Wonderama

I was a very small child when WONDERAMA was on but I think the reason I remember as much of it as I do is because MY FATHER liked the show. You know how when your a little kid your parents will walk into the room and say "Oh what is that garbage your watching?" My father actually got some kind of GLEE when he'd see that "Hey,WONDERAMA is on!" I guess WONDERAMA was the last show of its kind that most resembled the childrens shows of my fathers time. I remember the audience of kids running around trying to win prizes and having dance contests and stuff. In retrospect it was sort of like a kiddie version of LETS MAKE A DEAL. the kids would run around like idiota and wind up winning....a necklace made of bagels...or something or other. I remember the song "Kids Are People...Kids Are PEOPle...Kids are People Too....They're really really people too! Wocka dooh, wokka dooh!" I also remember...because at 70 years of age my Dad STILL sings it..." Does anybody here have an aardvarrk? Does anybody here have an aardvark? Theres a boy over here with a left and right ear but NOBODY here has an aardvark". It all seems sort of corny now but when I see the drek like POKEMON that kids have to watch on the weekend mornings now it makes me long for WONDERAMA, MAGIC GARDEN, ROMPER ROOM.....)

As with my fellow posters, I, too, grew up in the greater New York area and viewed "Wonderama" as nothing less than a weekly ritual, as hosted by Sonny Fox and, a little later, the late, great Bob McAllister. Both men had a real knack for talking to children without talking down to them. Really, they seemed to be having as much fun as the kids. And the kids were having a ball, obviously. From the exercise segments ("Exercise! Exercise! C'Mon, everybody, do your exercise!"), to the dance contest (where the main songs always seemed to be the Grass Roots' "Midnight Confession" and the Foundations' "Build Me Up, Buttercup," long after both had ceased to be hits), through McAllister's superficially nonsensical, but ultimately unforgettable songs ("Nobody Here Has an Aardvaark," "I've Got You"), to his Professor Fingleheimer creation ("The more you fingle, the less you heimer. Fingleheimer! Fingleheimer! Fingle-dingle-heimer!"), it was the sort of simplistic (But fun!) programming that would never pass muster with today's more sophisticated youngsters. And for that reason, I pity today's kids. They don't know what they're missing.

But we former "Wonderama" fans DO know. It was an irreplaceable part of our childhood, one we'll always treasure.

I was about 5 or 6 when I watched Wonderama in the early 70's. I remember watching the show on our old Zenith Console TV (with a 4 button clicker remote), LOL. Well, one Sunday while watching Wonderama I can remember experiencing one of my first pangs of envy seeing a young boy walking an Evel Knievel Moto-cross style bicycle off the stage that he just had won.

The bike was White w/ Red, White & Blue labels all over it resembling the American Flag. I started to light up thinking how much I wanted to be on that show and win a bicycle just like it. My Father shared in my passion, since at that time, he owned 2 Motorcycle Excessory Stores, and wanted to find out what it would take to get me on that show.

The following Sunday I saw another boy who had won a bicycle, but not as flashy as the one last week. My heart sunk as the kid walked off the stage with the bike and I heard Bob McAllister say something to the effect of, "We sure hope He enjoys his prize and we realize that there are not a lot of places to ride a bike here in New York City, etc..."

I was so disappointed that it was so far away, but I still loved watching that show and now, after running across this shows again just by a fluke on this website, all these sweetie memories of that show started flooding my thoughts. I sure wish they would release more of these good ole' shows on DVD, I never understood why they hold back any shows from release, at all...

I too remember Wonderama so well. I was such a naive kid and Bob and the show were sooo cool. They gave away all the latest toys but especially the banana seat bikes with monkey bars that (I think!) were prizes for the dance contest. I wanted one so bad and I had just a regular bike, which my parents said was 'practical'. The snake can game, by far my favorite,fed my little greedy mind and I would just dream of turning the top on the can that was always so hard to remove and voilà - the bouquet of flowers!!! and all those toys!!! But I did love Bob too, it never occurred to me that he didn't love kids and love his job - kids know these things! I would have done a lot to get a chance on the show but we lived in CT and I knew there would never be a chance. We didn't always get channel 5 that good and I would literally pray (hey, it was Sunday,..) that reception would be good. I remember the show was on from something like 7-11 am and we'd watch some, go to church, come home and keep watching. What a great memory!

Thank goodness somebody other than myself remembers this incredible children's show.

Wonderama - with Bob McAllister (1967 - 1977) was a revolutionary children's variety show for its time. It combined music, exercise, learning, dancing, contests and all out fun. Bob McAllister was the host in those ten years that I watched it and his ability to interact and connect with children on an equal level was amazing. He was never condescending. You could tell he was actually having as much fun as the kids. Whether he was running the dance contest, choosing a child for the snake can game, leading the entire audience in exercise or performing as Professor Fingleheimer, his energy and excitement never waned. To this day, there has been nobody to match his ability to entertain and enlighten a child.

I can remember being on the edge of my seat to see if the first child picked would pull that bouquet of paper flowers out of the can and get all the toys, or get a snake and only get to pick one toy.

I jumped out of my seat for the exercise portion and even to this day know the words to the "Fingleheimer" song. "Has Anybody Here Got An Aardvark" still goes through my mind as I'm singing away in the shower and watching those kids on the "disco" segment dancing to music of the "1910 Fruitgum Company" and the "Archies" still makes me long for my youth. Why is it the best dancer never won that contest?

I remember seeing Tata Vega for the first time in my life on Wonderama.

Unfortunately, it was only when I looked up this listing that I found out Bob McAllister had passed away. If he only knew what an incredible portion of my childhood he played a part in. I was raised in Southern California, but through Bob, I learned about kids from all walks of life and realized that with different skin colors, different accents and different locations, we were all just kids that wanted to have fun and win toys!!

Bob, I miss you.