Boy, do I wish either of the cover stories in this pair of TV Guides was as interesting as these little lesser articles I found inside. It's 1997, and the Goosebumps story is a snore and the Elmo story is too kid-friendly. There isn't a word of dissent for either entity in either article, though you would have heard plenty in reality (and this is where I link to the AV Club's fantastic interview with R.L. Stine.)
The potential ire is instead saved for a show that up until a few years ago, I'd have sworn was a weird dream: "Wishbone", the totally-educational-you-guys-we-swear live-action series where a terrier imagines himself as the heroes of classic literature. If you don't remember "Wishbone", the article below isn't a bad summary, but it's nothing compared to watching the show itself. Heck, I can remember a brief, shining moment when even the TV Tropes editors joined hands in mutual respect and harmony and agreed, "Yeah, this was a weird one."
Now we're in 1996. Cover story "Rugrats" is already the pre-"Spongebob" Nicktoon that refuses to go away, but never mind that...
What are children in other countries watching? Well, it's pretty easy to find out now, what with the Internet and all, but articles like the following were all we had in '96. It's an interesting selection to be sure. I like how some of the summaries are deeply misleading (apparently Mortadelo is an Animorph?)
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Sketch of the Day
Random video game critters:
