How Puppet Sitcoms Changed My Outlook on Life

Graduating from college is supposed to be one of the happiest moments of your life. Before that moment I believed that I was going to go out and change the world for the better, but in reality, I ended up falling into a state of depression. Applying for 10 jobs a day and not hearing back at all, I sought comfort in the form of puppet sitcoms. That comfort did not only come from that nostalgic feeling of the late 80s and early 90s, but more from what a dinosaur and an alien had taught me with each episode. Having these stories be told through puppets, they were allowed to get away with dark themes and serious issues.

'Dinosaurs' (1991 to 1994)

There was Full House, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and then there was Dinosaurs. If you looked it up on Google, you would probably think, “What the f**k is this?” but what other show tackles issues such as environmentalism, animal rights, rape culture, homosexuality, puberty, and much more in the form of a clever sitcom with a family of dinosaur puppets. Robby Sinclair was the best character; he was a rebel and I’m not sure whether I had a crush on him (I know I'm not the only one) or that I wanted to be him.

In college, I was in the environmental and animal rights club and now that I've graduated that doesn't mean that I should stop being vocal about what I believe in. It's scary to think that such a clever show as this had spoke the truth about the world we live in and didn't start a revolution here in the US, but I would like to believe that this show has influenced many others like myself to speak out and make some difference in the world.

'ALF' (1986 to 1990)

Maybe you've heard of ALF before, or you just know it as the show with that brown aardvark who likes to eat cats, but before you click away check out the video below and you'll learn that it's so much more.

ALF is an alien who crash lands into a suburban garage. His spaceship is beyond repair and he is taken in by the Tanner family.

One of the episodes that struck me the most was the 10th episode of ALF's third season: "My Back Pages." The Tanners find their Woodstock videos in the attack. After Willie explains the hippy movement, ALF accuses him of being a sellout. In the end, Willie decides that his decision to go into social services as a career proves that he is not a sellout.

"I still have all the important things that I've got in the 60s. I may not be out marching on Washington, but I'm a social worker. I still help people, one at a time. I realize that's the way I can do the most good."

I am currently an after-school teacher and so far it has been an enriching and meaningful job for me, but recently I had an interview for the Peace Corps and it went horribly. It was an amazing life-changing opportunity where I could have made a bigger impact on the work, but I completely ruined it. I saw myself falling back into that same state of depression that I went through after graduation. So, of course, I had to re-watch this episode. There will always be new and exciting opportunities for you in the future, but for now, you can only do the most good that you can and that's OK. "It's a good life."