Kids Like You (1984)

Miss Cathie is the host of this energetic half-hour for youngsters - and the young in heart - that employs original songs, puppetry, and live-action comedy sketches. Miss Cathie is often joined by her cohorts Jailhouse Joe and Boxcar Billy, and occasionally they hosted some episodes of "Kids Like You" by themselves. Other regulars included Boxcar Bertha; Beauticia, the beauty shop owner; Miss Agnes, who, it seemed, never had anything nice to say; Peachy, the Southern belle and her father, owner of the estate; Dixie, Pixie, the resident homemaker, and Le Doctaire, a nutty scientist. Puppet regulars included Betty Lou, Charlie Blue, Daisy, Grueney (who has a clutch of green hair), Jeremiah, Laura Lamb, Mr. Heart, Patty Sue, Penelope Turtle, Reggie, Rusty, Vinnie, and Violet, as well as bad guys Big John and Butch. Each episode revolved around a life lesson (e.g. avoiding temptation, not filling yourself with negative images and messages, using self-control, not running away from your problems) and challenged youngsters' thinking on how to solve each problem. The show was recorded mostly on location throughout Arkansas (the production company is based in Little Rock), although some episodes were taped in other locations around the country, such as in the Black Hills area of South Dakota and Mount Rushmore.