Schoolhouse Rock!

Even though much of this series dates back to the Nixon-Ford era(!), the tunes are still fresh and the content is still relevant even if the garish Peter Max-ish backgrounds seem a bit much.

For example, "Energy Blues" still rings true today even though it was inspired by a political event.

Yes, I watched these when they first aired and I memorized the (slightly truncated) Preamble and more. Later, the set was restored and reissued on DVD just in time for my son to enjoy. Quite frankly, when it came time to help with science homework, I popped in the previously "banned(*)" Weather Show and in 3 minutes the "highs" and "lows" were as clear as a sunny day! I ripped the audio tracks and play them in the car...electricity, E-LEC-TRICITY! Watch the newest short too...considered "fair and square" my Aunt's fanny! ;) (*) This short was never aired because it contained the words "Greatest Show on Earth," trademark of that famous circus; the reissue cuts those works from the opening and replaces them at the end with circus music. They should have used the music for the opening also.

Someone put a lot of love and work into these cartoons. These are some of the cleverest and highest quality work done for children I've ever seen.

They teach people about language, science, math, and US history and politics. Most adults could learn from these cartoons as well as children. The entire time you watch, you're entertained and delighted and then when you're done you've learned something new and you'll remember it for a long time.

This is a prime example of talented people doing something they love and doing it well. For the most part, pure genius!

I was actually a kid during the original days of School house rock and it taught me a great deal. Women's Sufferage, Manifest Destiny, the colonization of America, and the American Revolution were so much more interesting when put to song. I know what a magical number 3 can be, and I know that AND, BUT, and OR are conjunctions. I learned about Inventions, electricity, and all sorts of great stuff. I highly recommend School House Rock for anybody who wants a trippy trip down memory lane. Oooh! Buy School House Rock Rocks too. It's a CD with all sorts of alternative artists doing School House Rock covers. Blind Melon's version of Three the Magic Number is awesome!

I remember growing up watching these animated shorts about education and politics. The one thing I think most people remember was the themes songs to these shorts because we hear them for so many years. At least five to ten years of our life. They were inspirational and especially after the Bugs Bunny cartoons that aired before these shorts were played on ABC network. My friends and I used to sing these songs and now a lot of young parents (ages 24-33) are bringing their kids up on these animated educational toons buy purchasing the home videos. This is something that can never leave that part of lives. Great Memories!!!

...other than these cartoons are my favorite pieces of animation! Schoolhouse Rock educates and entertains seamlessly at the same time, and I've learned so much more from these cartoons than anything in school. This is how we should learn everything!

Both the songs and cartoons are equally brilliant. Bob Dorough, who penned a great number of the tunes (including all of the Multiplication Rock songs, which are my favorites), is a fantastic and underrated songwriter with a sharp sense of humor to match. Lynn Ahrens also contributed some wonderfully memorable songs, my favorite of hers being "A Noun is a Person, Place, or Thing."

Tom Yohe, who was a key designer for this series, was such a wonderful artist who could make the most seemingly simple characters so appealing in their own way (much like the Peanuts characters). He was the artist behind the Conjuction Junction Conductor and the Bill, among many other classic characters. Sadly, he died a few years ago.

But the best songs in the series are the ones not everyone remembers. My favorite Schoolhouse Rock song of all time is "Little Twelvetoes," and even most people who were kids in the '70s don't remember it. It's a bizarre little tune that teaches you how to multiply by 12, and the cartoon itself is even better than the song!

But almost all the songs are really super (with the exception of Money Rock. While it isn't terrible, it just doesn't compare to the classics), and check out the DVD with all the tunes! It includes a new America Rock song, and it's surprisingly delightful. All in all Schoolhouse Rock is a classic that will delight kids for generations.