Generation X Blog: time for timer: i hanker for a hunk of cheese and sunshine on a stick

Some weekend when it's rainin'
And you mother is complainin'
Cause you're hanging around just twiddling your thumbs...
Tell your mom you have been itchin'

To make something in the kitchen

And, oh yes the mess will be a minimum...

But, the thing that's going to please her
Is you make it in the freezer
Nothing could be easier fix
Now just watch as I go through it
Really all you need to do it
Is some kind of juice and
Just a few toothpicks...

One of things I loved during my weekly 1970s Saturday morning cartoon adventures was a series of public service announcements called Time for Timer, essentially a little cell-shaped character who represented time in the body. He provided helpful information on proper hygiene and how to make healthy snacks, and he sang clever little songs and danced. Len Maxwell (1930-2008) was the voice of the cowboy-ish Timer.

According an article on Wikipedia, Timer actually appeared during afterschool specials, debuting in 1973. I do remember the PSAs during such ABC presentations, but I also remember the rare shorts during cartoons. One thing is for sure, I never watched either without looking for Timer. He made me so happy and I tried at least a dozen times to make Sunshine on a Stick!

Interestingly, the nutrition consultant for the show was a woman named Rosalyn B. Alfin-Slater, Professor Emeritus, UCLA College of Public Health. A member of the generation of Americans named "Greatest Generation", she died in 2002.

Do you remember Timer? To see all the Time for Timer PSAs visit YouTube. Which did you like the best?