Despite probably not being this show's target demographic, being a young black male, I honestly I really enjoyed Clarissa Explains It All. The way she broke the 4th wall and talked to the audience made it seem like she was my friend. And I definitely thought she was very cool. It never felt like it was a "girls show" to me, it was just another show for kids, and I was a kid, so I thought it was for me.
Ditto, friend, was one of my favorites as a young, white dude. It was just clever and fun and masculine/feminine never occurred to me. Though I was geeky and into stories - I’ll admit my football-loving social circle may have been a tough sell on the show.
The thing with the bedroom set makes sense. Its originally decorated when she's about 10 (pink, floral, mostly picked by the parents). By the time she's 13/14 she's going to want to personalise it (black checkers, hubcaps). Also a really lovely hint to the parents being cool with their teenager expressing their personality.
And it's very realistic that's she's working with what she already has (e.g. drawing checkers on the wallpaper) instead of her parents paying for a complete room renovation. Other teenagers on TV always seem to have huge rooms that are perfectly furnished and decorated in the current style and I always wonder how they can afford that lol
Yeah...my parents were smarter than that, when it was time to replace the bunk beds, they convinced me and my sister to pick furniture we would be cool with as teens, too, plus, they are fans of white walls, because they can be decorated however you want easily. But a lot of parents, they don't like the idea that their little girl will grow up eventually.
While watching the show I never noticed that the checkers were painted by hand over pink and floral. I totally feel her there. My childhood room was decorated in white and rainbows, and when I was a teen my parents never listened to my pleas to redecorate it.
@@Radien I don't really remember seeing that earlier... it's possible that the background details (like the floral pattern) didn't really show up on our box TV's of the time, lol.
Hey I was on Clarissa as the friend "Olivia Dupris" and had a great time filming it. I'm glad to here your spin on it. I was definitely thinking recently that Clarissa was the "original influencer"!!!
I loved how the best friend came in through the window and everyone one was like, 'Hey Sam.' and went with it. Sure the parents would have preferred he came in through the front door. But it was never a big issue that a boy was alone in their daughters room. This kind of Platonic relationship between boys and girls wasn't shown very often in tv shows.
@@pushinguproses Yes, yes you are. Which is pretty stinking awesome. Stinker? Stinking awesome? Did you catch that? Did you see what I did there? Did you see how stinking clever I am? Stinking clever! See? I did it again! Ok...I'm done now.
I remember seeing this show as a kid and thinking, “wow, girls can be cool too?” It’s so weird that girls in sitcoms were portrayed as so boring and one-dimensional, like they were springboards to incite situations rather than being people situations happen to. I imagine seeing Clarissa educated boys like me as much as it helped girls like Roses.
The chick from Family Matters was also fairly sarcastic and long-suffering come to think of it. And there was Sister Sister. I never watched Beverly Hills 90210.
Sometimes when I see shows that I've watched as a kid I'm freaked out about how young the actors look because apparently I was aging them up in my head as I age. That said I'm really glad to hear this show held up and actually broke some molds back in the day.
Seeing her so young on Clarissa startles me, because I'm used to seeing Melissa Joan Hart as a teenager on Sabrina, so she looks too young when she's an actual teenager on Clarissa!
I'm always surprised when I look up ages of people from old shows and find they're like a year or two from mine. They seemed so much older when I was younger.
Loved Clarissa! I think it's true that there are very few good shows that show realistic teenage girls, especially as a lead. Even now. I might have liked Blossom just as much but it wasn't as available in the UK. I loved Clarissa's wardrobe too. It's interesting how groundbreaking the character was at the time, and how to execs thought it was so shocking how her family interacted. I thought they were amazingly nice to each other! It's nice to see a breakdown about it and that others have fond memories so thanks for the happy wave of nostalgia!
Ah, this was one of the shows I really really liked. "Look it's a girl, who is a lead character, is smart, has a computer, and expresses what's her mind!" discovering that the actress was actually only four years older than I was also put the show into that head space of "I can do that!"
The checkers really is such a simple yet perfect addition. Looks exactly like an alt girl finding her own style in her space. Made her room even more realistic while being stylized for tv aesthetic.
Boys loved Clarissa too. I just wanted to be her friend, I wasn't even dating yet. I vote for Sam's window ladder being 100% innocent. Their friendship also helped me understand and form platonic female friendships at that age. But she was smart and funny. Is the no purple rule why you put this on a purple background? Punk rock forever, break those rules! Clarissa is very white, but Doug tried to subtly convey that it didn't matter what color you were, even green or blue, people just were their characters.
I didn't notice at the time how white it was, but you don't see it when you're 10. But I lvoe dthis show and also Sister Sister which was on around the same time. I kinda wish there was a crossover haha, just to see the dads interact haha
Just fyi, I know you have the right idea but the “green or blue” comment makes me, as a black person, feel belittled. I don’t want to be included with the impossible and/or alien, I am a person of color but of realistic color. Not to be mocked, although I believe that was not your intention.
@@brittneyriley2648 It's not my place to tell you how to react, but no, that was not the intention,and Star Trek is way ahead of me there, we have been using fill in colors to deal with issues society might otherwise ignore for decades, it is a time honored tradition I am sorry you find offensive.
Another Clarissa-loving-boy checking in. I think I'm probably a little bit older because I had a major crush on her., though. In hindsight, I think it was probably good for me to have such an early crush on such fierce young woman. It imprinted a model of desire that involved agency and independence for the woman early on.
I think this show is the reason why I cannot to this day understand why kids shows can’t seem to find grounding in reality. This was such a good show. I didn’t remember a single episode until you started talking about them and they all came back.
It's not like we didn't have sitcoms not grounded in reality. The kids from Salute Your Shorts would have probably been kicked back home and told not to come back. Family Matters had some weird Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde plot at one point. Pete and Pete was just a wacky and zany show all around. (Plus Little Pete was a menace to all.)
I recall showing my mom an episode of this where Clarissa's mom admitted she was wrong about something. I asked my mom why she couldn't be respectful to me the same way. it worked, my mom changed her attitude towards me for the better after that. it still wasn't perfect.
As someone that grew up in a tiny bedroom with mostly bare walls, clarissa's room was a dream, maybe 2nd best room, number 1 being arnold's from hey arnold, that's a tough one to beat
I can: there is a certain “I like this stuff and I refuse to apologize about it” kind of vibe with the both of them. Up until I found Roses channel, I barely knew about old Sierra games or about some of these older Nick shows, as I’m not a US citizen. But I do enjoy hearing her tell me about what kids in other countries watched while I was in Israel, eating paste and watching Moomintrolls
When this show aired, I was such a nerd and used to write down in a notebook all of the credits that flashed at the beginning of the episode - so I knew Mitchell Kriegman’s name as well as I knew Melissa Joan Hart. Another name I knew very well was Suzanne Collins. So when The Hunger Games came out, I was like “OH MY GOD I KNOW HER.”
@Dave Smiling Coyote I read that last part in Daria's monotone voice in my head, while visualizing Jane next to her, reaching out and grabbing her coffee. Just perfect.
My dad used to call it "Melissa Explains it All" just to drive me crazy. Then when she was on an episode of Nick Arcade and we learned her name actually was Melissa, my 4 year old mind was blown.
When she starred in "Melissa and Joey", her character was called "Mel", and the improbable backstory was that her full name was "Melanie", so we figured that the show took its name from the actors, rather than the characters. 🤯
It truly does not feel like 30 years later for sure, I can still remember watching Nick in my old childhood home on a 13in Sharp CRT with a Commodore 128 hooked to it, just being jealous of the Amiga Clarissa had i her bedroom.
@@CommodoreFan64 I had a little black and white TV in my room at the time, the thing would be the size of today's tablets :). Still had NES hooked up to that, would nag to use the lounge TV which was a 27"
Can't remember where I saw the quote but: "When I was twelve all the eighteen-year-olds looked thirty. Now that I'm thirty all the eighteen-year-olds look twelve."
What is your opinion of “The Secret World of Alex Mack”? I remember seeing a teenage girl accidentally gaining superpowers and the stress that is teenage-life enjoyable and quite dramatic. If you’re going to make a video about it in the future, check it out and share your opinions as well...!
Oh man, Alex Mack! I always enjoyed how shamelessly cheesy but fun that show was and that was the series that made me realize telekinesis was my favorite superpower. I'd love to see it covered on Pushing Up Roses.
"Secret World of Alex Mack" was the first show that addressed why a business might choose to not be so eco-friendly and the reasons were actually valid: the materials are harder to come by, they're more expensive, and they don't always do as good a job as "polluting" materials ('90s, remember). I'd never seen the other side of the argument presented as anything besides "cuz they hatz de Erth!" I really felt for Alex in her dilemma between saving the planet and supporting her friend's business.
I used to love that show too. I think Roses is right about the formative years thing...all these years later and still have celebrity crushes on both Larisa Oleynik and Melissa Joan Hart
For reference, I'm 35. Clarissa Explains It All was one of my favorite shows as a kid. I loved the episode where she wanted to go to a Pearl Jam concert. Oh, you just mentioned that in the video, lol.
I knew in my heart as a kid that Clarissa was giving me something closer to how girls really we were than the rest of television was. So I didn't care when I got s*** for watching a "girls show". Carissa was giving me the MF goods.
“I just build your house!” That tone sounds familiar Old vine: “I didn’t get no sleep cause of Y’all! Y’all not gonna get some sleep cause of me!” Hmmm...
I loved Clarissa Explains It All. She felt like a real person since she had feminine traits as well as masculine. Her relationship with Sam is also a big reason why I love platonic female/male relationships. They can and do exist!
@@davidwilson6577 No way you're getting into fucks with that attitude. Have you considered getting into bucks or sucks first? The prereqs are lower there and you can transfer most of your credits
I remember being so impressed that Clarissa knew how to make her own video games! In fact, seeing that as a kid may have been the first time I realized that video games don't just appear out of nowhere, but are actually created by people. I wonder how many kids were inspired to become game designers because of her?
I remember my girls watching this program while I worked from my home office at my drafting table. They have children now. Years turn into decades amazingly fast...
I went out with a girl called Clarissa once, and on one occasion a ladder appeared at my window when we were in my room. It was only the window cleaner, but sadly, she didn't know the reference. Still, best moment of my life so far.
I don't have many strong memories about the show, but I thought her room was awesome as a kid and would have loved it - including her collection of rims.
Cool fact: The kitchen and living room set for Clarissa Explains It All ended up being redesigned as the indoor set for Gullah Gullah Island. If you watch both TV shows back to back, you will see it. 🤯😲🤯😲
@@kasuraga I guess that Nickelodeon thought that nobody is going to watch both TV shows, so they could get away with it. Either that or they were being extremely CHEAP! 📺🛋😁😂🤑
As a person named Jade I fell even harder in love with Clarissa during that first monologue of her’s in the pilot. This show was so representative of actual 1990s pre-teen/teen life - as crazy as that seems looking at it now.
Hey Roses. This time you hit me from a soft spot. As a geeky male teen who had trouble interacting with the females of my age, I wished that I had a friendship like Clarissa & Sam. I had to wait until senior year of high school for something like that and I believe Clarissa taught me a lot about how to empathize with other people and form strong friendships and relationships.
Weird. I remember thinking that clarissa “wore weird clothes” but I never really thought of it as being a style. I never really thought of her as being typical either. I always kind of assumed she was meant to be “weird”. But I’m not sure the concept of a style even occurred to me as a concept until 4 or 5 years later.
Same. No one in my area growing up had “style” like that unless they were one of the weird kids who were using clothes to be deliberately strange. I still don’t understand fashion, even couture fashion stuff still just looks strange to me.
I’m psyched that I happened to run into this channel! I was a 90’s kid, born in 1987 (Male). “Clarissa Explains It All” was one of my favorite shows growing up. I don’t remember feeling any type of way that the main character was female. Another one of my fav shows that had a female main character was “The Secret World of Alex Mack”. I was OBSESSED with Nickelodeon! The Orlando Studio with the live audience was amazing! Shows like “Guts”, “Wild & Crazy Kids”, “All That”, “What Would You Do?”, “Nick Arcade”, “Legends of the Hidden Temple”, “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”, “Pete & Pete”, “Salute Your Shorts”, “Hey Dude”, “Keenan & Kel”, “Double Dare”, “Hey Arnold”, “Doug”, “Rugrats”, “Rocko’s Modern Life”, “Ahhhh Real Monsters”, “CatDog”, “Angry Beavers”, “Rocket Power”, “The Wild Thornberry’s”, “Allegra’s Window”, “My Brother & Me”, “The Amanda Show”. Every Saturday, I couldn’t wait for “Snick”! Weekdays after school, I had my boy “Stick Stickly”! Kids today have no idea!!! My Father would always come in the room & jokingly make slick remarks making fun of whatever Nickelodeon show I was watching at the time, but I always noticed him sit down & watch “Clarissa Explains It All” anytime I had it on. He was interested & liked that show on the low lol.. I don’t know why this specific night sticks out to me so much, but I had a great childhood growing up. One of my favorite nights was a random night when I was about 7 or 8 in 1994-1995. It was snowing in early December, my family was decorating the house & the tree for Christmas, obviously. A marathon of “Clarissa Explains It All” happened to be on Nickelodeon. I’ll never forget how happy I was that night.. I know it’s random, but this video reminded me of that night lol..
When I was in third grade , we had to hand out Valentines cards. My mom bought Clarissa themed cards for me, because I was a fan of the show. As a boy, i was embarrassed to admit I was fond of a “girl show,” so, I didn’t sign them. Oh, the 90’s
Man I had a crush on Clarissa when i was a kid, got to meet her, Sam, and her parents at Nickelodeon Studios in Florida back when the show was at its peak, one of the biggest highlights of my life.
So lucky >__< The pain I (and other local kids) still feel for living in Orlando and having to hear EVERY DAY that the shows I loved were filmed just ~10mi away in a studio I'd pass by nearly weekly yet never was able to visit. If out in the afternoon I could usually see Slime Time Live being filmed from the highway, it was torture Dx My family was poor like many who work the tourist areas of Orlando/Kissimmee so I'm not upset at them, just at the reality of continuing economic situation. Please always remember to kind to low wage workers. They are truly essential to keeping society fun and functioning.
Clarrisa: The Proto Daria On a more serious note, I do agree about the "girls don't fight boys" thing. Mainly cause my own sister actually got into a few fights with other boys back in school. lol
You shocked me, I could have sworn Daria was on earlier. You are correct, sir. The only appearance of Daria in that era was as a bit character on Beavis and Butthead
I loved watching this show when I was a kid. This, Rugrats (pre-movies and baby Dill), and Pete & Pete were some of my absolute Nickelodeon favorites that helped me form the basis of understanding the human condition.
Clarissa was my jam! I loved her style and everything about her. She was my icon which didn't always sit well with my parents. They wanted me to be what the studio wanted Clarissa to be. Great video. It really makes me want to go back and rewatch and share it with my kids. P.S. She used to go to the restaurant my husband worked at when she would visit her husband's family. She was very nice and a good tipper.
I was always so impressed by Clarissa's mad programming skills as a kid. I've been a professional software engineer for well over a decade now I still can't whip up a sick video game with the speed of Clarissa. She would have made a killing in the early days of the app store!
I'm a guy and I really enjoyed this show as a kid. As an adult I don't remember too much about the show but I do remember Clarissa's mom bringing up gingko trees a lot.
Most of my friends who had cable like me at the time seemed to like it as well. I think it's because it was overly girl power thrown in your face such as a show as Blossom.
same. of course it probably helped my middle-school teacher would sometimes play it instead of us doing coursework. it didn't matter she was a year or two older and a girl; the show was good!
@@adagiobreeze8493 This is a little late, so in the past three weeks you probably figured out the answer to this, but what the hey. The answer to that question is yes. Are You Afraid of the Dark is on Paramount Plus.
Melissa Joan Hart also has this radiance that’s like impossible to look away from...like Daniel Radcliffe in the first HP, Culkin in Home Alone, Gosling in Goosebumps or even a young Billie Eilish, it’s like angelic energy or something. I cannot put my finger on it and never have been able to.
For her getting the awesome name of Clarissa, Ferguson really got the short end of the stick on the name game. lol and her parents were incredibly open to a boy just going up a ladder to her room all the time.
To be fair, they could see the ladder from the kitchen window so they knew when he was visiting (I think there is an episode where the ladder is removed and you see Sam fall in the kitchen window.)
I'll never forget Clarissa Explains It All in my life. When I was a kid, that's what I was watching when my family came into the living room for the first ever family meeting we had ( And last ). I was told to turn off the TV and my parents informed us they were getting a divorce.
*Network:* Clarissa is rude for speaking up against her mom! And girls would NEVER pick up a fight with a boy. *Me:* You’ve never even met a teenage girl before, have you? Edit: (Discovers what you’ve said about formative years.) (Remembers I spent half of mine isolated in the middle of nowhere with no friends, in an unfamiliar country) This explains way too much
ThatLongHairedCreepyGuy Have they never had to deal with one at home? I remember when I was in third grade and hit my bully across the face. My moms response was: “Oh, FINALLY!” Best mom moment of the year. But yeah, I was a horror as a teen and preteen, having horrible fits of rage and sadness. It wasn’t pretty. I’m sure seeing Clarissa back then would’ve helped me, but we had no cable and didn’t live in the US
@ThatLongHairedCreepyGuy Executives do not know the realm called reality. Well they also don't know what innovation or creativity is so they kind of suck at their jobs.
Clarissa was the first thing I ever watched on Nickelodeon. It was the "No TV" episode and it rated highly with me at the time as I'd never before seen anything like it. I ended up watching all the episodes and enjoying them. and then i moved on to Sabrina The Teenage Witch and my family enjoyed watching that as well.
This was a good overview but idk if the tgif lineup had “cookie cutter” fams. Maybe the family from Family Matters but they were a family of color and showing that united family was important. Full House had children being raised with no mom & 3 male parents and Step by Step was a pretty modern blended family of divorced and remarried parents and a live in cousin who was there so he wasn’t homeless. I guess the Dinosaur family was kinda cookie cutter but they were talking dinos sooo yeah .
I think they just meant as far as style choices the families were presented as pretty standard. But to be fair, Kimmy was dressing like a full crackhead throughout all of Full House
I think the actors who played Clarissa's parents cameod in the first season of Sabrina as a married couple with a son who steals Salem "a Girl and Her Cat" or something like that. It wasn't shown in the UK until 1993/1994. A BBC Saturday morning kids variety show (live & kicking) showed it during intermissions of live action stuff. Nickelodeon didn't really take off in the UK until the late 90s. Prior to that is was really low budget neverending reruns of a very small library of programs on a loop, augmented with old Viacom owned non Nickelodeon cartoons. Clarissa definitely was a unique show. Although the UK had shows with teenage girls who were ambitious, opinionated before.. "press gang" amongst others. She was perhaps a refreshing anomaly in the USA however considering the things you mentioned.
my father is an architect and often does oversee the building along with the engineers and such. Pretty sure its fairly common for them to act as construction coordinators on certain smaller jobs.
"miniature shrubbery... I love this stuff." As someone whose choices where 'create tiny bushes from scratch' or 'buy tiny bushes premade', I can respect this mindset.
I too was a little girl when this show first came out and it was one of my favorites. Thanks to my job, I have a free Paramount+ subscription and I can rewatch my old favorite Nick shows. My father also passed away when I was little...when I got older I got more aloof and quiet. Listening to you feels like I am listening to an old friend, you have a new sub from me :)
if you respect your kids and you don't ignore them then what is there to be concerned about? she didn't hide it and would have told him if there was an issue
Honestly the overprotective and nigh murderous "no boys near my daughter" trope deserves to die. It exists, but it isn't healthy, and usually counterproductive.
Thanks so much for doing this video! I feel the same way you do about Clarissa! I once got to visit Nick Studios and just missed being able to go to a taping and honestly have never gotten over it! I’m also gutted that the whole show has never been released on DVD!
so happy you're 1.) a fellow Chicagoan, and 2.) talking about this show. I'm a boy but grew up watching Clarissa and she probably had the best 90's sitcom bedroom ever.
German here: my sister and I loved,loved,loved that show. Clarissa was the reason why I wanted windows to sit in (not so usual in Germany) and today I have a whole reading and cat grooming nook in a bay window. The only live action show I remember that had a natural not presexual relationship between the sexes (even with consented full entry to her bedroom, the sheer trust between them!) Dang, she made me believe that being the ‚kinda strange one‘ was secretly the coolest thing in the world rather than the loneliest. Also, Clarissa was teaching my army-brat half American sister and me some American and teen pop culture, more so than any other ‚perfectly produced and shiny‘ tv show of its time Awwww... such a shame what happened to MJHs career... Now I wonder if you remember .... I think it was called Eerie Indiana? (Two brothers practically living a R.L.Stine story everyday, also a mysterious white haired teen boy to induce Hormon flashes in teengirls, but I don’t remember much more aorn
I love your whole comment. This show made me want a nook too, although I'm in the U.S. so it's a bit more common. Also, I love Eerie Indiana! My mom bought the whole thing on DVD back in 2010, zi believe. We all watched it together in the 90s on Disney Channel.
I was an Army brat in Europe for a while. My father was stationed in Italy. We had mixed language TV from the base and from the city. I would watch Smurfs in whatever language popped up. Melissa Joan Hart was my fashion icons and Eerie Indiana was my favorite show 😄. Also I have a window seat in my bedroom😂
I loved Eerie, Indiana as a kid too! Unfortunately that show didn't last long, but I will forever remember the episode about the mom who put her twin children in tupperware containers at night so that they wouldn't age... such a great, strange show. Also, Omri Katz, who starred in Eerie, Indiana, is the male lead in the 90's halloween classic "Hocus Pocus"
Most folks don’t realize how much “fashion” starts as just what you do when you can’t afford trendy clothes. Why don’t your pants fit? Because they are hand me downs & were bought for my older brother or a cousin...
Brandon Wills I used to hate that I couldn’t afford all the expensive clothes all the other girls were wearing back in the day, because we always shopped at thrift stores but I am now forever thankful I learned how to be like Clarissa and have a unique style all my own. It’s why I identify as creative and probably contributed to why I went into a creative field. And why I love this show, because Clarissa made me feel comfortable to be my true authentic self, just like her! Now I’d much rather set trends than copy them. :)
That would have been unusual, only way I could see it working is if Clarissa now married has a daughter, and they named her Clarissa Jr. and she explains it all in the now modern world.
Ok, I'm a guy and I loved Clarissa! That and P&P were my tween life. I loved her computer, her funky room which I sort have styled my room after. This show had just fantastic writing. Great vid. Thanks for the memories.
