For those of you who can’t get enough nostalgia from the 1970s and are still having challenges with multiplication, Schoolhouse Rock has your back. Season one of the Emmy Award-winning animated series that taught a generation about The Four-Legged Zoo and My Hero, Zero will be dropping on Disney+ June 19.
These fun and high-energy animated shorts were a staple of children’s programming that aired as interstitials from 1972 through 1985 on ABC in between shows like Goober and the Ghost Chasers, The Saturday Superstar Movie and Yogi’s Gang.
Necessity is the Mother of Invention
Schoolhouse Rock! was the brainchild of advertising executive David McCall. While on vacation with his family McCall noticed his son was struggling with learning multiplication tables but had no trouble memorizing lyrics to songs by the Rolling Stones.
The observation sparked an idea of exploring the use of music to teach multiplication. McCall hired Bob Dorough, a jazz vocalist and composer, to write a song that would teach multiplication. Illustrator Tom Yohe, who worked at the same advertising agency as McCall, listened to the song and began creating visuals to go along with the lyrics. The result was a unique concept that meshed multiplication, contemporary music, and stylized visuals.
After the proof of concept was developed, advertising executive Radford Stone (who would later become a producer and writer on the series) suggested they pitch it to the TV networks as a television series. During the pitch process, the concept caught the eye of Michael Eisner, vice president in charge of programming and development at ABC, and animation legend Chuck Jones, who was producing television shows for children during that time.
The pilot episode, Three Is a Magic Number, aired during the premiere episode of the children’s show Curiosity Shop on September 11, 1971, on ABC.
https://youtu.be/n2cjiP1mh48
In January 1973, Schoolhouse Rock! debuted as a series with Multiplication Rock, expanding on the music and animation concept with a collection of animated short films adapting the multiplication tables into songs.
You Know They’re Nouns
The first season was a success for ABC, which prompted the network to order season two. This gave the producers an opportunity to try out new concepts outside of multiplication.
https://youtu.be/RPoBE-E8VOc
The second season, titled Grammar Rock, included nouns, verbs, adjectives, interjections, and other parts of speech in inventive storylines. Episodes included Conjunction Junction, Verb: That’s What’s Happening, and Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here.
Rockin’ Through America’s Bicentennial
With the United States’ bicentennial celebration on the horizon, the producers themed their third season to principals of the American Constitution and history of the United States.
https://youtu.be/FFroMQlKiag
America Rock debuted in 1975 with I’m Just A Bill, The Great American Melting Pot, and Sufferin’ til Suffrage.
During the 1970s, Schoolhouse Rock! was one of several short-form animated educational series that aired Saturday mornings on ABC. Other programs included Time for Timer and The Bod Squad.
A few episodes of Schoolhouse Rock! are currently available for viewing at Disney.com and on Disney Educational Productions on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/Xjdw05QXtUY
Make Future Magic
Theme parks will reopen, and there’s no better time to lock in low rates on future travel. Special comeback rates are now available at some of your favorite theme park hotels – discounted up to $100 off their regular nightly rates.
Our travel partners at Get Away Today are here to help you with your theme park shutdown concerns and rescheduling plans. We know you’re as uncertain about the future as we are. That’s why Get Away Today is offering the most flexible Disney travel options available:
Price Protection – If a better special comes out after you have booked, you’ll get the better deal.
Peace of Mind – Make hotel changes, reschedule dates, drop nights, change ticket vouchers and more, as many times as you’d like for a small, one-time fee.
Layaway Plan – Lock in your 2020 or 2021 Disneyland Resort vacation for just $175 down. By booking early, you secure your availability and have the flexibility to pay as you go. Make as many interest-free payments as you’d like, whenever you’d like, with final payment due just seven days prior to travel.
Give your family something to look forward to:
Visit Get Away Today HERE Or fill out a request form and they’ll call you back: Vacation Information Request Form HERE
Let’s Hear From You
Are you looking forward to watching the first season of Schoolhouse Rock when it premieres June 19th on Disney+? Do you have a favorite segment or memory of the show? Let us know in the comments!
One last bit of nostalgia. . . The original end titles sequence: