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The New Zoo Revue premiered on Monday, January 24, 1972, and ran in first-run syndication until 1977, with reruns keeping it around for years after that.
It was one of those bright, colorful 1970s kids’ shows that seemed to be on when we were home from school or planted in front of the TV in the morning. Doug and Emmy Jo led the fun with Freddie the Frog, Henrietta Hippo, and Charlie the Owl, teaching little lessons through songs, jokes, and make-believe. Like a lot of shows from that era, it stuck in the memories of kids who grew up with that catchy theme song and those larger-than-life animal characters.
Did she ever call your name? Oh, the simple joys of Romper Room. That Magic Mirror had every kid sitting at home waiting, hoping Miss Nancy would say their name before the show ended. And if she did, you felt like you had just made national television from the living room floor.
I told you my father was a Marine, so we grew up in Virginia or North Carolina so we watched Miss Nancy on WBAL. But I never realized back then that there wasn’t just one “Miss Nancy.” Romper Room was franchised and syndicated, meaning different cities often had their own local hostesses using the same basic format.
The original Romper Room began in Baltimore in the early 1950s and was created by Bert and Nancy Claster, with Nancy Claster becoming the first well-known “Miss Nancy.” It was aimed at preschool children and felt like a TV nursery school, with songs, games, stories, manners, and those famous lessons about being a “Do Bee” instead of a “Don’t Bee.”
And then came the part we all remember: “Romper, bomper, stomper boo…” Miss Nancy would look through the Magic Mirror and start naming children she supposedly saw watching at home. We knew she probably couldn’t really see us, but at that age you weren’t taking chances. You sat there quietly, behaved like a Do Bee, and waited for your name.
That is what made the show work. She treated the camera like another child in the room, so the kids watching at home felt included too. It was simple television: a teacher, a few children, a Jack-in-the-box, a magic mirror, and lessons about being polite.
No explosions, no superheroes, no fast cuts (ok, maybe a clown in the Jack-in-the-box). Just Miss Nancy asking if we had fun at play.
And yes, I still remember waiting for my name. Did she ever call yours?
