The PBS Shows That Feel Like a Fever Dream
PBS gave us some of the most beloved children’s shows of all time — Sesame Street, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Reading Rainbow, 3-2-1 Contact, Ghostwriter, Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, and so many more.
But not every PBS kids show became a classic.
In this video, we’re looking back at the forgotten, strange, ambitious, and sometimes heartbreaking PBS children’s shows from the 1980s and 1990s that never quite broke through. Some were too weird. Some were too quiet. Some were ahead of their time. And some disappeared because PBS worked differently than commercial TV, where a show could be educational, thoughtful, and meaningful… and still vanish without a trace.
From Katie and Orbie and The Huggabug Club to Pappyland, The Secret City, The Puzzle Place, Adventures from the Book of Virtues, and the almost-lost educational drama Powerhouse, these are the PBS shows that lived in the shadow of the bigger names — but still meant something to the kids who found them.
Which forgotten PBS show do you remember? Was there a local public television show that only aired in your city? Let me know in the comments.
If you enjoy nostalgic looks back at forgotten TV, lost kids shows, Saturday morning cartoons, and weird pieces of ’80s and ’90s pop culture, be sure to like and subscribe for more from Dial-Up Days.
@justen.d.sblackburn6701
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
I really liked the blood hound gang. Where in the world is Carmen san diego. I didn't care for arthur. Hey arnold was more mature. Barney was very scary. Especially with no touch policy in schools
@kevm3754
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
Puzzle place was a flop? I remember that one well. I remeber not liking it that much.
@mattymox86
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
Hot damn I still 💕 me some Hush Puppy 🐶. He was the most adorable little twerp ever.
Rest in peace Sherry Lewis.
P.S
Mark Kistler was a total DILF.
@michaelfenton4353
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
pappy did that show out of his house. i went to Syracuse with my friend to visit is aunt and grandpa, they lived a few houses from him. I remember we watched tyson bite holyfields ear that night
@Christopher-N
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
I remember coming across a TV show in the 80s which I could best describe as Star Trek with puppets (not The Muppet Show sketch). I only glimpsed it once, and have no idea what network it was on. The main character was called something like Donald, but I don't remember anymore. I enjoyed it, but I have no idea what it was.
@Jtbradbury12
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
You should do a video on Newton's Apple
@FlyingGuillotine
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
Yeah, they def didn’t show The Puzzle Place where I grew up in Alabama. They couldn’t have handled all those progressive values being shown to children in public TV
@rubaiyat300
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
Totally remember Secret City, was wondering if that mural ever got finished.
@FlyingGuillotine
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
I thought Pappyland was just a fever dream I had as a kid
@emraldmars
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
The Charlie Horse Music Pizza was such a tragedy for me. I was aging out of Lamb Chop by then… but I loved Shari so so much, and I cried hard the day she died because I knew that also meant no more Lamb Chop, Hush Puppy, or Charlie Horse the way I knew them. It was like losing members of the family.
@secretuniverse2485
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
Hey, a full 65 episode syndicated package, re-runs of the same one season for 5-6 straight years, and teaching/inspiring a whole generation to draw, draw, draw, 20-30 minutes per day? Not too bad for a flop ,-)
@ryewhiskeyblues
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
I looooved The Secret City when I was a kid! I still look up episodes on Youtube from time to time.
@NobodyFresh1
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
Pappyland and Mark Kistler were huge influences on me as a kid!
@amandaperkins4210
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
I was a PBS kid through and through growing up. Born in 1996, I always assumed my favorite show when I was super little was either Teletubbies or Arthur, as I remember LOVING those two shows as a kid, and they were very popular in that era of PBS. However, after having a conversation with my mom about PBS memories when I was a little bit older, and she told me about how I absolutely adored The Puzzle Place. After looking it up and watching a few episodes on YouTube…and I totally get why I liked it so much. It was a fun, neat little show with a lot of heart behind it, and it totally deserved to go further than it did.
@HopelessAutistic
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
PBS wasn’t as big as you blow it up to be. Member stations carried a lot of their water
@anthonyjones9010
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
I’ll be honest I do miss the old PBS back in the 90s and 2000s. Great time to be alive.
@How-Do-I-Nezzy
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
With respect, you still haven't hit the couple PBS shows that I'm not sure weren't fever dreams, but I don't know if I have enough memories of them to even describe em.
… Although, you could always go for "Tots TV".
Ooh! Or that PBS programming block "The Game" that had wild between-show animations.
@AlexandraWilliams-lp6qc
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
The puzzle place is for everyone !!!
@Juuchan17
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
Aah, that's the guy's name -Mark Kessler…! Other than Disney animated movies, he was why I really loved drawing as a kid! Draw, draw, draw!
Also, some of these shows I remember as a 90s kid, especially Adventures from the Book of Virtues & the Puzzle Place! It's cool to learn about some other shows by creators I remembered like Mark Kessler and Shari Lewis.
@How-Do-I-Nezzy
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
Here's another suggestion, Adventures with Kanga Roddy
@How-Do-I-Nezzy
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
8:25 Dude, that's Doodlebug
20:14 Dawg, that's Julie
20:34 …I don't have to say it, do I?
@avantasian8610
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
So there's aPBS show l recall that nobody l know remembers….
I watched Jakers with my kids and loved it..
@christopherjudge1138
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
There are three other forgotten PBS flops:
Storylords, Don't Look Now! (a YCDTOTV-clone) and The Perkins Family!
@How-Do-I-Nezzy
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
Alright, my guy, let's see you give us a rundown on Slim Goodbody sometime
@How-Do-I-Nezzy
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
I can't believe you dropped a Leslie Nielson narrator on us, but didn't even give us a sample…
@bekka_mouri_hibiki
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
I remember 'Behind The Scenes' because of Penn And Teller. It came on on Sundays in my area and that was usually a trash day for PBS shows. Motor Trend and Newton's Apple were also on on Sundays but the rest was just bleh.
@ybunnygurl
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
The Huggabug Club, Pappyland, and the book of virtues were on the "Christian TV" station and not PBS by my house.
Also someone in the DC area has to have the cans with powerhouse in them.
@Tehdran
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
I woke up at 6 am to watch Pappy Land and I sent so many pictures in but didn’t get any on. Still loved it though!
I remember all of these so much, crazy all the memories that fly back
@mikez.6309
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
When I was 12 and homeschooling watching BehindTheScenes daily was part of my morning routine. If any TV was going to be allowed at all. SqareOne was another
@OtisSmith-w1m
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
I didn't know the late Shari Lewis was on: "The Charlie House Pizza." My boss 's granddaughter met Shari Lewis one year ago. RIP Ms Lewis.😢✝️🙏
@StephenChase-x4w
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
Exactly 5,650 views. Time is 30 minutes, and 20 seconds.
@fountainpenquinn
June 8, 2026 at 10:21 am
I adored The Puzzle Place!
Comments are closed.