I couldn't be sure if it was real or not. I think I only caught a couple of episodes in rerun when it was on very early in the morning. My only recollection of the show was that it was on an empty stage with men and women in weird colorful jumpsuits, and something about contortion (probably the make-an-animal segment) It's nice to have all this info to fill in what the show actually was.
More than two of these per month? Yipee!
R.I.P. John Rousseau.
I’m still counting down until we get to the first show I remember airing aside from pinwheel (you can’t do that on television), but as a retrospective of long forgotten shows nearly 40 years old this remains absolutely fascinating, even as the quality of the source program dipped a bit from the last episode 😇.
I assume the “Brit sci-fi” = the tomorrow people. Which would be a good lead in to when it’s creator moved to Ottawa and developed a local comedy show for children......
I'm hoping that he'll also cover the YCDOTV spinoff UFO Kidnapped--a science-fiction drama that was meant to be a pilot, from the creators of YCDTOTV, featuring many of its main actors (Les Lye, Klea Scott, Kevin Kubusheskie, Alasdair Gillis, and Doug and Vanessa in faux-Ewok costumes.)
One of the You Can't actors actually ended up on the Nick remake of The Tomorrow People. It was one of the later year shows that was more focused on kids versus adults than even the early shows and wasn't as funny but he did well in the role. I'm assuming he'll discuss the remake when he gets to the 90s though.
Oh, and two of the early You Can't actors did another skit show called Turkey Television.
Yup, I remember Les Lye, Christine McGlade, Kevin Kubusheskie, and Adam Reid showing up in Turkey TV sketches (between silent movie clips, British sketch comedy clips, and music videos).
You mentioned this one so much I think I know about it.
We Got a Man Who Can Speak Fast, We Got a Man Who Can Make Sound Effects, Now We Have 5 Weirdos in Jumpsuits. What Kooky Character Will He Have Next?
wait hold up. John Rousseau directed a stage version of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride?! that's news to me! (definitely my favorite ride when I was younger during our disneyland trips!!) suffice it to say I was also only familliar with 'monsterpiece theater' though I may have seen the original show around the same time once or twice?
Not gonna lie, if this had still been going in the late 80s/early 90s when I was in grade school & starting to write for fun, I probably would have submitted something.
I guess if you like "ZOOM", you'll probably love "Kids' Writes", all 17 episodes of it.
Also I hope we see a “Today’s Special” episode because I think I was the only one who interpreted the final episode of that show as the lead committing suicide...yeah.
it shouldn't be much longer down the line. Next two are Tomorrow People and You Can't Do That on Television.
My parents used to get super stoned when this and "Out of Control" was on! Now I'm nearly 50, the parents have passed on... I suppose that responsibility falls on me now. I bakewatch nick knacks!
I did some theater work when I was a wee kid. My brother did it first,a s I did soccer that year. That trope was a kid cast, pro writing, for kids thing. It was pretty decent. Then we did some plays, for a number of years, for a church. That was basically us preforming for our parents, and a circle jerk of the production crew. We didn't do jack in the later ones. We sang, and where background, while teens and adults did all the acting. I know this was a tangent, but it reminded me of that. My takeaway: Don't be shit to your audience, or your performers.
The only thing I could remember about Kids' Writes was the theme song.
0:52 The Federal Express guy!!! :-D
TheMister123 And the micro machines guy.
8:01 Now owns most of american television, somehow.
Wow I remember when this show was brand new.
The Tomorrow People you say? I was expecting The Third Eye with that teaser.
My siblings and I grew up with the 90s incarnation, which also aired on Nick. Will that be a separate episode?
I hope we'll see an ep on The Third Eye too!
By the way, are you still going to do episode-by-episode reviews of "Reboot"?
Without getting into the kneejerk 'this is creepy and therefore bad' garbage criticized in the last video- there's something about this that feels _off_ to me. I don't think I agree that this doesn't have a sense that the performers are broadcasting that they're being silly, though I don't think the sense is that it's silly because they're adults performing children's material- it's just they're so broad, and seem to be playing everything with no subtlety, that it conveys a feeling of ha ha this is soooo wacky! The jumpsuits certainly don't help.
Like- compare the affect here to Pinwheel. The source material being performed in Pinwheel is different, but I think more fundamentally, the performances are pitched differently, and it feels a bit quieter and more dignified. I just get the sense that with this show, if I were a kid, and I saw them perform something I'd submitted, I'd think they were making fun of me.
I agree with your comment. I remember watching this show when I was a kid and the way I describe it was corny.
Kids' Writes on Nickelodeon: December 25, 1981-
December 20, 1987!
These look like the type of people who own a lot of macrame decorations.
When are you gonna do a Nick Knacks episode on You Can't Do That on Television and The Third Eye?
No date on The Third Eye yet, but You Can't Do That On Television will be up next month!
I wonder how Lorri Ann Young is doing these days?
Anyone else think the lady looks like Millie Bobby Brown?
