Electric Company Makes A Comeback

Hey, you guyyyyyyys! Nope, this is not about Meralco; I’ve not turned Manuel L. Quezon III on you just yet. Instead, this episode is about a television show that I grew up with. It was a groovier, more grown-up version of Sesame Street sans puppets.

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s The Electric Company!

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The Electric Company Makes A Comeback
by Dorothy Snarker

Hey you guyyyyyyys! The Electric Company is turning on the power again. That’s right, the classic ‘70s children’s program is back with a new series set to premiere in January. PBS producers have said that the new The Electric Company will be a literacy show for the 21st century. (Aww, does that mean they are going to get rid of the groovy logo?)

The original series ran from 1971 to 1977 (with repeats playing until 1985) and taught reading through a series of skits, cartoons and songs. It also helped introduce the world to Rita Moreno, Morgan Freeman, Bill Cosby and Irene Cara.

Electric version 2.0 will be more plot and character-driven than the original. Linda Simensky, senior director of programming for PBS Kids, described the show this way: “It’s the old one mixed with High School Musical and a Dr. Pepper commercial.”

(from AfterEllen.com – read full article here)

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I’m curious what this new version will be like. If the mandate is to increase literacy, then I wonder how this new show will teach reading to a generation tht tlks 2 @ther lke ds.

Still, nothing beats the original. Thank god for YouTube; I can relive some of those songs and skits online. For those of you who have made it to this point (like Corporate Closet, I’m sure LOL!), you must be in your early 40s already. So go ahead, click on the videos below and relive your childhood. Go!


This is the opening credits (or OBB for “opening billboard”) that I remember most. Apparently it was the OBB for season 3 already.


Years before he drove Miss Daisy, Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman drove us crazy with this silly ditty that suspiciously sounds like an American version of “May pulis sa ilalim ng tulay”.


The great actress and singer Rita Moreno (West Side Story) also became a household name, thanks to the show. This song is what I remember her most, more than “America” from the abovementioned musical.

More clips on YouTube.com