20 years after this HBO original series aired my adult children and I will still occasionally break into one of the many songs featured in this creative, fun and irreverent educational series. As the name suggests, Encyclopedia explored a variety of subjects, organized into episodes featuring several words beginning with the same letter, through musical numbers, humorous sketches, and colorful characterizations. We learned about Lief Erickson in a song with a Calypso rhythm, or "Sigmund Freud, Sigmund Freud, please, try not to be annoyed," with an oom-pah-pah beat,as doctor and patient dressed in proper period costumes, danced about the doctor's office. But it wasn't just catchy tunes--there was an incredibly talented cast and writing that blended slapstick, sarcasm and wordplay with complex content to make sketches about diverse subjects both entertaining and memorable for children and adults. My 24 year old daughter recently located several episodes that we had videotaped when she was young, and despite a few dated elements (the band, "Betty," really did have an 80's look), this is a show that holds up to the passage of time very well, and would certainly challenge the fare that passes for educational programming these days. The segments are packed with information, but in easily digested parcels and through a variety of approaches. And did I mention it was fun? If HBO ever comes out with DVD's, we'll buy the whole set.
