Ruralite Cafe: Published 09/26/02

By Lisa Majors-Duff - News Editor

'Schoolhouse Rock' should be 'Must See TV'

Animation this day and age is not coveted as it was when I was growing up. Cartoons are not limited to a few precious hours on Saturday mornings.

Today's youngsters can find Scooby and Saggy, Sponge Bob or the Powerpuff Girls at any hour of the day or night. And if they've tired of reruns, which my experience shows rarely happens, they can pop in a tape or DVD and visit with Cinderella or Snow White for the millionth time.

When Saturday morning cartoon watching went the way of leg warmers, so, too, did one of the most creative, quickest and catchiest ways to teach kids the difference between an adjective and a noun or how a bill becomes a law - "Schoolhouse Rock."

Be prepared to be transported back in time, Gen X'ers, with these oldies but goodies: "I'm Just a Bill," "Three is a Magic Number," "No More Kings," "Conjunction Junction" and "Figure Eight," not to mention this familiar intro:

"As your body grows bigger

Your mind grows flowered.

It's great to learn

Because knowledge is Power!"

Thoughts of cereal eating at the living room coffee table came flooding back last week when co-worker Kelly came romping up the stairs humming "Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here." That's when he informed me that something worthwhile had been released on DVD - The 30th anniversary of "Schoolhouse Rock" with all 46 episodes included.

I immediately ran out and bought the VHS version in a desperate attempt to recapture my childhood, though at the time I didn't realize that was what I was doing. Instead I told myself that owning "Schoolhouse Rock" would be a teaching tool for my daughter, just as it had taught me so many lessons so long ago.

As she and I watched the segments one after another this past rainy Saturday, I began to wonder about the background of "Schoolhouse Rock." I learned from one of the 39,000 sites my Internet search engine found that the 3-minute animated educational clips were created in the early 1970s, when advertising executive David McCall became concerned that his 11-year-old son was having trouble memorizing his multiplication tables. At the same time McCall observed that his son knew all the words to every rock song on the radio. The solution seemed obvious: Why not marry pop music with information kids needed to learn? "Multiplication Rock" was the first to premiere in 1972, teaching me and other children mesmerized by the flashy graphics and easy-to-understand songs the mechanics of math. When "Grammar Rock" was introduced in 1973, those of us who waited for the commercials to refill our cereal bowls began to learn the proper use of the different parts of speech.

The segments in "American Rock," which began airing in 1974 to celebrate the upcoming Bicentennial, were my favorites. The patriotic subject matter of "I'm Just a Bill" outlined the process of making a law in America, while "No More Kings" explained to me in a way I could relate to the story of the founding of the original 13 colonies.

"As for the show's impact on the TV generation, the success of the program can be illustrated simply by asking most 25- to 35-year-olds how they learned to memorize the preamble to the Constitution, then sitting back as they sing the song they learned from 'Schoolhouse Rock,'" one website says of the series.

While I firmly believe that today's young television addicts would benefit from a dose or two of "Grammar Rock" tossed in between "CatDog" and "Rocket Power," I have found a couple of drawbacks to the DVD/VHS version of "Schoolhouse Rock." For example, no kid is going to swallow massive amounts of education in one sitting. The impact of the learning experience is lost when you allow your child to view the entire tape at once, thus upsetting the balance of value to vice.

Kelly pointed out that the objective of the series - to help kids learn science, math, history and grammar through song - is about to drive him crazy. "I can't get 'Lolly, Lolly, Lolly' out of my head," he said, his eyes slowly glazing over.

A 12-step program may be in order for those who overdose on "Schoolhouse Rock," and they can attend six sessions twice a week, or three sessions in four weeks, or one session 12 days in a row...

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