Bob Ross, Fred Rogers, Julia Child – PBS and cultural icons, philosophers, teachers, creators, visionaries…
I heard a story about 3 brilliant remixes done on these 3 legends on NPR earlier this week, and found myself grinning ear to ear in the car, shedding a tear, humming one of the catchy refrains, and feeling pumped to share the love and inspiration! On Thursday we watched them around the family dinner table (breaking our “no phones at the table” rule) when it came up in conversation at my parents home. My brother Jake (in town with wife Sarah and baby girl Poppy), had also heard about them, so he showed them to us. We LOVED it, and the kids did, too.
Dustin and Sarah both recalled watching Bob Ross paint on PBS when they were kids. Sarah used to watch him after school every day while having a Twix and Dr. Pepper for snack! Dustin used to watch it at his Pa-Bear’s home after school with his sister. Jake and I have fond memories of watching Mr. Rogers together, and of course, he is still such a part of my life as I share him with my own children and sing his songs and share his messages with children and parents that I teach. For both of us, he is at the very top of our “hero” list. Jake recalls walking past Mr. Rogers on a sidewalk in Manhattan years ago when he was looking at NYU as a high school senior. He says he was too overcome to say anything and actually swooned. I remember the day that Mr. Rogers died in 2003, the day before Jake’s 23rd birthday. Jake and I actually called each other, across the country, in tears. And Julia? Well, she has been part of MJ’s life since he first started enjoying a little “screen-time” at age 2. Dustin’s mom who loves to cook and taught Dustin to cook gave us her DVD’s which are GREAT for kids! Dustin and MJ love to make her chocolate cake and other recipes together. My Dad recalls coming over once when toddler MJ was supposed to be resting, and he asked him what he was doing. MJ said, inspired by Julia, “I’m thinking of cooking fish.”
John Boswell of PBS, through these creations, reminds us that these former TV staples STILL have important life philosophies to share for today’s more fast-paced society. He makes their messages fresh and exciting again, and perhaps their messages are even more important for us today – encouraging us to SLOW down enough to imagine, to cook, to paint – to make time for down-time, for creative time, for learning and sharing and eating together. PLEASE take the time to watch together and enjoy – I promise you will LOVE them! Might make you smile, might make you laugh, might make you cry, might blow your mind, or all of the above! Each one is packed with wonderful “life lessons” and phrases that you could sing to your own children…
Bob Ross Remix, “Happy Little Clouds“, watch “Happy Little Clouds”
- “I believe, I believe every day’s a good day when you paint. I believe, I believe, it will bring a lot of good thoughts to your heart.”
- “Let’s build a happy little cloud, let’s build some happy little trees.”
- “We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.”
- “This is your world, you’re the creator, Find freedom in this canvas. There are no limits here, start out by believing here (in your mind).Believe that you can do it, cause you can do it.”
- “Relax, let it flow, think like water….You can do anything that you want to do, total power.”
- “Have a good time.”
Mr. Rogers Remix, “The Garden of Your Mind“, watch “The Garden of your Mind”
- “Do you ever imagine things? Did you ever pretend about things like that before?”
- “Did you ever grow anything in the garden of your mind? You can grow ideas in the garden of your mind.”
- “It’s good to be curious about many things. You can think about things and make believe. All you have to do is think, and they’ll grow.“
- “Imagine: every person that you see is someone different from every other person in the world.”
- “Did you ever think of the many things that you’ve learned to do?”
- ”There are so many things to learn about in this world and so many people who can help us learn.”
- “Let’s give the fish some food.”
- “Mr. McFeely, I didn’t order any whistles.”
Julia Child remix, “Keep On Cooking“, watch Keep On Cooking
- “Freshness is essential, that makes all the difference.”
- “I like to smell some cookies, it makes me feel at home.”
- “Bring on the roasted potatoes, this is what good cooking is all about.”
- “Everyone gather round the dinner table!”
- “The real test of a good chef is a perfectly roasted chicken.”
- “You need some fat in your diet or your body can’t process your vitamins.”
- “Cook, and cook, and keep on cooking, this is the way to live..cook, and cook, and keep on cooking, this is the way to eat, bon appetit!“
Let me know: What did you learn? What did you think? What memories do you have of these 3 creators?
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