Wishbone

During my tenure of 35 years with the Chicago Police Department, the assignments that varied greatly in duties, responsibilities and type of "terrain" covered. The varied assignments were in some of the most poverty stricken, crime ridden neighborhoods to "blowing a whistle" as a Loop Traffic Cop and from attending to Juveniles in the School Unit to "Tracer of Lost Persons" in the Missing Persons Bureau.

During my last assignment, it was in Missings because of medical problems, rheumatoid arthritis and congestive heart failure. This required confinement to the office or 'desk duties', and is called "Light Duty".

Well, I do confess that we would turn on a Television Set during quiet afternoon times, as it didn't interfere with work and actually made things run more smoothly. Favourites during that period included "SEINFELD"(daily reruns), Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey, "Mystery Science Theatre 3000" and "WISHBONE". Yeah, "WISHBONE", wanna make something' of it? We stumbled onto it quite by accident, for no one knew it from our home TV viewing, as no one in the office had young kids at home. There were some grandchildren of some of our gang, but no kids of the right age for such programming.

So, the Cops at Chicago Police HQ became fans of this little (what is he, Jack Russell Terrier, Rat Terrier, what?) pooch with the Ronald Coleman voice and the love for great literature. Hardly a Saturday Afternoon at the Bureau would pass-by without Wishbone being present.

The Creators and Production Team did an excellent job in providing a character and series which is interesting, educational, amusing and highly informative. And just who wood have thought that such a highly successful feature would emerge from the meeting up of works of literature and the fantasies of somebody's pet pooch?

Boy, I sure can't wait to be a Grandfather!!!!

A Jack Russell terrier and lots of classic novels by the likes of HG Wells, Washington Irving, Victor Hugo, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and even ancient mythology. Is there any sweeter sign? Maybe there is on PBS when you're watching dogs narrate adventures. It's even relatable to kids on everyday struggles like what Wishbone does with his human family and all their friends and fellows. I started watching the show again on YouTube just to get a refresher and it didn't disappoint. Some of the major characters from the books included Robin Hood and Joan of Arc (the latter was real). And this delivered. For those of you who haven't seen it, you should; it's fun!

I became hooked on this show in thrid grade instantly, after I saw a poster of the dog in my library. The first reason I watched it was because it's star is a dog, and I was and still am obsessed with dogs.

I watched it every afternoon while I did my homework, and I knew more and more literature classics. I would know the plot of a book by heart, even some books that even my parents hadn't read!!

Instead of plodding around with Barbies and hairbows like most girls my age were, I spent my time I at the library, thirsty to read the full versions of the books acted out on the show. Today, I have a high adult reading level, and an even bigger curiosity for more books.

Wishbone taught me a lot! It whetted my interest in reading. Before I watched the show, the most advanced book I had was a dumbed down version of the Prince And The Pauper. But imagine me, as a fourth grader, reading Pride And Predjudice and understanding it completely. Or reading Faust, and crying cause I understanded. And the greatest thing about Wishbone was it didn't hold back. Disney movies often take a story, and soften it up for the younger audience. Wishbone, however, did the book to the fullest and most accurate extent it could in it's 30 min time slot. A good example is a Tale Of Two Cities. A guy volunteers to give his life so the woman he adores can spend her life with the convicted person she loves! I cried when I saw this, but that's not a bad thing. It made me go out and read the book. Disney, as I would imagine, would have probably made everything end in a nice package, with the angry french revolution mob forgiving everybody, and then it would end in a big musical spectacular. Oh, oh! And they would add a talking poodle for comic relief. See my point?

I'll cease to end this rant. And I also wanna sincerely thank the show for getting me to read The Phantom Of The Opera! My well worn copy of the book is my favorite tome!

And to top it off, the show does a behind the scenes clip at the end of eacxh episode, encouraging kids to gain interest in theatre, special FX, directing, etc. And it encouraged children to go read and find a new world of excitment, instead of playing some crappy ass video game!

I love you Wishbone!

Filled with wit, wisdom and a great showcase of classic literature, "Wishbone" is one of those shows that just will not be repeated. It will not be topped, in any form or fashion. It was a highlight of my childhood, and I hope that someday it will be a joy for my own children.

It was the 1990s, an era when children's programming was beginning to wisen up and realize that kids needed to learn more than just numbers, letters and how to play fair. "Lamb Chop's Play-Along" was teaching kids origami and magic tricks; "Magic School Bus" and "Bill Nye the Science Guy" were enlightening us to the wonderful worlds of science and nature; and "Wishbone" was covering a previously-unharvested part of the learning landscape, literature.

In a world where the average child would've been far more content to play Nintendo than crack open Charles Dickens, the clever Jack Russell terrier, Wishbone, was sharing classic stories in a fresh and exciting manner, and instilling a fascination for books into the new generation. But what made "Wishbone" work so well was that it was not only educational, it was INTERESTING. It grabbed your attention with an exciting story that didn't necessarily seem like school stuff. It was a charming, endearing program that has certainly--in my opinion--lasted the test of time.

I'm a young woman now, and for a lark I went and popped in my old "Wishbone" VHS. It made me interested in classic literature all over again. I suppose that ought to indicate SOMETHING. Now let's give a big cheer for the little dog who taught us all how to love reading. WHOOCHA!

Wishbone

Fine TV series about a small lap dog with a patch on his eyes who likes to read and act out famous works of literature in his own mind, with him as the characters of the story (example: he is Sherlock Holmes in "The Hound of the Baskervilles). Surprisingly entertaining, and educational for the kids. The pro-book message comes across a little strong (do they mistake kids for completely naive idiots?), but it's a fun TV show with a nice doggy as the main character. I actually enjoy watching some of the older stories acted out by the pooch--who would have ever thought so?

Rated TVG--appropriate for all ages.