We look in the mirror. We look in the mirror as we brush our teeth, wash our face, comb our hair, as women put on their make up and God knows what else as men wait patiently for them to finish. The mirror is an important part of our day.
Are you gonna be much longer?
We jump in the car and look in the rear-view mirror as we back out of the driveway, hopefully, and the side-view mirrors as we join the morning commute. Again, hopefully.
If we work for CSI 1, 2 or 3 or NCIS 1 or 2, or any other TV cop show, we use a two-way mirror to observe colleagues sweat the truth out of their suspects.
Mirrors are everywhere. From a dental instrument to a space telescope.
My first introduction to mirrors was as a kid growing up in Toronto. Everyday I'd watch the American feed of Romper Room beaming to my TV antenna from New York City.
Miss Nancy introduced little children to DoBees.
Dear old Miss Nancy. She was the first host, starting in 1953 and carrying on until 1963. She was like pre-school. And the precursor to other kids' shows like Sesame Street.
And she taught me things using Do Bee and Don't Bee, like "Do Bee an obedient child" or some such kiddie hogwash.
And what about the mirror? Well, at the end of each and every show - and this was the part I waited for patiently every day - Miss Nancy would look at the camera through her "magic mirror" and speak these hypnotic magical words:
"Romper, bomper, stomper, boo.
Tell me, tell me, tell me do.
Magic mirror tell me today.
Have all my friends had fun at play?"
And then, the moment of truth. She named all the little boys and girls she could see through her magic mirror out there in televisionland:
"And I can see Billy and Sally and Joey and Jeffrey
and Jack and Bob and all of you boys and girls out there!"
Miss Nancy should look in a real mirror - yikes!
Oh, yeah, Miss Nancy? I watched you and your sorry excuse for a kids' show for three years before I started kindergarten and you never saw me. Not once did you call my name. And you call that a "magic mirror". Ha!
***
Mirror, if you hadn't guessed was the subject for Theme Thursday this week. Hop on over to their site and reflect on how other bloggers have interpreted the theme.
48 comments:
i have sat on either side of that one way mirror...
What? How could she miss you Nomie?
"I see Nomie, the Homie."
There. Feel better?
hee hee hee
Brian Miller: Really? I've observed focus groups from the "other" side of the mirror and sometimes that can be quite funny.
Quirks: You can see me? In my PJs? I better go get dressed!
Try having the name 'Rodney.'
Yeah. I heard that a ton.
Parents suck.
Love it. She never called my name either - rather I suspect she never called my name. Never saw the show so don't know. Happy TT
moooooog: Do you have a brother Kurt? (Kurt 'n Rod)
Alan: Oh, you don't know what you missed. Kind of like Howdy Doody on prozac.
Great take on today's theme. Happy TT!
Believe it or not, I still have my Romper Room mug my mom bought me when I was only 4. This was, and still it, MY mug and mine alone. After 51 years of service, this mug still serves me well, especially while drinking hot chocolate.
LOl! So sorry Miss Nancy never called your name! Nice post on mirrors. ~ Tanna
every time i try to use a mirror this other goofy looking mutts staring at me. he just keeps staring at me. what i want to know is, how does he always know when im going to be there?
hahahaha! Great post. :)
Romper Room...holy hell...I haven't thought about that show since I was a kid. Thanks for the trip back...
My brother was on Romper Room - he duked it out with another kid to dress the weather doll. On air.
e: Thanks, here's looking at you, kid.
Me-Me: That's amazing. Do you still have the Sheriff Jello coins of the original 6 teams in the NHL? Nah, me either.
Noni: Whenever I look into a mirror I think of that damn Miss Nancy. I've been scarred for life.
You either have some kind of incredible memory or you looked that up. I vaguely remember watching Romper Room but I do not remember all that stuff. I think I was pretty young.
Nice take on TT.
Nooter: You must be a handsome dog. Could be just a reflection on your good looks!
