I just saw one of my childhood heros IRL today at work
As you might or might not remember:
- I am a Biology major studying to someday be a field zoologist
- My love of animals is huge and a passion in life
- The choice I have made as far as my career path has been majorly influenced by these two men; the Kratt brothers who produced shows like Kratt’s Creatures which I watched A LOT as a child
- I have recently learned that my heros stated above lives in my community and frequently shops at my store
AND TODAY CHRIS KRATT CAME IN.
I was helping another customer with a pricing issue at customer serivce and Jess had just left to get his card which he’d left the day before and there were a few customers there so I asked him if he was next. He shook his head and told me he was being taken care of.
THEN I FUCKING RECOGNIZED HIM
I just froze. Like I stared at him and couldn’t say anything. There were so many things I could have said like
- How I’m studying to be a field biologist because of their shows which inspired me to work with animals because before that I didn’t even know that was an option.
- When I was in grade 3, my game at recess was to pretend I was on their animal adventures
- Thank you for my life as it is today
So many things and I just clammed up like a moron. I wanted to say something but
- I kept thinking about how insignificant I must be and how he might not care
- I figured that he’s just a guy who wants to get his card back and I didn’t want to ruin his night even though
- It probably would be a good thing to hear if it were me
After Jess came down with his card and he left, I asked her what the card was. She said “Kratt” and then she figured it out too.
I nearly cried afterwards. I definitely had a bit of a mental breakdown. But I hope he comes in again because maybe then I can express my gratitude and appreciation to him. Or maybe his brother. Either one I’d really love to talk to about their work and tell them about how they’ve influenced my life so much.
ANYWAYS that was the big news of tonight
I feel like I owe a lot to PBS Kids programs in the 90s
Bill Nye the Science Guy, Kratt’s Creatures, The Magic School Bus, Wishbone, Reading Rainbow…
I mean, those were some fantastically educational kid’s shows. They taught me so much more than what I was learning in elementary school at the time. It feels silly to say so, but they definitely pushed me towards the path I’m on now. Bill Nye and the Kratt brothers in particular. They got me loving biology and zoology from a young age, man.
Is there anything on TV these days that compares to these fantastic shows?
While watching a documentary on a snake infestation in Florida...
- Mom: I have a question. Do snakes just have baby snakes? They don't lay eggs right?
- Me & My Brother: They lay eggs.
- Me: Jeez, someone wasn't paying attention during Kratt's Creatures.
- Brother: Yeah, Mom, where were you during Zaboomafoo?
I feel weird when people get nostalgiac over Zoboomafoo
Because I grew up with Kratt’s Creatures
And that was like… Ten times better
Zoboomafoo just feels like a replacement hamster that looks nothing like the original hamster and maybe it’s a touch mangy.
This is the only show I feel like this about, to be honest.
I don’t usually care about “I grew up with this so I had a better childhood than children who grew up with that”
I'm not usually on 90's kid tirades
But I feel like younger children these days would benefit from Magic Schoolbus, Bill Nye, and Kratt’s Creatures
Those were objectively good educational children’s shows
I’m not saying this as someone who grew up in the 90’s
I’m saying this as someone who thinks children deserve entertaining shows that they can learn something from
