Life in Jamaica

Top 28 TV Shows From My Childhood

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Do you know the cartoon Wildfire?

Last week Thursday, while reading I found myself humming, then singing the theme song of the cartoon. My boyfriend asked the name of the song which I was eager to share, he insisted he had never heard of the cartoon, which  I thought was completely ridiculous, he had to know Wildfire. Every Jamaican child who grew up in the 1990s had to know this cartoon and a host of other rebroadcasts of American cartoons and TV shows from the eighties. So I turned to YouTube to prove my point and I found a video of the Wildfire theme song and intro, yes he knew the cartoon.

We then delved into a lively nostalgic reverie of fav cartoons and TV series. So I decided to make a list and share, at first I thought of five favourites, then 10, and as the weekend started, the list grew, so whatever number  is in title, these are my top fav TV shows and cartoons of my childhood.

  1. Wildfire – I loved this cartoon. A magical talking horse, a princess, an amulet that can open a magical portal into a new dimension.  This cartoon ran from September 13 – December 13, 1986. I was born October, 1987 and this cartoon was very popular when was around seven years old.
  2. Scooby Doo Mysteries
  3. Goosebumps
  4. The Famous Jett Jackson
  5. Lime Tree Lane- Sadly this is the only Jamaican TV show on my list.
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    Actor Silton Tonwsend as Mass Gussie of Lime Tree Lane 

    Lime Tree Lane, which was on JBC TV (later TVJ) from 1988 to 1997,  followed the lives of people in the fictional Jamaican community. The show from what I can recall  centred around themed storylines that seem to highlight some moral message of community, respect and courtesy with humour. This show launched the careers of may Jamaican actors and is probably beloved by many Jamaica for simply being a Jamaican TV show at a time when we were not used to seeing ourselves on TV.

  6.  Family Matters
  7. Law and Order – from the original series, to SVU, and Criminal Intent, I loved it all.
  8. Rags to Riches
  9. Johnny Bravo
  10. Star Trek: The Next Generation– I lived for this on Saturday nights.
  11. Courage the Cowardly Dog
  12. Lizzie McGuire 
  13. Home Improvement 
  14. The Proud Family 
  15. Even Stevens 
  16. The Bold and the Beautful- Yes it is a soap opera and I had no business watching it and I actually was not allowed to watch it. What I can recall is the the soap came on at around 8:30 each night on JBC (now TVJ) and I was sent to bed. But the layout of the bedroom that I shared with my cousin, we could easily see the TV from her bed and so we watched. I remember believing that Hunter Tylo who played Dr. Taylor Hayes Forrester, had to be the most beautiful women in the world. Another reason why representation and diversity on TV matters
  17. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
  18. Cow and Chicken 
  19. Roswell
  20. Gargoyles
  21.  Murder, She Wrote– perfect cozy mystery series, that remember watching with my grandmother.
  22. The Nanny 
  23. Between The Lions
  24. The Wonder Years 
  25. Boy Meets World 
  26. Baywatch
  27. Absolutely  Fabulous
  28. Zoom

Happy Sunday! What are some of your favourite TV shows and cartoons from when you were growing up? Did any of them make my list?

 

2 Comments

  • michkamccreath

    Yes Wildfire was the best! How did Care Bears not make it unto your list though?I loved that.The Bold and the Beautiful was my soap (never watched the Young and the Restless)…Some of my fav cartoons that are not on your list are: Bravestarr; Thundercats; Captain Planet; Tom and Jerry; Casper the Friendly Ghost; Defenders of the Earth; He-Man; Spongebob Squarepants and Powerpuff Girls. This was fun Chantel!

    • Chantel DaCosta

      Michka, it was fun to write. I never watched The Young and Restless either. And now I have to add to the list because yes I loved Bravestarr, Captain Planet and and it’s an absolute shame that I didn’t include Tom and Jerry.

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