Whatever Happened To These '90s Educational TV Shows?

Children's television is an ever-changing landscape. Younger audiences are always craving new and exciting shows, so no network's programming block stays the same for too long. This was especially true in the 1990s, when the Children's Television Act pressured networks to air more educational programming during their normal children's blocks. This led to consistent turnover; for every show that remained on-air, there were half a dozen forgotten shows that were introduced and then either unceremoniously replaced. Due to the level of competition, you never knew if the current season of one of your favorite shows would be its last.

This was never obvious to us as kids, of course. For us, these shows were our formative introductions to the power of media. Some educational programs introduced us to fictionalized narrative storytelling, while others took a documentary approach. Some shows were more about interactivity, encouraging us to play along with exciting on-screen challenges and games. There was no shortage of fun to be had, which leaves many millennials questioning what happened to these foundational pieces of their childhood. Here is just a sampling of answers.

It was never a normal field trip with Ms. Frizzle and "The Magic School Bus." Based on the hit series of Scholastic children's books, the animated adaptation took an inquisitive elementary school class on a number of incredible adventures in the name of science. From traversing a human immune system to being baked into a pie, each episode was filled with larger-than-life creativity that inspired generations of kids; the series began in 1994, and continued airing reruns until as recently as 2012.

"Magic School Bus" aired on PBS until 1998 when, at 52 episodes, Scholastic ceased production, partly because PBS was no longer able to financially support the series in lieu of newer programming. Scholastic opted to sell broadcast rights to the Fox Kids Network instead, which was in need of more "edutainment" to satisfy regulations brought upon by the Children's Television Act. The series continued bouncing around networks until 2012, after which the entire series was released on DVD as a full box set.

In 2017, Netflix revived the beloved series with "The Magic School Bus Rides Again." Featuring a new flash-based animation style as well as Kate McKinnon's Fiona Frizzle replacing Lily Tomlin's Ms. Frizzle, the series was initially criticized by fans. However, it would win over critics and audiences upon release, inspiring two seasons and four specials. Since 2021, no new seasons or specials have been announced.

Children's television is ultimately about children, and "Zoom," originally a '70s variety show, understood this better than anyone. It made the radical move to center children as the hosts, with no adults, allowing young viewers to see their peers on screen and participate with them in arts and crafts projects and fun games. When PBS rebooted "Zoom" in 1999 – the version most of us are familiar with today – it updated the show for a new generation but maintained the same format. Its theme song was poppier, its cast was more diverse, and advancements in technology allowed for email submissions.

The "Zoom" revival was initially successful, but by 2004, the series would cease production. According to "Zoom" executive director Kate Taylor, this was a result of steadily declining viewership in response to an increase in new programming. "The competition is always putting out new shows," Taylor told the Boston Globe. "'Zoom' wasn't getting the real estate that it had in the first years." While a majority of the series has since been uploaded to YouTube, certain portions of Season 1 were never archived and are now considered lost media.

During 2020, in light of the lockdown-driven popularity of the teleconference app Zoom, a short-lived reunion campaign entitled "ZOOM Into Action" was released on YouTube and social media.

No PBS show more unceremoniously fell off the face of television than "Reading Rainbow." The flagship series debuted in 1983, but remained popular throughout the '90s and beyond. Hosted by television icon LeVar Burton, the series encouraged viewers to engage with the world around them through the power of reading. From active volcanoes to archaeological digs, "Reading Rainbow" took fans to every corner of the world while exposing them to now-iconic books.

Despite its popularity, the series consistently struggled with funding. Things ultimately came to a head in 2002, when the No Child Left Behind Act shifted public broadcasting's focus to more foundational education. "The mandate [was] to teach kids how to read," LeVar Burton told MediaBistro. "There was no money in the budget to encourage, to foster a love of reading." This left the series unable to compete with other programs, ceasing production in 2006 and being officially taken off the air in 2009, after its broadcast rights expired.

Thankfully, the series lives on in multiple forms. Following a massively successful Kickstarter fundraising campaign in 2014, Burton and business partner Mark Wolfe released "Skybrary," a digital library with digital field trips akin to the series' documentary segments. Additionally, Burton hosts his own podcast, "LeVar Burton Reads," in which he reads acclaimed short fiction. Burton designed the podcast to act as a continuation of "Reading Rainbow" for older fans who remain interested in literature.

In 1960, before Jim Henson would make puppets a staple of children's television, the multi-talented Shari Lewis introduced audiences to her wisecracking sock puppet, Lamb Chop. The beloved comedic duo got their televised start on "The Shari Lewis Show," but that series would be canceled after only three years. Lewis and Lamb Chop were given their flowers three decades later in the more widely revered "Lamb Chop's Play-Along." The series burrowed its way into the hearts of children around the world, earning Lewis six Daytime Emmys and turning "The Song That Doesn't End" into every parent's worst nightmare.

Sadly, unlike that closing theme, "Lamb Chop's Play-Along" would end, but only because Lewis had begun developing a spinoff series, "The Charlie Horse Music Pizza." Starring another "Play-Along" favorite, Charlie Horse, the series was focused on imbuing within children a love of making and playing music. Unfortunately, this series would only last for 23 episodes. While filming the show in 1998, Lewis was diagnosed with incurable uterine cancer. Forty-six days after filming what would be her final segment of the series, Lewis passed away after contracting pneumonia. Shari Lewis' daughter, Mallory Lewis, continues her mother's legacy by performing Lamb Chop around the world and on Cameo to this day.

"Play-Along" was never released on home video; while many episodes have been uploaded to YouTube, some are considered lost media.