I love this 90s fashion style and want it to come back 😂😂😂😂😂
4 роки тому+17
I had never heard of Punky Brewster, but it looks like the 8 year old actress is now returning as the mom in a new show. I like that they went full circle.
Punky was an excellent character on a good show. She had a great relationship with her (uncle? grandfather?), and the show looked at issues like adult illiteracy. Also, a delightful theme song.
@@CuteCuteJames Punky was adopted in the show, her father walked out on her family, then her mother left her at a Chicago shopping center, and drove off, she is then adopted by an old man named George after she was found in his apartment building playing with the neighbor's kid. That's the live action version, they even did an entire episode on the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster, which was really bold thing for kid's sitcom. The cartoon version called It's Punky Brewster had her going on adventures with a "leprechaun gopher". 🤷♂️
The use of the Illuminati checker board pattern & the band famous for the song “Season of the Witch” is a little disturbing. But you got use the Fudge where you can.
I've always loved Clarissa since I was a kid. I've been enjoying re-watching all the episodes on Paramount+. I loved Clarissa's sharp wit and humor, her 4th wall breaks, all the charts/graphs/diagrams/news-style graphics that would appear on screen, all the random cutaway segments, and I especially love all the sound effects and background music. They'd often pay over-the-top dramatic music and sound cues, which really added to the humor and feel of the show (especially Ferguson's dramatic, pompous, presidential fanfare that would play whenever he spoke). Most of the episodes took place basically 99.9% of the time in Clarissa's home, but they were still very entertaining. The show still holds up today as a great early '90s time capsule that is funny and full of charm.
Weird that some people might think that was weird; like... 'Good show was entertaining' is somehow a weird sentiment if the show was made for girls. Like I lot of stuff aimed at girls and somehow thats odd.
Despite probably not being this show's target demographic, being a young black male, I honestly I really enjoyed Clarissa Explains It All. The way she broke the 4th wall and talked to the audience made it seem like she was my friend. And I definitely thought she was very cool. It never felt like it was a "girls show" to me, it was just another show for kids, and I was a kid, so I thought it was for me.
I agree. I am 3 years younger than MJH and I remember watching the show for all 5 years. I really enjoyed it.
Ditto, friend, was one of my favorites as a young, white dude. It was just clever and fun and masculine/feminine never occurred to me. Though I was geeky and into stories - I’ll admit my football-loving social circle may have been a tough sell on the show.
Omg, she was effectively Youtubing. How did I never notice that?
Well if you benefit from it, it is for you!
My mom called me gay for liking it. Yeah, my "history" says otherwise lmao.
It's almost like.... They treated her as a human with complex emotions and styles
perish the thought!
BITE YOUR TONGUE, HIERATIC!
Who knew that would be a good idea.
Crazy concept, eh?
Shocking, I know! I mean who knew females were more than animated objects!
The thing with the bedroom set makes sense. Its originally decorated when she's about 10 (pink, floral, mostly picked by the parents). By the time she's 13/14 she's going to want to personalise it (black checkers, hubcaps). Also a really lovely hint to the parents being cool with their teenager expressing their personality.
Also the checkers look like they were painted by hand, in story maybe by Clarissa herself?
And it's very realistic that's she's working with what she already has (e.g. drawing checkers on the wallpaper) instead of her parents paying for a complete room renovation. Other teenagers on TV always seem to have huge rooms that are perfectly furnished and decorated in the current style and I always wonder how they can afford that lol
Yeah...my parents were smarter than that, when it was time to replace the bunk beds, they convinced me and my sister to pick furniture we would be cool with as teens, too, plus, they are fans of white walls, because they can be decorated however you want easily. But a lot of parents, they don't like the idea that their little girl will grow up eventually.
While watching the show I never noticed that the checkers were painted by hand over pink and floral. I totally feel her there. My childhood room was decorated in white and rainbows, and when I was a teen my parents never listened to my pleas to redecorate it.
@@Radien I don't really remember seeing that earlier... it's possible that the background details (like the floral pattern) didn't really show up on our box TV's of the time, lol.
Hey I was on Clarissa as the friend "Olivia Dupris" and had a great time filming it. I'm glad to here your spin on it. I was definitely thinking recently that Clarissa was the "original influencer"!!!
Hey Olivia, Clifford here! 😉
cool, you are right she was
I wonder how Rudy takes Your Spin 👀
I loved how the best friend came in through the window and everyone one was like, 'Hey Sam.' and went with it. Sure the parents would have preferred he came in through the front door. But it was never a big issue that a boy was alone in their daughters room. This kind of Platonic relationship between boys and girls wasn't shown very often in tv shows.
As a girl who had male friends growing up, it's exhausting when everyone assumes there's a romantic thing going on just because you're opposite gender
Mitchell Kriegman
: "NO PURPLE"
Roses: Uses a purple background
On set?
Yes I noticed that too lol
Ain't I a stinker?
@@pushinguproses
Yes, yes you are. Which is pretty stinking awesome.
Stinker? Stinking awesome? Did you catch that? Did you see what I did there? Did you see how stinking clever I am?
Stinking clever!
See? I did it again!
Ok...I'm done now.
I approve of this choice.
I remember seeing this show as a kid and thinking, “wow, girls can be cool too?” It’s so weird that girls in sitcoms were portrayed as so boring and one-dimensional, like they were springboards to incite situations rather than being people situations happen to. I imagine seeing Clarissa educated boys like me as much as it helped girls like Roses.
The chick from Family Matters was also fairly sarcastic and long-suffering come to think of it. And there was Sister Sister. I never watched Beverly Hills 90210.
Sometimes when I see shows that I've watched as a kid I'm freaked out about how young the actors look because apparently I was aging them up in my head as I age.
That said I'm really glad to hear this show held up and actually broke some molds back in the day.
Seeing her so young on Clarissa startles me, because I'm used to seeing Melissa Joan Hart as a teenager on Sabrina, so she looks too young when she's an actual teenager on Clarissa!
I'm always surprised when I look up ages of people from old shows and find they're like a year or two from mine. They seemed so much older when I was younger.
Lost in Nostal-tation
Loved Clarissa! I think it's true that there are very few good shows that show realistic teenage girls, especially as a lead. Even now. I might have liked Blossom just as much but it wasn't as available in the UK. I loved Clarissa's wardrobe too. It's interesting how groundbreaking the character was at the time, and how to execs thought it was so shocking how her family interacted. I thought they were amazingly nice to each other! It's nice to see a breakdown about it and that others have fond memories so thanks for the happy wave of nostalgia!
That, and actually have teens played by teens, not 23 to 30 year-olds; it seems to set the tone a bit better and not feel as hokey.
Ah, this was one of the shows I really really liked. "Look it's a girl, who is a lead character, is smart, has a computer, and expresses what's her mind!" discovering that the actress was actually only four years older than I was also put the show into that head space of "I can do that!"
The checkers really is such a simple yet perfect addition. Looks exactly like an alt girl finding her own style in her space. Made her room even more realistic while being stylized for tv aesthetic.
How did we not get the"Sam's ladder" guitar riff even once in this episode???
That still plays in my head every time I or someone else says "Hi Sam." Haha
Exactly!
@@millerhxc Someone needs to edit a cut of Lord of the Rings with the Sam's ladder guitar riff
I'm glad you took away such an important thought from this video.
@@pushinguproses OMG, you were actually trying to push an agenda with this vid.
I spent this whole video staring at Clarissa’s outfits and wanting to copy them
Boys loved Clarissa too. I just wanted to be her friend, I wasn't even dating yet. I vote for Sam's window ladder being 100% innocent. Their friendship also helped me understand and form platonic female friendships at that age. But she was smart and funny. Is the no purple rule why you put this on a purple background? Punk rock forever, break those rules! Clarissa is very white, but Doug tried to subtly convey that it didn't matter what color you were, even green or blue, people just were their characters.
