Obscure Minutiae: 'Dinosaurs' Had an Album?
Few things capture the imagination of children like dinosaurs. I don't know why that's the case, but it just is. Now back when I was a young'un -- aka the late 1980s and early 1990s -- we had it pretty good in the prehistoric reptile department. I've no doubt that most things are better for kids today than they were back in the day when I was a kid. I haven't seen Hammer pants in awhile, and that's just the first thing that comes to mind. But I think the young whippersnappers of this day and age can't possibly compete with the dinos of my childhood. Jurassic Park ... hello!?
One of the oft-forgetten components of this Dinosauric Golden Age was ABC's short-lived puppet sitcom Dinosaurs. Yep. Puppet -- actually Muppets! -- sitcom. The 1990s were a weird time.
Anyway, Dinosaurs is one of those shows I forgot existed but really loved at the time it was airing. Apparently, it was actually a pretty good show; my 8-year-old self had no idea, he just liked walking, talking dinosaurs, especially Robbie Sinclair. TGIF, man. ABC knew how to engender kiddie brand loyalty, if nothing else. The show has kept coming up lately, though, for one reason or another, and it's kept me spiraling down the rabbit hole as a consequence.
Did you know Dinosaurs had an album, called Big Songs, that was released in 1992 and featured 12 tracks. Did you know the biggest hit was "I'm the Baby (Gotta Love Me)"? And did you know it was apparently so popular that there was also a German version of the song, titled "Ich Bin Das Baby"?
I sure as hell didn't but there's proof below.
Did you know a year later they also released Dinosaurs: Classic Tales, a books-on-tape album with four classic fairy tales reimagined for the Megalosaurus in all of us? Yup, they did. The four "Pre-hysterical" fairy tales were as follows:
- Goldiscales and the Three Giant Sloths
- Cinderellasaurus
- Hanselsaurus and Greteldactyl
- Little Red Riding Horn
It's all true folks.
Like I said, the 1990s were a very strange time.
Strange. But pretty spectacular as well.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go figure out why a child hitting his father with a frying pan was considered the height of humor in the good old day.