Whatever happened to good children's television? I'm not talking about Howdy Doody or Kaptian Kangarroo, but I am old enough to remember when children's shoes had a point. I realize Mr. Rogers isn't the coolest guy in the world, but when I was a kid, I'm sure I wanted to be his neighbor.

Today the only remains of good T.V. are Sesame Street and the old Loony Tunes. I miss shows like the Electric Company, and 3-2-1 Contact. Those were cool shows, and who knows, I may have actually learned something from them. I don't think children today are learning too much from the Biker Mice from Mars or Tattooed Teenagers from Beverly Hills. (I think the success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, is to blame for these cartoons, whose titles are more in depth than the plots.) The only show that is making a feeble attempt at sending a message is Captain Planet and the Planeteers. It's a nice try to get kids to save the earth, except not many kids that I know can shoot fire or water out of their wrists.

Probably the worst excuse for entertainment is the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. This show has erupted into a huge success. The Power Rangers have leaped off the screen and onto toys, magazines, sleeping bags, and even underwear. They have already found imitators, such as the VR Troopers. Booth shows have horrible special effects to go with their horrible actors. They look like they are filmed with home video camcorders. I would personally rather watch a silent movie about the evolution of the house fly.

I know it sounds like I'm whining about how bad these children's shows are because I'm not a kid. But I know if I was a kid, I would not watch the Power Rangers. I'm still a big fan of Bugs Bunny and Friends and the Muppets. Don't get me wrong, not all children's shows today are bad. All but one, Animaniacs gets an A+ in my book.

Kevin Heitz