Kat: Glad you enjoyed it.
VE: That part with the mirror at the end was kind of trippy.
Stephanie: Oh that must have been hilarious!
I used to live in an apartment complex full of college kids. I put a "Romper Room" sign on my door because so many of them would come over my place. Not one damn kid knew what the sign meant. It was indeed like a day care.
California Girl. Yeah, I have a good memory - who could forget Miss Nancy - and access to Wikipedia!
Don: Heck, I thought everyone knew "Romper Room". The thing ran worldwide! Some of my earliest childhood memories are of that show...unfortunately.
I remember Romper Room well. I remember being on the edge of my seat at the end of the show waiting to see if she saw me or not. Luckily, being a "Tommy" did have its perks.
Miss Nancy never called out my name either! (Although she could see my siblings.) Now I'm singing "Do be a Do Bee, Don't be a Don't Bee!" Thanks for that, Dufus!
But wait... Me-Me still has her Romper Room mug? I'm jealous! (Guess I was too much of a Don't Bee to get one.)
The Do Bee and the Don't Bee? Oh, I haven't thought of them in decades! What a fun post!
Tgoette: SHE SAW YOU!!!!? SHE REALLY SAW YOU!!!!? You lucky stiff.
CL: Ha, ha...join the club. I think Miss Nancy was myopic!
Betsy: I think I have too much time on my hands...and not enough on my mind.
Oh Em Gee, Romper Room. Miss Maryann was the teacher or whatever when I started watching in the mid-60's. And she NEVER called my name in the magic mirror either. Bitch.
Kelly: You know something? I don't think that mirror was very magical.
nonamedufus said...
moooooog: Do you have a brother Kurt? (Kurt 'n Rod)
What a sad pun Sir, good thing I like sad pun's because it sure made me laugh!
Love your take on the mirror theme! The memories invoked by Romper Room are from such a simple time, why can't life still be like that?
my confirm word is purebs, I think that magic mirror is exactly that! :D
She looks like a serial arsenic poisoner.
Skye: It was a simpler time, wasn't it? And yes, it was a sad pun! Ha, ha.
Kris: I think all the kids lived.
Not only did I watch Romper Room, but I was in the audience once and was persuaded by my mom to go up and sit on the rug when she read a book to the kids, even though I wanted nothing to do with being on camera. I remember the super hot lights burning onto the back of my neck. I also got postcards from the show on my birthday, if I remember right.
Kablooey: Sounds pretty neat for a little kid!
Speaking of two-way mirrors... my buddy has a joke sign in his bathroom. It reads:
"Please do not hang clothing on two-way mirror."
Of course, the mirror is right in front of the toilet.
JeffScape: Good one. Would make someone stop and think for a moment.
Haha I'd forgotten Romper Room, we had an aussie version here too. Full of well behaved robotic kids . . .
Oh dear, I do hate it when adults lie
to their audience ,especially kids.
Kids are so vulnerable.
And she never called you?
Oh dear.
lovely story though.
Mine is here
http://justmeshakirack.blogspot.com/2010/02/mirrors-of-my-life-thursday-theme.html
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
and
GONG XI FA CAI!
(means WISHING YOU PROSPERITY! in Mandarin, Chinese)
hugs
shakira
Baino: Oh, there were different versions world-wide - Australia included.
Shakira: She never once called my name. How about that?! She never saw me with her magic mirror.
Oh dear, I do hate it when adults lie
to their audience ,especially kids.
Kids are so vulnerable.
And she never called you?
Oh dear.
lovely story though.
Mine is here
http://justmeshakirack.blogspot.com/2010/02/mirrors-of-my-life-thursday-theme.html
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
and
GONG XI FA CAI!
(means WISHING YOU PROSPERITY! in Mandarin, Chinese)
hugs
shakira
What? How could she miss you Nomie?
"I see Nomie, the Homie."
There. Feel better?
hee hee hee
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