Do You Spend Time As A Child Watching This TV Show?

This past Sunday was a historic anniversary that you probably knew nothing about. To be honest, if it weren’t for an account called Land of the 80’s on X/Twitter, I wouldn’t have known about it either. 

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The anniversary was the airing of the last episode of the classic children’s TV show “Captain Kangaroo”. The show ended its 29-year run on December 8th, 1984.  

For me, this was the show I think about when I think about my early years. We only got one television channel where I lived in rural Western North Carolina, and that network aired the “Captain” every weekday morning.  

It was the typical children's show that featured a cast of characters which included Mr. Green Jeans, Slim Goodbody, Bunny Rabbit, Mr. Moose, Grandfather Clock and many others.  

The show educated kids on animals featured by Mr. Green Jeans, it taught children about friendship and that we were all different. I remember there being a focus on the power and excitement that could be found by reading.  

But the most impactful thing I remember about Captain Kangaroo was the gentle spirit he had and how in no matter what the setting was, that was how the “Captain” approached everything.  

Captain Kangaroo is often compared to “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood”, but many people don’t realize that the “Captain” was on the air 13 years before Mr. Rogers.  

The show was so impactful that despite the fact it ended in 1984, PBS began to broadcast re-runs of the show in 1986 and did so until 1993.  

I had long outgrown Captain Kangaroo when it ended in 1984, but I still remember being sad the show was going off the air. It was like the death to a family member. It had always been there, and the fact it was gone, left a void.  

Captain Kangaroo aired 6,090 episodes.