If you where like me your family didn't have cable and you had to rely on PBS and local channels for your entertainment. In the late 70's, and on into the early to middle 90's PBS was where it was at for education and entertaining childerns programing. Now I'm not knocking those other channels like Fox but if you wanted to get away from cartoons then PBS was your answer. Parents loved it because it tought their kids everything from how to speak in spanish to how to cope with devorce (Mr. Rogers had an epsode about this) and kids loved it because the shows where so entertaining they didn't notice they where learning. So if you where lucky enough to have watch PBS in its hay-day you certinallyu would have watch one or more of the following

Reading Rainbow

Sesame Street

Shinning Time Station (the pre cursor to the show Thomas and friends) (Strangly enough this show stared Ringo Star from the ledgendary group the Beatles)

Long ago and Far away (oddly enough hoseted by James Early Jones)

Mr. Rogers

3-2-1 Contact

The Electric Company (This is where Morgan Freeman got his start)

Zooble Zoo

Strawbarry Lane

Where in the World is Carm Sandago (based on a computer game of the same name)

Wonder Works (the show which produced such classic mini series as Remona, The Cronicals on Narnia, and Ann of Green Gables)

Square 1

Owl TV

There may be more I'm forgitting but as far as I can think those where the shows that most of us remember as being PBS's best.

Square One TV Rocks!

PBS ruled back then. I grew up watching it in the early and mid '90s. Shining Time Station also had the woman from the show "Benson".

I watched PBS in the late 70s and early 80s. 3-2-1 Contact, The Electric Company, Mr Roger's Neighbourhood, Zooblee Zoo, Fins Feathers and Fur, Readit with John Robbins, Books from Cover To Cover with John Robbins, Sesame Street, pre-death of Jim Henson.

It was a great time to be a young child. What the hell happened to PBS?

A bunch of boring shows. I also miss the late 70s/early 80s PBS.

What about "The Letter People"? (90's version)

Never heard of it.

I'm diggin' the fact that you mentioned "Wonder Works"!! I loved watching some of the mini series they had.. ESPECIALLY... "Anne of Green Gables" "Anne of Avonlea" and "The Chronicles of Narnia"!

I also enjoyed 321 Contact and Reading Rainbow.

Wasn't the other conducter Ringo Starr? I remember seeing a few episodes with him in there.

Arthur? probably one of the greatest PBS shows ever

I used too watched pbs kids as a kid.shining time station was one of my favorites back then

I loved Mark Kistler's Secret City. It was a show that taught kids how to draw. Anyone else remember Newton's Apple, Square One, 3-2-1 Contact, or The Joy Of Painting ?

I didn't know people watched it.

Your ass just got sacked, Blanco Nino.

It was a great time to be a young child.

My favorite shows that I remember watching on PBS since I was a kid are "The Puzzle Place", "Storytime", "Shining Time Station", "Reading Rainbow", "Square One Television", "The Magic School Bus", "Ghostwriter", "Sesame Street" (My favorite character is "Grover", "3-2-1 Contact", "The Electric Company, "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?", "Wishbone" and "Bill Nye, The Science Guy". I also remember "PTV Park" with the PBS "P-head" characters and "Wonderworks".

How could I have forgotten Reading Rainbow. Even though I haven't seen an episode in almost 20 years, (well, except for the one where LeVar does a tour of the Star Trek set. That's my favorite), I can still sing the theme song !

The PBS Kids I Remember:
Wishbone
Sawga the Chinese Cat
Clifford the Big Red Dog
Zooboomafoo
Caliou
Arthur