Before Nick Jr. hit the airwaves (heck, even before Nickelodeon itself!) there was Pinwheel. With the rapid success of Sesame Street on public television throughout the 60s and 70s, cable television brought a new venue by which children's programming could be watched. The Pinwheel channel was created in 1977, offering similar educational material as Sesame Street, but over longer programming blocks. Sixty minute episodes aired consecutively up to 5 hours at a time, offering short-form shows and animated films in between episodes.


Pinwheel was also know for its short animated and stop motion films in between episodes, many of which were produced from around the world. A few that I remember most are Chapi Chapo, Bunny in a Suitcase, Hattytown Tales, and Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings which was also featured on Captain Kangaroo and Romper Room. After Captain Kangaroo was cancelled in 1984, Bill Cosby's interactive Picture Pages segment began airing during Pinwheel. Cosby and his musical "Mortimer Ichabod Marker" guided viewers through a puzzle that corresponded to a page in the Picture Pages activity book.
Check out more RD80s entries in the Reasons We Loved Nickelodeon series.