When students are asked about their few years on this world, many ideas come to mind. However, none may be as joyful or as happy as the many television programs enjoyed during Nickelodeon’s golden years. Double Dare, What Would You Do, You Can’t Do That on Television, Hey Dude, and Salute Your Shorts are just a few of the many programs that Nickelodeon has embedded into the memories of its audience.

“I remember when I was in France with some of my friends,” Jeff Torosian, ’03, said. “We were surrounded by majestic beauty yet many of our discussions at dinner time involved Nickelodeon and all the old shows.”

Hey Dude was a child-oriented sitcom that took place on a dude ranch in Arizona owned by Mr. Ernst (David Brisbin). He and his teenage work team would tackle the many dilemmas facing kids with hilarious twists and turns.

“I remember that at times I couldn’t wait to see Hey Dude,” Marcy Froese, ’04, said. “I would laugh so hard when Melody and Ted would get in their little quarrels. Now that I think about it, I actually learned a lot from that show?like life is much easier when you have friends by your side.”

Hey Dude premiered on Nick July 14, 1989, ran until 1991 featuring 65 episodes.

“I loved Hey Dude,” Makenzie Powell, ’04, said. “I felt really close to Brad the cowgirl.”

Another show that many people fondly look back on is Salute Your Shorts (1991-1992). The show was centered around teenagers and their foolishness during summer camp. Learning to live with others that are different and learning to love were just a few of the many lessons learned by the seven camp mates.

“I remember when I was in seventh grade watching Salute Your Shorts,” Michael Prince, ’02, said. “I loved that niggling group of boys, Donkey Lips and Butnick, those guys knew where they were going and how to get there. I also appreciated the diverse nature of the program because it appealed to everyone.”

Other students would actually reenact their favorite scenes with their friends.

“I used to love Salute Your Shorts,” Philip Ochletree, ’04, said. “I remember I was so desperate to feast my eyes upon Nickelodeon that I would often sneak out of my house and travel under the cover of night to my friend’s house. We would then revel in Nickelodeon’s sitcom greatness. One summer we took our enjoyment to the next level by actually hanging my camp counselor’s shorts on a flag pole and saluting them.”

However some students felt that their Nickelodeon experience was less then enjoyable.

” I never liked those Nickelodeon shows,” Ashley Knepper, ’03, said. “Every time I would watch an episode, I was sick or was having a bad day so I never really had an enjoyable time watching it.”

Some would say that Nickelodeon has gone down the hill since the above-mentioned shows have been cancelled.

“I’m not ashamed to say that when I’m bored I flip to Nickelodeon on T.V.,” Josh Justin, ’03, said. “And let me tell you, since they stopped showing Salute Your Shorts and Hey Dude, the quality of the shows appearing on Nickelodeon has greatly deteriorated.”

For more information on Nickelodeon programming, please visit Nick.com or voice your opinion about the shows at www.nick.com.