I am a product of the ‘80s and ‘90s, so I absolutely love much of the children’s entertainment that came from those beloved decades. What I particularly enjoyed from those years was the subtle way that TV stations snuck important life lessons into fun formats. And there is no better example of this than the “Totally Kids Detective Agency” on Fox.

This was my introduction to John Walsh before I saw him on America’s Most Wanted, I believe. He came across as a trustworthy authority figure, and I took his words seriously, even though now I see that he was obviously having a bit of fun while appearing in some of these. Check out nearly two dozen of these cute segments. They’re all nice and simple, and some of them even have a little twist at the end.

The segment that recommends taking a picture of yourself on a regular basis probably isn’t a big problem for the current generation, which is constantly taking selfies. And now that I’m a parent, I see the one where Walsh asks two parents about what their kids are watching in a whole new light. I also love the one where the man spends a whole day taking care of his toddler and at the end he says, “Anybody can make a baby. But it takes a man to be a father.” Inspirational stuff that I truly appreciate now that I am a father to four wonderful children.

The one that really stuck in my mind, though, is not included in the collection above. It’s entitled “self-acceptance.” It’s about a little girl who realizes that the model she idolizes is actually just a normal-looking woman under all that makeup. That was quite an eye-opener to me as a kid, even though I couldn’t relate to the idea of wearing makeup. But I could understand the idea of pretending to be something you’re not. I grew up loving movies and admiring the stars in them. But this segment helped me to put entertainers in perspective and not look up to them so much. After all, they and their movies are “just an illusion.”

This is the Deja Reviewer bidding you farewell until we meet again.

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