Representation remains a hot topic, yet so many '90s shows were incredibly diverse, and we all took it for granted. "The Puzzle Place" sported this more than any other show, designed from the ground up to feature an ethnically and culturally diverse ensemble. From one of the minds behind "Reading Rainbow," "The Puzzle Place" followed a group of puppet children who learned lessons about recognizing their differences and fostering an environment of happy coexistence.

"The Puzzle Place" began in 1994 on PBS and quickly became one of the station's most critically revered shows. Three more seasons would be produced, bringing the show's episode total to 75. However, even by its second season, the series struggled to find sponsors for the series amidst poor merchandise sales. By the third, many of its puppeteers had already moved on to other projects. In response, the series ceased production in 1998 and aired through reruns until 2000.

Though the series released a collection of VHS tapes, "The Puzzle Place" has never been released in its entirety on DVD or streaming. While some devoted fans have uploaded their own recordings to YouTube, over half of the series is considered lost media. It is unknown who currently holds distribution rights to the series, leaving "The Puzzle Place" in children's television limbo.

How do you teach children about classic literature? Have it be taught by a dog! Enter "Wishbone," created by Rick Duffield and Lyrick Studios and starring the titular Jack Russell Terrier (voiced by Larry Brantley). Wishbone guided viewers through recreations of beloved books, from William Shakespeare to Charles Dickens and beyond. Each episode sported incredible sets, costumes, hair, and makeup to properly immerse viewers in the story.

"Wishbone" premiered in 1995, spawning two seasons and a 1998 television movie, "Wishbone's Dog Days of the West." The series was embraced by educators and awarded for its immense craftsmanship, but only 50 episodes would ever be produced. Unlike Lyrick's other success story, "Barney," "Wishbone" was expensive to produce and had little merchandising potential. Duffield and his team were unable to finance the series and it ultimately ceased production, although reruns lasted until 2013.

"Wishbone" is now owned by Mattel, who intend to adapt "Wishbone" for the big screen. The original creative team has attempted to sell a reboot of the series, but none of their efforts have been successful. "I'd love to do it, but I don't think it's going to happen," head writer Stephanie Simpson told Paste Magazine. "We just weren't able to make any headway with the Mattel people." Currently, fans can watch the entire original series online for free, courtesy of Duffield.

No '90s fever dream was quite as confusing as "Teletubbies." In hindsight, a majority of episodes feel like nothing more than random images and sounds cobbled together. However, the adventures of Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa, and Po managed to be educational enough for multiple years of real estate on the air. The sun baby is still the stuff of nightmares, though.

Imported from the BBC, "Teletubbies" premiered on PBS in 1998, and continued airing until 2008, seven years after the series ended production. According to Laa-Laa actress Nikki Smedley's autobiography, "Over The Hills and Far Away," BBC wanted series creators Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport to continue producing episodes. "They were adamant in their refusal," writes Smedley. "It was time for us all to move on and put our energies into new projects." Wood and Davenport went on to develop the BAFTA-winning series "In the Night Garden...", while a spinoff, "Teletubbies Everywhere," premiered in 2002.

Following its acquisition of "Teletubbies" production company Ragdoll Worldwide, WildBrain (formerly DHX Media) sold the series' broadcast and on-demand rights to Nickelodeon, who brought the entire series to Nick Jr. and the Noggin streaming app. They also produced a revival of the original series that also ran on Nick Jr., consisting of 120 episodes. Netflix would later acquire and redub the revival series and air it on their platform in 2022.

By the time networks had to come up with more educational children's programming, PBS was the only game in town. Then came "Blue's Clues," Nickelodeon's first explicitly educational series and one of the first shows to directly involve the audience in a narrative format – the search for hints as to what Blue wants to do. The series was a massive hit for Nick and remains one of the most successful children's programs ever made.

The series Blue Skidoo'd it's way onto Nick Jr. in 1996 and produced six seasons comprising over 140 episodes. During this time, Blue became one of Nick's most recognizable characters, alongside Spongebob Squarepants. However, unbeknownst to most, the series unceremoniously ceased production in 2004 to make way for "Blue's Room," a spinoff that featured a talking, puppet Blue in his playroom. That series produced new episodes until 2007. Both series aired through reruns on Nick Jr. and are currently available to stream on Paramount+.

Today, the series lives on through "Blue's Clues & You," a reboot of the original series with the same formula but updated animation. Most notable is new host Josh Dela Cruz, who replaced previous hosts Steve Burns and Donovan Patton (or "Joe"). Burns, who remains an icon to grown-up viewers, and Patton have made appearances in the new series. The reboot also spawned a streaming film, "Blue's Big City Adventure," which premiered in 2022.

Sometimes, when life gets tough, it's nice to take a visit to the island of Sodor and visit Thomas the Tank Engine. Inspired by the books written by Reverend Wilbert Awdry and son Christopher Awdry, "Thomas & Friends" follows a group of hard-working freight trains as they haul materials across Sodor's lush railways. They may be good at the work, but there's plenty more to learn on the job, including how to get along with others and how to manage responsibility. With over 580 episodes between 1984 and 2021, the series is one of the longest-running children's shows of all time.

Imported from ITV in the UK, PBS first aired the series as part of "Shining Time Station" in 1989. Beginning in 2004, PBS Kids would air the show on its own and keep it chugging along until 2017, when the broadcasting rights expired. Nick Jr. picked up the slack in 2018, followed by Netflix in 2020. Though the series is now available on that platform, it remains untelevised as a result.

Mattel acquired "Thomas" parent company HIT Entertainment in 2011. Though the original series had continued to evolve throughout its run – transitioning to CG animation and global locations – Mattel eventually chose to quietly end the series in 2021 and relaunch it as "Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go," a 2D-animated reboot currently airing on Cartoon Network and streaming on Netflix.