The biggest memory I have from this psychedelic TV show is the Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana), which was actually released as a single - the song featured on the 1968 album We're The Banana Splits
- although it only reached #96 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. I'm
not actually sure whether it was ever released here in the UK. However,
a punk band called The Dickies released a cover version in 1979 which
reached #7.
The Banana Splits were a rock band, but do you you remember the names of the four costumed characters? They were Fleegle, who was dog-like and played guitar and vocals, Drooper (bass, vocals) who I think was supposed to be a lion(?), Bingo (drums, vocals) who looked like a smiley monkey and Snorky, who looked like an elephant that had been on a day trip to Sellafield and played keyboards and effects. The series was produced by Hanna-Barbera and ran for just two seasons. It originally aired between September 1968 and Sept 1970. 
In this episode Zippy knocks Bungles Tower Over! Rainbow has gained cult status here in the UK. This children's TV show ran twice weekly at 12:10 on Tuesdays and Fridays on ITV from 16th October 1972 until 6th March 1992. The series ended pretty abruptly when, after more than 1000 episodes, Thames Television lost its ITV franchise.
Blimey! I Remember watching Here Come The The Double Deckers on a saturday morning back in the 70s. This video clip made me feel like a kid again! Yes,
these were the days when there were no violent or sexual music videos
featuring half-naked bimbos or crotch-grabbing morons, no comparing brand names on
clothes, no home computers or tablets and no mobile phones. We would watch innocent
programmes like this and then maybe go out for a bike ride and just do
what kid's should do - meet up and talk to each other face-to-face and
have real fun, without worrying about paedophiles or health and safety
issues such as wearing goggles to play conkers - who came up with that
one? Anyway,
back to the show! The characters were Spring (He was black, but I'm not
sure why he was called Spring), Billie (The cowgirl), Brains (he wore
specs), Doughnut (he was fat), Sticks (he played the drums), Tiger (she
had a cuddly tiger who was also called, erm, tiger!) and Scooper - no
idea why he was called Scooper?
Play Away was a sort of longer version of Playschool, but
I didn't enjoy it half as much as Playschool! The video clip features
the legendary Brian Can't, Tony Arthur, Jeremy Irons, Anne-Marie Hackett
and Julie Stevens. Tony Robinson was also in this episode, although,
unfortunately, he's not on this clip!
That's the first time I've heard that music since the 70s! Vision On
was a childrens art programme for the deaf, although many kids who were
not deaf would also watch it, including myself. The programme became
quite popular and soon gained a wacky and surreal
edge. Regular presenters on the show were Tony Hart (who went on to present his own art shows inc. Take Hart and Hartbeat), Wilf Lunn (he used to show-off his latest inventions) and Sylvester McCoy who became the seventh doctor on Doctor Who in 1987.
This
clip features the opening titles from the children's art show Take
Hart, which replaced Vision On in 1977 and ran until 1983. Presented by
artist Tony Hart, one of the show's most memorable characters was the
animated plasticine man, Morph. The show also featured the caretaker, Mr
Bennett - remember him?
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