Great attitude, need more guys like you.
I didn't notice at the time how white it was, but you don't see it when you're 10. But I lvoe dthis show and also Sister Sister which was on around the same time.
I kinda wish there was a crossover haha, just to see the dads interact haha
Just fyi, I know you have the right idea but the “green or blue” comment makes me, as a black person, feel belittled. I don’t want to be included with the impossible and/or alien, I am a person of color but of realistic color. Not to be mocked, although I believe that was not your intention.
@@brittneyriley2648 It's not my place to tell you how to react, but no, that was not the intention,and Star Trek is way ahead of me there, we have been using fill in colors to deal with issues society might otherwise ignore for decades, it is a time honored tradition I am sorry you find offensive.
Another Clarissa-loving-boy checking in. I think I'm probably a little bit older because I had a major crush on her., though. In hindsight, I think it was probably good for me to have such an early crush on such fierce young woman. It imprinted a model of desire that involved agency and independence for the woman early on.
I think this show is the reason why I cannot to this day understand why kids shows can’t seem to find grounding in reality. This was such a good show. I didn’t remember a single episode until you started talking about them and they all came back.
It's not like we didn't have sitcoms not grounded in reality. The kids from Salute Your Shorts would have probably been kicked back home and told not to come back. Family Matters had some weird Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde plot at one point. Pete and Pete was just a wacky and zany show all around. (Plus Little Pete was a menace to all.)
I recall showing my mom an episode of this where Clarissa's mom admitted she was wrong about something. I asked my mom why she couldn't be respectful to me the same way. it worked, my mom changed her attitude towards me for the better after that. it still wasn't perfect.
"Apparent, haha A PARENT GET IT!!"
Never change Roses, never change
your parents got it on
As someone that grew up in a tiny bedroom with mostly bare walls, clarissa's room was a dream, maybe 2nd best room, number 1 being arnold's from hey arnold, that's a tough one to beat
I always wanted Arnold's room, honestly I still do.
Canal 5?
And same Arnolds room was amazing
That's hardly a fair comparison; one room is actually realistic and one is a dream room for grown adults. May as well include the Bat Cave.
@@BWMagus not really... everything he had in the room was a possibility. just very expensive.
I see a lot of Clarissa in Roses. It's hard for me to explain it.
Lots of 90s 'tude lol
I can: there is a certain “I like this stuff and I refuse to apologize about it” kind of vibe with the both of them.
Up until I found Roses channel, I barely knew about old Sierra games or about some of these older Nick shows, as I’m not a US citizen. But I do enjoy hearing her tell me about what kids in other countries watched while I was in Israel, eating paste and watching Moomintrolls
@@Grim_Sister As an American with an Israeli dad, I love the way my childhood included both these and Rose's experiences💜
You might have been able to explain it if you were Clarissa.
I’m surprised she didn’t mention one notable member of the writing staff: Suzanne Collins of Hunger Games fame. When I learned that it blew my mind.
somehow, that explains possibly too much
WAIT.... WHAT?!!!
I just found that out, and my mind is blown, too.
When this show aired, I was such a nerd and used to write down in a notebook all of the credits that flashed at the beginning of the episode - so I knew Mitchell Kriegman’s name as well as I knew Melissa Joan Hart. Another name I knew very well was Suzanne Collins. So when The Hunger Games came out, I was like “OH MY GOD I KNOW HER.”
PushingUpRoses: "Clarissa was sarcastic and snarky."
Daria: "Hold my coffee..."
Clarissa walked so that Daria could run... both girls were fundamental to my childhood.
@@nix2747 🤣👍🏾
@Dave Smiling Coyote
I read that last part in Daria's monotone voice in my head, while visualizing Jane next to her, reaching out and grabbing her coffee.
Just perfect.
Yay! I loved both these shows.
I just recently binged Daria as I was still a bit too young to understand her when it aired and just lol I read it in her voice.
My dad used to call it "Melissa Explains it All" just to drive me crazy. Then when she was on an episode of Nick Arcade and we learned her name actually was Melissa, my 4 year old mind was blown.
Oh, wow, my mom did the same thing. Annoying parents on the same vibe.
My mom used to say, Clarissa the teenage know-it-all. I hated it.
When she starred in "Melissa and Joey", her character was called "Mel", and the improbable backstory was that her full name was "Melanie", so we figured that the show took its name from the actors, rather than the characters. 🤯
Man the 90s, what a weird time. Still doesn't feel like it was almost 30 years ago.
It truly does not feel like 30 years later for sure, I can still remember watching Nick in my old childhood home on a 13in Sharp CRT with a Commodore 128 hooked to it, just being jealous of the Amiga Clarissa had i her bedroom.
That's for sure. I'm pushing 27 and it doesn't feel like that much time has passed at all. :/
I'm turning 30 in January. How?!
@@Aster_Risk time :( I'm 39 this year.
@@CommodoreFan64 I had a little black and white TV in my room at the time, the thing would be the size of today's tablets :). Still had NES hooked up to that, would nag to use the lounge TV which was a 27"
When i was a kid clarissa and sean seemed so much older. now looking back they look like children. LOL.
I know, right? I had to pause the vid to take a moment to reconcile my memory of the show and the reality.
Can't remember where I saw the quote but: "When I was twelve all the eighteen-year-olds looked thirty. Now that I'm thirty all the eighteen-year-olds look twelve."
@@MuffinHunterX Maybe because all the "teen" movies and sitcoms typically cast 30 year olds.
I had the same moment with that clip of Punky Brewster.
same
"I was easy to babysit before, and now I am impossible to babysit." - I can relate to that _so_ much.
I’m a guy and I never missed an episode of Clarissa Explains it all. What a stroll down memory lane.
"What is she? Possessed by the devil?"
It's a sure bet that the cameraman didn't have daughters...
But he probably knew about the Illuminati/Masonic use of the checker board pattern.
Or he did and thought his were possessed by the devil.
Given teenagers in general, it's ENTIRELY unbelievable.
The devil is into ska, apparently.
Chris Lauderdale - Guess that’s why he killed Bradley Nowell. Damn you satan!
Well she did dream about making her brother spontaneously combust.
What is your opinion of “The Secret World of Alex Mack”? I remember seeing a teenage girl accidentally gaining superpowers and the stress that is teenage-life enjoyable and quite dramatic.
If you’re going to make a video about it in the future, check it out and share your opinions as well...!
I loved SW of Alex Mack! I was really into the shows they intended for young ladies, should’ve been a hint I suppose.
Oh man, Alex Mack! I always enjoyed how shamelessly cheesy but fun that show was and that was the series that made me realize telekinesis was my favorite superpower. I'd love to see it covered on Pushing Up Roses.
"Secret World of Alex Mack" was the first show that addressed why a business might choose to not be so eco-friendly and the reasons were actually valid: the materials are harder to come by, they're more expensive, and they don't always do as good a job as "polluting" materials ('90s, remember). I'd never seen the other side of the argument presented as anything besides "cuz they hatz de Erth!" I really felt for Alex in her dilemma between saving the planet and supporting her friend's business.
I have the dvds
I used to love that show too. I think Roses is right about the formative years thing...all these years later and still have celebrity crushes on both Larisa Oleynik and Melissa Joan Hart
YES! she was SO influential to me growing up. I emulated so much about Clarissa and it really influenced how I approached life as I grew up.
Just one tiny remark: Technically, an architect doesn't build a house. He merely designs it. A contracter builds it.
Thank
For reference, I'm 35. Clarissa Explains It All was one of my favorite shows as a kid. I loved the episode where she wanted to go to a Pearl Jam concert.
Oh, you just mentioned that in the video, lol.
I'm turning 40 in 2 weeks and I LOVED Clarissa!!
*Me, a person who's favorite color is purple:* "So, he's chosen death"
I might have quit the production right then and there had I been working at Nickelodeon.
well, not really, but I would have been salty about it.
Your favorite color is green.
@ran ran Yes, Nabeshin is the awesome sauce
@ran ran Excel Saga fan checking in!
I knew in my heart as a kid that Clarissa was giving me something closer to how girls really we were than the rest of television was. So I didn't care when I got s*** for watching a "girls show". Carissa was giving me the MF goods.
“I just build your house!”
That tone sounds familiar
Old vine: “I didn’t get no sleep cause of Y’all! Y’all not gonna get some sleep cause of me!”
Hmmm...
It was the early 90s, so it would have most likely been "Mama Said Knock You Out" by L. L. Cool J
I loved Clarissa Explains It All. She felt like a real person since she had feminine traits as well as masculine. Her relationship with Sam is also a big reason why I love platonic female/male relationships. They can and do exist!
Yes!
Carissa’s room is like the ultimate Generation X’s bedroom. Some kind of 20 something Generation X or probably be doing.
"Of course girls aren't sweet little angels that don't burb or get into fu-" *ad plays*
Wait what!?
*ad ends* "-nto fights."
Oh.
Hahaha, same.
I time my ads so well.
Wait, what does 'get into fucks' mean?
@@davidwilson6577 No way you're getting into fucks with that attitude. Have you considered getting into bucks or sucks first? The prereqs are lower there and you can transfer most of your credits
I remember being so impressed that Clarissa knew how to make her own video games! In fact, seeing that as a kid may have been the first time I realized that video games don't just appear out of nowhere, but are actually created by people. I wonder how many kids were inspired to become game designers because of her?
"Miniature shrubbery. I love this!"
Alright, Clarissa's Dad is basically the best.
I loved him. He actually felt like a real dad.
My reaction when he said that was, “Me too!”
Space Coyote Same!!! 😂
I remember my girls watching this program while I worked from my home office at my drafting table.
They have children now.
Years turn into decades amazingly fast...
I went out with a girl called Clarissa once, and on one occasion a ladder appeared at my window when we were in my room. It was only the window cleaner, but sadly, she didn't know the reference. Still, best moment of my life so far.
XD
I wanted her room so bad as a child. Clarissa was everything.
Including a creeper who crawls through her window!
I STILL want her phone! It is so cool. I also remember thinking that having your own phone in your ROOM was just the most amazing thing ever!!!
I don't have many strong memories about the show, but I thought her room was awesome as a kid and would have loved it - including her collection of rims.
Either her's or Arnold's from Hey Arnold
Cool fact: The kitchen and living room set for Clarissa Explains It All ended up being redesigned as the indoor set for Gullah Gullah Island. If you watch both TV shows back to back, you will see it.
🤯😲🤯😲
I only really remember one episode of Gullah Gullah Island, and I can see it now. That's really cool!
@@SirChubbyBunny I know right. When I was it blew my mind. Once you see it, you can't unsee it! 😲🤯😲🤯😁
That's why it looked so familiar
i didnt even watch gullah gullah island but saw just enough of it to go "holy shit youre right" didnt even need to look it up lol
@@kasuraga I guess that Nickelodeon thought that nobody is going to watch both TV shows, so they could get away with it. Either that or they were being extremely CHEAP!
📺🛋😁😂🤑
Are you gonna do "the secret World of Alex Mac"? I watched a ton of all those shows as a kid
Oh yes please!
I had such a crush on Alex back then
@@cellgames808 🤣 I did too 😆
I believe we all had a crush on Alex Mack. Larisa Oleynick was an absolute doll
That show was amazing to me, never missed it yet BARELY remember it
"Exweeze-me? Baking powder?"
aight, you cool
As a person named Jade I fell even harder in love with Clarissa during that first monologue of her’s in the pilot.
This show was so representative of actual 1990s pre-teen/teen life - as crazy as that seems looking at it now.
Hey Roses. This time you hit me from a soft spot.
As a geeky male teen who had trouble interacting with the females of my age, I wished that I had a friendship like Clarissa & Sam. I had to wait until senior year of high school for something like that and I believe Clarissa taught me a lot about how to empathize with other people and form strong friendships and relationships.
Weird. I remember thinking that clarissa “wore weird clothes” but I never really thought of it as being a style. I never really thought of her as being typical either. I always kind of assumed she was meant to be “weird”. But I’m not sure the concept of a style even occurred to me as a concept until 4 or 5 years later.
Yeah i just thought she was supposed to be a weirdo that dressed funny
Same. No one in my area growing up had “style” like that unless they were one of the weird kids who were using clothes to be deliberately strange. I still don’t understand fashion, even couture fashion stuff still just looks strange to me.
At that time everyone was wearing Adidas tracksuit bottoms and Sweater Shop jumpers at my high school in the UK. Clarrisa looked far out to me.
I still get that song stuck in my head on a routine basis
hey cool
I’m psyched that I happened to run into this channel! I was a 90’s kid, born in 1987 (Male).
“Clarissa Explains It All” was one of my favorite shows growing up. I don’t remember feeling any type of way that the main character was female. Another one of my fav shows that had a female main character was “The Secret World of Alex Mack”. I was OBSESSED with Nickelodeon! The Orlando Studio with the live audience was amazing! Shows like “Guts”, “Wild & Crazy Kids”, “All That”, “What Would You Do?”, “Nick Arcade”, “Legends of the Hidden Temple”, “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”, “Pete & Pete”, “Salute Your Shorts”, “Hey Dude”, “Keenan & Kel”, “Double Dare”, “Hey Arnold”, “Doug”, “Rugrats”, “Rocko’s Modern Life”, “Ahhhh Real Monsters”, “CatDog”, “Angry Beavers”, “Rocket Power”, “The Wild Thornberry’s”, “Allegra’s Window”, “My Brother & Me”, “The Amanda Show”. Every Saturday, I couldn’t wait for “Snick”! Weekdays after school, I had my boy “Stick Stickly”! Kids today have no idea!!!
My Father would always come in the room & jokingly make slick remarks making fun of whatever Nickelodeon show I was watching at the time, but I always noticed him sit down & watch “Clarissa Explains It All” anytime I had it on. He was interested & liked that show on the low lol.. I don’t know why this specific night sticks out to me so much, but I had a great childhood growing up. One of my favorite nights was a random night when I was about 7 or 8 in 1994-1995. It was snowing in early December, my family was decorating the house & the tree for Christmas, obviously. A marathon of “Clarissa Explains It All” happened to be on Nickelodeon. I’ll never forget how happy I was that night.. I know it’s random, but this video reminded me of that night lol..
No Ren and Stimpy the disrespect
When I was in third grade , we had to hand out Valentines cards. My mom bought Clarissa themed cards for me, because I was a fan of the show. As a boy, i was embarrassed to admit I was fond of a “girl show,” so, I didn’t sign them. Oh, the 90’s
Man I had a crush on Clarissa when i was a kid, got to meet her, Sam, and her parents at Nickelodeon Studios in Florida back when the show was at its peak, one of the biggest highlights of my life.
Very cool! I'd love to hear more about that experience.
So lucky >__< The pain I (and other local kids) still feel for living in Orlando and having to hear EVERY DAY that the shows I loved were filmed just ~10mi away in a studio I'd pass by nearly weekly yet never was able to visit. If out in the afternoon I could usually see Slime Time Live being filmed from the highway, it was torture Dx
My family was poor like many who work the tourist areas of Orlando/Kissimmee so I'm not upset at them, just at the reality of continuing economic situation. Please always remember to kind to low wage workers. They are truly essential to keeping society fun and functioning.
