by In my pre-teen years during the early 1970’s I loved a TV show called “ZOOM” – but, other than the fact that I once loved this show, I don’t remember all that much about it. I have rarely seen or heard anything about Zoom since that time either. Here’s what I do remember:
- ZOOM was a sort of street kid, funky version of the Mickey Mouse Club – it was a variety show with skits and songs starring a group of regular kids that seemed more like real children you would see on any street in any town, rather than slicked-up professional child performers.
- I think the kids who starred in this were around the ages of eight up to about thirteen/fourteen and had, in my memory, odd accents – Boston, perhaps? (I mean “odd” in a good way, by the way. I really just mean different to *me* – a young Californian who at that time had never been farther out of California than Tijuana.) I can’t remember any of their names.
- These kids were very energetic!!
- I think there was some matching “ZOOM” t-shirt action on this show some of the time (maybe during songs?).
- There were no adults on the show.
- The program was shown on PBS.
- I absolutely can’t recall any specific act or skit that was done on this show – oh, just ONE has now popped into my head, and only one: they used to sometimes sing a take-off on the song “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” called “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat” (how I wonder where you’re at).
- My husband has never heard of Zoom (and he’s only one year older than me).
Okay, having written this I will search around on the internet and see what extra information I can find out about the ZOOM television program, who starred in it and what has happened to them since that time (over 46 years ago!). To start, I have found a vintage newspaper advertisement promoting the premiere of this “bright new series” for children, check it out:
