The 5 Best Kids Shows From The 90’s
1) Bosco Nights
Short lived but critically acclaimed Bosco spin off, which saw Bosco solve crimes at night. Prematurely cancelled after the episode in which Bosco crossed the line and murdered loveable sidekick prostitute Jessie after finding himself in a drunken rage after she had given Bosco gonorrhoea aired. Despite only lasting 12 episodes, who could forget when Bosco brought down the IRA and solved the mystery of the weeping Madonna statue. It’s time to bring back Bosco Nights.
2) Chairde
Incredibly unpopular with critics, this late 90s Irish remake of the sitcom classic Friends lasted 3 seasons. Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh tackled the iconic role of Rachel in a rare stab at acting, but struggled to keep her nipples erect for every scene. ‘Dumbed down’ slightly to appeal to a younger audience, it was a little unrealistic that Rossa was held back in school until he was 29. Chairde’s finest moment was of course when the boys forgot to turn the immersion off, but Joseph had lost his keys to the apartment so couldn’t get in to switch it off. Solid shows like this just aren’t made anymore in Ireland.
3) Arts and crafts with Gaybo
Was there anything Gay Byrne couldn’t do? Wildly popular amongst the under 10s demographic, but cancelled after a flurry of complaints. Arts and crafts with Gaybo stands out as the only blemish on Byrne’s presenting legacy, but RTÉ had no choice but to cancel the show when Byrne inadvertently made a paper mache penis after failing to follow the instructions from the show’s art consultant Don Conroy.
4) Fota Island Adventure
A game show with a difference, Fota Island Adventure pitted primary school classes against each other in a series of tasks carried out in the superb Fota Island Adventure. RTÉ cancelled the show after an incident during the live finale of its 4th season. The final task involved pupils from a rival school trying to retrieve the Golden Amulet of Power from within the centre of the lion’s enclosure. An unforeseen issue relating to the children not being fast enough saw 14 of them maimed by the lions.
5) Dream Big
A show every child wanted to be part of. Each episode dealt with a child being surprised by a celebrity to show them inside the world of their profession. Sean Hughes was one such kid who struck lucky and got to tour with his favourite band B*Witched. However, the episode proved tough viewing as Sean struggled to keep with the exhausting demands of being on tour with the band, and sadly overdosed while trying to keep pace with the girl group heroin habit. The incident inspired the B*Withced single ‘Sean’s Was A Fucking Lightweight’.
