Nostalgia Nook: Recess

I have a question: Do Saturday morning cartoons still exist? Or are they a dying breed because stations like Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Disney have animated shows throughout the week? That there is no need to wake up, get a bowl of cereal and plop down in front of the TV after a long week at school? Because if not, I feel bad for any possible offspring I may have.

Because I grew up with Saturday morning cartoons. And I loved them! Especially after ABC relaunched their Saturday morning lineup as “One Saturday Morning.” One of my favorite shows was “Recess.”

So, wait for the bell and watch the SPOILERS!


“Recess” takes place at an average public school somewhere in America. It follows the days of six 4th graders: TJ, the leader; Spinelli, the tomboy tough girl; Vince, the athlete; Gretchen, the smart one; Mikey, the big one; and Gus, the new kid. Namely, though, it follows their adventures on their school playground during recess. And the playground is anything but average. Everyone knows the scene from Mean Girls where Lizzy Caplan’s characters lays out the social areas of the cafeteria. “Recess” had this for the playground.

You have the Kindergarten section, where they behave like natives on some island that’s never had contact with the outside world. They are kept in a secure pen and the other kids tend to ignore them. At the other end of the spectrum, the sixth graders rule the playground with Bob as their king. There is a girl who hangs upside down and two kids trying to dig to China.

There are also the Ashleys. If you watched “Daria,” these were the Fashion Club when they were younger. All the girls are named Ashley and care about fashion and other girly things. They are stuck up but generally keep to themselves. The real trouble is Randall. He is a spy, working for the crotchety old lady who watches them at recess. She is trying to catch the kids doing something wrong and to put them in detention.

And our intrepid crew have many adventures without trying to get caught.

I loved “Recess” when I was younger, though I was a bit confused.  Even though I attended a Pre-K through 8 Catholic school, I still had public school friends. Here in New York City, public elementary school is K through 5. And it bugged me there were sixth graders when, in my worldview, they should be middle schoolers! But I’ve since learned in other places, elementary school does go to sixth grade.

My favorite character was Spinelli. A tough girl with a soft spot and a keen sense of loyalty. I probably also liked her due to the hint of romance between her and TJ. One of my favorite episodes is when Randall reveals her given name is “Ashley.” The Ashleys are then forced to invite her to join because of their rules. Playground rules require Spinelli to accept. It’s a horrible fit and in the end, the rules are rewritten and everyone decides Status Quo is God.

Another memorable aspect was the fact Mikey’s singing voice was Robert Goulet. Probably a whole generation knew his voice from this show.

There’s probably so much to say about this show. But it’s late and so is this post. I’ll revisit Recess, when I have more time to dedicate to it. I promise.

Next month: “Double, Double, Toil and Trouble.”