The days of Romper Room

"Romper, bomper, stomper, boo.
Tell me, tell me, tell me do.
Magic mirror, tell me today.
Did all my friends have fun at play?"

I couldn't resist when I saw Amy's blog title the other day.

That was like the greatest kid show ever, aside from Bozo the Clown, the Bugaloos, Zoom, the Electric Company. You get my drift.

What was so magical about Romper Room was that in Los Angeles, we had the pleasure of watching the syndication of Miss MaryAnn while in Chicago, there was another Miss "Somebody".

For those kids that weren't old enough to go to school yet, she taught us manners, sharing, alphabets, songs....she stressed that we should be a "Do bee" and not a "Don't bee".

Before the show would end, she'd say that sweet little rhyme at the beginning of my blog and look into her magic mirror out in tv land and say, "I see Tommy, and Susan, and there's Sharon, and Kimberly and Steven..." My twin sister and I held our breaths waiting to hear our names called. She never did. We had unusual names but even though they were unusual, surely the magic mirror would show Miss MaryAnn our sweet cherub faces, waiting for our names to be called. We walk away and say, "Maybe tomorrow."

In 2003, Miss MaryAnn was at a Home Town Buffet and was robbed. The thugs took her black bag which the magic mirror (the original one) was. She carried it everywhere for those "boys and girls" now men and women, who's names she never called.

Sadly, the magic mirror hasn't been found.

Bring back the days of innocence where kids who were naughty had to put their noses on the circle chalk mark on the blackboard when they misbehaved.

Maybe one day my grandkids will sit in front of the tv and wait for their names to be called too.