Philadelphia’s rich history of children’s television includes ‘Double Dare’ and a golden age of local hosts like Chief Halftown and Captain Noah

A generation of kids who grew up watching “Double Dare” dreamed of picking a giant nose or riding down the sundae slide. The children’s game show, which mixed trivia, physical challenges and an obstacle course, is credited with helping to spark Nickelodeon’s rise to become the top children’s cable network. Many fans may not realize that the massively popular show was originally produced in Philadelphia, where it was filmed at the WHYY studios from 1986 to 1989. Nickelodeon was looking for low-cost original programming, and filming in Philadelphia was cheaper than New York or Los Angeles. The success of “Double Dare” led to a flood of children’s TV game shows, including “Finders Keepers,” which was also filmed at WHYY. In “Finders Keepers” competitors solved puzzles and the winning team completed a scavenger hunt in a house for prizes. It was conceived by the same creator as “Double Dare” and was produced between 1987 and 1989. As a teacher and researcher of television and popular culture, I have studied the history of children’s media in the U.S., and as a kid growing up in Philly, I too enjoyed these shows – as well as some of the other locally produced shows…

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