Clarrisa: The Proto Daria
On a more serious note, I do agree about the "girls don't fight boys" thing. Mainly cause my own sister actually got into a few fights with other boys back in school. lol
You shocked me, I could have sworn Daria was on earlier. You are correct, sir. The only appearance of Daria in that era was as a bit character on Beavis and Butthead
I loved fistfights with boys when I was 8,9,10
Clarissa was like Jane and Daria in one person :D
@@Philemaphobia Yes! The perfect mixture!
I loved watching this show when I was a kid. This, Rugrats (pre-movies and baby Dill), and Pete & Pete were some of my absolute Nickelodeon favorites that helped me form the basis of understanding the human condition.
What aboot _Snizz & Fondue?_
Clarissa was my jam! I loved her style and everything about her. She was my icon which didn't always sit well with my parents. They wanted me to be what the studio wanted Clarissa to be. Great video. It really makes me want to go back and rewatch and share it with my kids.
P.S. She used to go to the restaurant my husband worked at when she would visit her husband's family. She was very nice and a good tipper.
I was always so impressed by Clarissa's mad programming skills as a kid. I've been a professional software engineer for well over a decade now I still can't whip up a sick video game with the speed of Clarissa. She would have made a killing in the early days of the app store!
I'm a guy and I really enjoyed this show as a kid. As an adult I don't remember too much about the show but I do remember Clarissa's mom bringing up gingko trees a lot.
Most of my friends who had cable like me at the time seemed to like it as well. I think it's because it was overly girl power thrown in your face such as a show as Blossom.
same. of course it probably helped my middle-school teacher would sometimes play it instead of us doing coursework. it didn't matter she was a year or two older and a girl; the show was good!
Her mother also put Tofu in everything and I thought: "Ugh. What is Tofu?" back then^^
I posted this video on Melissa Joan Hart's Facebook page. Hopefully she will watch it.
Hopefully she'll also apologize for indoctrinating people through fear mongering right wing propaganda pieces😂
@@c7261 That'd be pretty cool too, yeah.
@@c7261 That'd be great!
Clarissa Explains it all and Adventures of Pete and Pete were two of my favorite shows of that era. Both have the best themes too
Nickelodeon really needs to create a streaming service, they had all the best kid shows
Paramount plus has this show among many other nick sitcoms and there classic cartoons
@@kaisarr7632 do they have Are you afraid of the Dark?
@@adagiobreeze8493 This is a little late, so in the past three weeks you probably figured out the answer to this, but what the hey. The answer to that question is yes. Are You Afraid of the Dark is on Paramount Plus.
Melissa Joan Hart also has this radiance that’s like impossible to look away from...like Daniel Radcliffe in the first HP, Culkin in Home Alone, Gosling in Goosebumps or even a young Billie Eilish, it’s like angelic energy or something. I cannot put my finger on it and never have been able to.
Mellisa Joan Hart, the first girl I thought was "cute".
Mine was the girl who worked at the comicbook shop in the episode of "Are You Afraid of the Dark", "The Tale of the Ghastly Grinner". Grrrr! 😍
Now she's in Pureflix propaganda like God's Not Dead 2
Don’t think it was ever a crush or romantic but I always liked her aunts more.
And of course Salem.
I agree, she was my first TV girl crush, so adorable!
@@ozmarichardson6524 They probably offered her quite a paycheck...
Born in 89, watched Nickelodeon almost exclusively. This one hit.
For her getting the awesome name of Clarissa, Ferguson really got the short end of the stick on the name game.
lol and her parents were incredibly open to a boy just going up a ladder to her room all the time.
To be fair, they could see the ladder from the kitchen window so they knew when he was visiting (I think there is an episode where the ladder is removed and you see Sam fall in the kitchen window.)
@@avantikashaha7959 Because her folks are always in the kitchen?
@@lazyhomebody1356 they are frequently in the kitchen.
@@avantikashaha7959 And I guess they would spot the ladder
@@lazyhomebody1356 Janet really is in the kitchen a LOT. It’s a clever trick tbh by the writers of the show to allow Sam to intercept at any time.
This is barely connected to the video sorry but is it weird that I thought BOTH Sabrina's aunts were hot? O_O
I was a weird kid.
Most actresses are attractive. But I don’t remember the aunts so it could be both.
I was right there with you on that score.
I'll never forget Clarissa Explains It All in my life. When I was a kid, that's what I was watching when my family came into the living room for the first ever family meeting we had ( And last ). I was told to turn off the TV and my parents informed us they were getting a divorce.
*Network:* Clarissa is rude for speaking up against her mom! And girls would NEVER pick up a fight with a boy.
*Me:* You’ve never even met a teenage girl before, have you?
Edit: (Discovers what you’ve said about formative years.)
(Remembers I spent half of mine isolated in the middle of nowhere with no friends, in an unfamiliar country)
This explains way too much
ThatLongHairedCreepyGuy Have they never had to deal with one at home?
I remember when I was in third grade and hit my bully across the face. My moms response was: “Oh, FINALLY!”
Best mom moment of the year.
But yeah, I was a horror as a teen and preteen, having horrible fits of rage and sadness. It wasn’t pretty. I’m sure seeing Clarissa back then would’ve helped me, but we had no cable and didn’t live in the US
@ThatLongHairedCreepyGuy Executives do not know the realm called reality. Well they also don't know what innovation or creativity is so they kind of suck at their jobs.
NETWORK: I don't know. *slime is dropped on their head*
GRIMSISTER: Oh right this would of been in 1990.
They aren't talking about real teenage girls, they're talking about their fantasy teenage girls
I think producers said the same shit about Juno, because she was so sassy
I remember liking this show as a kid, even though I would have rather watched cartoons.
Still would in fact.
Blossom’s hats were accurate though. So many terrible 90’s childhood photos of me in dumb hats.
The Keith Haring art in this show still warms my heart.
I never appreciated how spot on the casting of Clarissa's mother was
Clarissa was the first thing I ever watched on Nickelodeon. It was the "No TV" episode and it rated highly with me at the time as I'd never before seen anything like it. I ended up watching all the episodes and enjoying them. and then i moved on to Sabrina The Teenage Witch and my family enjoyed watching that as well.
This week on PushingUpRoses, at least 25% of every crush I had as a kid.
When's the Alex Mack episode and Sister Sister?
I had a crush on Sam. Ha ha ha.
LOL my little sister's name is Paisley, and I agree.
This was a good overview but idk if the tgif lineup had “cookie cutter” fams. Maybe the family from Family Matters but they were a family of color and showing that united family was important. Full House had children being raised with no mom & 3 male parents and Step by Step was a pretty modern blended family of divorced and remarried parents and a live in cousin who was there so he wasn’t homeless. I guess the Dinosaur family was kinda cookie cutter but they were talking dinos sooo yeah .
I think they just meant as far as style choices the families were presented as pretty standard. But to be fair, Kimmy was dressing like a full crackhead throughout all of Full House
I think the actors who played Clarissa's parents cameod in the first season of Sabrina as a married couple with a son who steals Salem "a Girl and Her Cat" or something like that.
It wasn't shown in the UK until 1993/1994. A BBC Saturday morning kids variety show (live & kicking) showed it during intermissions of live action stuff.
Nickelodeon didn't really take off in the UK until the late 90s. Prior to that is was really low budget neverending reruns of a very small library of programs on a loop, augmented with old Viacom owned non Nickelodeon cartoons. Clarissa definitely was a unique show. Although the UK had shows with teenage girls who were ambitious, opinionated before.. "press gang" amongst others. She was perhaps a refreshing anomaly in the USA however considering the things you mentioned.
I really liked the personal monologue. Most UA-cam essayists try to remove themselves from the material as much as possible.
Adds a special touch to the material huh?