I think Zoom did a much better job at this idea for a show better then Kids Writes. For one thing obviously the show was hosted by kids, but not kid proformers. They were just ordinary kids who auditioned at a cattle call in Boston. also in zoom, There were a lot of segments in the show where the kids (know as zoomers on the show) would have talk sessions about things kids would talk about, getting sick, bullying, rasicm, and even death. I would much rather watch kids talking about their lives rather then some theater adults doing scripted improve. They also did more then songs and poems, they did games, crafts, running inside jokes (Ubbi Dubbi and FANNEE DOOLEE) and show films about kids in different parts of the USA. Zoom worked because it was better at providing different content, and having it be sent in by kids. Idk I’m a huge zoom fan so maybe I’m digging to much into this. Anyways, not a big fan of Kids Writes, but love Zoom. Props to Chris. ❤❤❤
But Guys, If it is showing Pinwheel & Video Comics & By the Way & Nickel Flicks & America Goes Bananaz & Children's Classics & Hocus Focus & First Row Features & PopClips & Special Delivery & What Will They Think of Next! & Dusty's Treehouse & Livewire & Matt and Jenny & Studio See & Adventures in Rainbow Country & Vegetable Soup & Nick's Family Picks & Reggie Jackson's World of Sports & The Tomorrow People (1973) & Kids' Writes & Spread Your Wings & The Adventures of Black Beauty & You Can't Do That on Television & Today's Special & Against the Odds & Standby... Lights! Camera! Action! & The Third Eye & Mr. Wizard's World & Going Great & Spirit Bay & Danger Mouse & Nick Rocks: Video to Go & The Saturday Concert & Belle and Sebastian & Vic's Vacant Lot & Lassie & Powerhouse & Out of Control & Hangin' In & National Geographic Explorer & Turkey Television & The Adventures of the Little Prince & Dennis the Menace & Bananaman & Star Trek: The Animated Series & Curious George & The Mysterious Cities of Gold & The Monkees & Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea & Zoo Family & Rated K: For Kids By Kids & The Bad News Bears & The Shari Show & Maple Town & Adventures of the Little Koala & Miss Peach of the Kelly School & Kids in Motion & Sharon and Lois and Bram's Elephant Show & 16 Cinema & Finders Keepers & The World of David the Gnome & Count Duckula & Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp & Don't Just Sit There! & Kids' Court & Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics & Nickelodeon's Total Panic & Think Fast & Hey Dude & Eureeka’s Castle & Make the Grade & The Patty Duke Show & The Kids of Degrassi Street & Camp Runamuck & SK8-TV & Wild and Crazy Kids & Flipper & Outta Here! & Kidsworld & Cartoon Kablooey & Nick News: Special Edition & Fifteen & Welcome Freshmen & Get the Picture & Clarissa Explains It All & Nickelodeon's Launch Box & Mork and Mindy & Nick Hit List on Nickelodeon, I Hope they would posting all full episodes from Pinwheel & Video Comics & By the Way & Nickel Flicks & America Goes Bananaz & Children's Classics & Hocus Focus & First Row Features & PopClips & Special Delivery & What Will They Think of Next! & Dusty's Treehouse & Livewire & Matt and Jenny & Studio See & Adventures in Rainbow Country & Vegetable Soup & Nick's Family Picks & Reggie Jackson's World of Sports & The Tomorrow People (1973) & Kids' Writes & Spread Your Wings & The Adventures of Black Beauty & You Can't Do That on Television & Today's Special & Against the Odds & Standby... Lights! Camera! Action! & The Third Eye & Mr. Wizard's World & Going Great & Spirit Bay & Danger Mouse & Nick Rocks: Video to Go & The Saturday Concert & Belle and Sebastian & Vic's Vacant Lot & Lassie & Powerhouse & Out of Control & Hangin' In & National Geographic Explorer & Turkey Television & The Adventures of the Little Prince & Dennis the Menace & Bananaman & Star Trek: The Animated Series & Curious George & The Mysterious Cities of Gold & The Monkees & Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea & Zoo Family & Rated K: For Kids By Kids & The Bad News Bears & The Shari Show & Maple Town & Adventures of the Little Koala & Miss Peach of the Kelly School & Kids in Motion & Sharon and Lois and Bram's Elephant Show & 16 Cinema & Finders Keepers & The World of David the Gnome & Count Duckula & Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp & Don't Just Sit There! & Kids' Court & Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics & Nickelodeon's Total Panic & Think Fast & Hey Dude & Eureeka’s Castle & Make the Grade & The Patty Duke Show & The Kids of Degrassi Street & Camp Runamuck & SK8-TV & Wild and Crazy Kids & Flipper & Outta Here! & Kidsworld & Cartoon Kablooey & Nick News: Special Edition & Fifteen & Welcome Freshmen & Get the Picture & Clarissa Explains It All & Nickelodeon's Launch Box & Mork and Mindy & Nick Hit List on Paramount+ 😔
Forgive me...you don't have a clue...all wrong...