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.....)

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!

I remember watching Wonderama on Sunday mornings growing up in the New York area as well as Minnesota and it was a classic kids show thanks to the men who hosted such as Sandy Becker and Sonny Fox and the host I remember the most, Bob McAllister. Bob presided over a potpourri of music, comedy sketches, celebrity guests and games that included "Snake Cans" and "Guess Your Best." And when it ended he would sing the closing theme "Kids are People Too (wackadoo wackadoo wackadoo).

What made the show a big success was that Bob truly loved kids and treated everyone with respect. He almost got a big break as a game show host when Monty Hall hired him to host a pilot called "Carnival", which didn't sell. It's a shame he's gone, since I thought he would have a great candidate to replace Bob Barker on "The Price is Right." But we'll always remember him for the way he guided a successful kids show in "Wonderama." Wackadoo wackadoo.

Hello , my name is thomas, i remember watching this show on channel 5 on the metromediastation, every sunday morning my brother and i wouldsit and watch the show with Mr. mc allister, his energy and love for the childern , made me feel happy at that time in my life when everything else in the world wasnot so good , thank you mr mc allister for being part of my childhood , plse save me a spot on your show in heaven with deepest memorys , thomas h. kern

Truly, one of my fondest childhood TV memories. I remember getting up and doing the "Exercise" song, and especially the dance contests. I remember Bob would ask the winner "whats your favorite dance", and the kids would always say "the four corners" with their eastern accents ( I was from Los Angeles)....anyway, what a great show. I teach dancing to adults, and whenever I am with a group around my age, I will always ask if they used to watch Wonderama, And then the stories begin. Its so funny to hear what each individual remembers. We all loved the show, thats for sure.

Sorry to hear about the passing of Bob McAllister. Thanks for the memories. Todd Van Dorn Long Beach Ca.