Technically architects design your house not build it.
"Architects draw your house" isn't as clear about how that's a job.
my father is an architect and often does oversee the building along with the engineers and such. Pretty sure its fairly common for them to act as construction coordinators on certain smaller jobs.
"miniature shrubbery... I love this stuff."
As someone whose choices where 'create tiny bushes from scratch' or 'buy tiny bushes premade', I can respect this mindset.
I was so obsessed with this show back in the day. Thank you for making this video.
I too was a little girl when this show first came out and it was one of my favorites. Thanks to my job, I have a free Paramount+ subscription and I can rewatch my old favorite Nick shows.
My father also passed away when I was little...when I got older I got more aloof and quiet. Listening to you feels like I am listening to an old friend, you have a new sub from me :)
I wrote Clarissa Explains It All fanfic in my notebooks! Well, we'd call it fanfic today, but at the time I was five
I wanted nothing more than to have a compilation of the games the Clarissa made to play on my own PC
Clarissa's dad was SURPRISINGLY cool with a boy entering and leaving his daughter's room via a ladder.
ChesuMori maybe he thought Sam was gay
if you respect your kids and you don't ignore them then what is there to be concerned about? she didn't hide it and would have told him if there was an issue
Honestly the overprotective and nigh murderous "no boys near my daughter" trope deserves to die. It exists, but it isn't healthy, and usually counterproductive.
@@technopoptart Yeah. Her dad actually respected her. Another strange concept even 30 years later.
@@Aster_Risk which is incredibly depressing
Thanks so much for doing this video! I feel the same way you do about Clarissa! I once got to visit Nick Studios and just missed being able to go to a taping and honestly have never gotten over it! I’m also gutted that the whole show has never been released on DVD!
this show was even a favorite among guys in my school who had cable, as it was never too overly girly.
"THESE ARE MEMORIES FROZEN IN TIME, PEOPLE!!!"
🙂
Me, a boy who loved this show: *squees at notification*
What a wonderful retrospective. I played Clifford on the show and a friend told me about this today. Great work!
so happy you're 1.) a fellow Chicagoan, and 2.) talking about this show. I'm a boy but grew up watching Clarissa and she probably had the best 90's sitcom bedroom ever.
German here: my sister and I loved,loved,loved that show. Clarissa was the reason why I wanted windows to sit in (not so usual in Germany) and today I have a whole reading and cat grooming nook in a bay window. The only live action show I remember that had a natural not presexual relationship between the sexes (even with consented full entry to her bedroom, the sheer trust between them!)
Dang, she made me believe that being the ‚kinda strange one‘ was secretly the coolest thing in the world rather than the loneliest. Also, Clarissa was teaching my army-brat half American sister and me some American and teen pop culture, more so than any other ‚perfectly produced and shiny‘ tv show of its time
Awwww... such a shame what happened to MJHs career...
Now I wonder if you remember .... I think it was called Eerie Indiana? (Two brothers practically living a R.L.Stine story everyday, also a mysterious white haired teen boy to induce Hormon flashes in teengirls, but I don’t remember much more aorn
I love your whole comment. This show made me want a nook too, although I'm in the U.S. so it's a bit more common.
Also, I love Eerie Indiana! My mom bought the whole thing on DVD back in 2010, zi believe. We all watched it together in the 90s on Disney Channel.
I was an Army brat in Europe for a while. My father was stationed in Italy. We had mixed language TV from the base and from the city. I would watch Smurfs in whatever language popped up. Melissa Joan Hart was my fashion icons and Eerie Indiana was my favorite show 😄. Also I have a window seat in my bedroom😂
I loved Eerie, Indiana as a kid too! Unfortunately that show didn't last long, but I will forever remember the episode about the mom who put her twin children in tupperware containers at night so that they wouldn't age... such a great, strange show. Also, Omri Katz, who starred in Eerie, Indiana, is the male lead in the 90's halloween classic "Hocus Pocus"
I dressed like that because when you shop thrift, you learn to mix and match!
Most folks don’t realize how much “fashion” starts as just what you do when you can’t afford trendy clothes. Why don’t your pants fit? Because they are hand me downs & were bought for my older brother or a cousin...
Brandon Wills I used to hate that I couldn’t afford all the expensive clothes all the other girls were wearing back in the day, because we always shopped at thrift stores but I am now forever thankful I learned how to be like Clarissa and have a unique style all my own. It’s why I identify as creative and probably contributed to why I went into a creative field. And why I love this show, because Clarissa made me feel comfortable to be my true authentic self, just like her! Now I’d much rather set trends than copy them. :)
Checking out Melissa's IMDB.
Top of the list : Untitled Clarissa Explains It All Reboot (TV Series) (announced) - Clarissa Darling (rumored)
Yeah it never went forward, especially after Brian Robbins took over
That would have been unusual, only way I could see it working is if Clarissa now married has a daughter, and they named her Clarissa Jr. and she explains it all in the now modern world.
monopoman It would’ve been a Raven’s Home type of thing. It wouldn’t have been called Clarissa Explains It All if it actually developed
Ok, I'm a guy and I loved Clarissa! That and P&P were my tween life. I loved her computer, her funky room which I sort have styled my room after. This show had just fantastic writing. Great vid. Thanks for the memories.
I love this 90s fashion style and want it to come back 😂😂😂😂😂
I had never heard of Punky Brewster, but it looks like the 8 year old actress is now returning as the mom in a new show. I like that they went full circle.
Punky was an excellent character on a good show. She had a great relationship with her (uncle? grandfather?), and the show looked at issues like adult illiteracy. Also, a delightful theme song.
Also didn't she go onto Sabrina?
@@Animefreakess yes! I was just going to say that! She was on Sabrina for about two or three seasons. I also adored Punky when I was growing up.
@@CuteCuteJames Punky was adopted in the show, her father walked out on her family, then her mother left her at a Chicago shopping center, and drove off, she is then adopted by an old man named George after she was found in his apartment building playing with the neighbor's kid. That's the live action version, they even did an entire episode on the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster, which was really bold thing for kid's sitcom. The cartoon version called It's Punky Brewster had her going on adventures with a "leprechaun gopher". 🤷♂️
@@CommodoreFan64 Wild.
This show was incredible and as a straight, white male enjoyed it immensely.
she is officially the coolest just for liking They Might Be Giants
“Whose favorite band is Vanilla Fudge?” _slowly raises hand_
The use of the Illuminati checker board pattern & the band famous for the song “Season of the Witch” is a little disturbing. But you got use the Fudge where you can.
I've always loved Clarissa since I was a kid. I've been enjoying re-watching all the episodes on Paramount+. I loved Clarissa's sharp wit and humor, her 4th wall breaks, all the charts/graphs/diagrams/news-style graphics that would appear on screen, all the random cutaway segments, and I especially love all the sound effects and background music. They'd often pay over-the-top dramatic music and sound cues, which really added to the humor and feel of the show (especially Ferguson's dramatic, pompous, presidential fanfare that would play whenever he spoke). Most of the episodes took place basically 99.9% of the time in Clarissa's home, but they were still very entertaining. The show still holds up today as a great early '90s time capsule that is funny and full of charm.
I'm a straight, cis-gendered male and grew up loving this show.
Weird that some people might think that was weird; like... 'Good show was entertaining' is somehow a weird sentiment if the show was made for girls. Like I lot of stuff aimed at girls and somehow thats odd.
Hell yeah! My dad loved this show and watched it with me and my two sisters growing up.
In the same way I can enjoy shows like Boy Meets World without being a boy myself. Go figure!
Remember when they did an episode of Ferguson Explains it All???? My cousin Mike was so excited he taped it on VHS 😂
what does your gender identity and sexual orientation have to do with liking a kids show?