If, like me, you were a PBS kid in the 1980s, you'll definitely remember Slim Goodbody. My sister and I watched his "Inside Story" most days after school, and marveled at his bizarre organ suit. If you don't know Slim Goodbody, you're really missing out, and need to rectify that immediately. Luchina Fisher of ABC News provides some history and context for the character, Slim Goodbody, and its creator, John Burstein:
In a world of superheroes, Slim Goodbody, the fictional character created and performed by John Burstein, was known as "the Superhero of Health." Wearing a flesh-colored unitard decorated with the internal organs, Burstein's alter ego appeared twice a week on the CBS show "Captain Kangaroo" from 1976 to 1980, before receiving his own PBS series, called "The Inside Story," in 1980. Through DVDs, Burstein continues to educate kids about health and anatomy and even appeared in a commercial for Radio Shack during this year's Super Bowl.
But you can't just read about him, you have to see him in action. So here's some classic Slim Goodbody for your viewing pleasure: a clip from an episode of Slim Goodbody's 1985 "Body Builders" show, featuring Slim and his friend Slenda doing the "Goodbody Groove." It's described this way on the Slim Goodbody YouTube channel:
Slim Goodbody challenges you to do an exercise that's great for coordination. Developed in cooperation with the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
If you've wondered what Slim Goodbody has been up to lately, at the end of March, 2020, early in the pandemic, he created the "Kid's Guide to COVID-19," which he describes like this:
This video provides an informative and non-threatening overview of COVID-19 for children. Relevant Information is carefully presented in a manner designed to relieve childrens' fears and anxieties. Combining photos, diagrams, illustrations, it explains what the coronavirus is, how it spreads and a variety of ways to keep safe, including hand washing and tissue usage. All information is explained in age-appropriate language children can understand.
And in news that I find truly baffling, he's also recently been creating a series of more than 150 educational videos focusing on civics lessons for kids, including this video called "Origin of Our Constitution."
