History WesternAnimation / SchoolhouseRock

* FreeRangeKids: The girl from “A Noun Is A Person, Place, or Thing” travels on “a train to another state” and “a ferry to the Statue of Liberty” apparently alone.

* BareYourMidriff: The singer of "Sufferin' Till Suffrage" wears a blue crop top with a white star.

* AfricaIsACountry: "The Great American Melting Pot" shows Lady Liberty's recipe for said melting pot, including people from many different countries, like Armenians, English, Italians, Norwegians, Cubans, but lists a general "Africans" among these demonyms as if Africa were not many countries.

* "[[https://youtu.be/4OLWJ1TMuNE Mother Necessity]]" (America Rock, various performers) -- The most elaborate of the segments, in which four of the regular performers (Sheldon, Dorough, Ahrens & Essra Mohawk) each sing about different inventions. Notable in that this was a complicated process in the pre-Internet era; the producers had to travel to four different studios across the country to record a couple of lines at a time.

* SweetheartSipping: The main character of "A Noun is a Person, Place, or Thing" does this with her "[[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend best friend]]" at the local MaltShop.

* CanonDiscontinuity: The first VHS copies cut out several songs in favor of new, live-action numbers performed by Cloris Leachman and a group of children. These songs disappeared from later home video versions, since they do not have the same composers as the original shorts.

** On Golden Book Video compilations, part of Cloris Leachman's theme song changed to something describing the video's main subject.

* ShoutOut: In "Interplanet Janet", the people seeing her exclaim, "[[Franchise/{{Superman}} It's a bird! It's a plane!]]"

*** UsefulNotes/ThomasEdison created the first ''functional'' incandescent lightbulb, but he didn't create the first one, as fellow inventors were trying to create lightbulbs of their own, and the first definitional lightbulb was created by Humphry Davy 70 years prior to Edison. Edison also didn't create the lightbulb for his mother's sake, as he was an opportunistic inventor prior to its creation, with him having previously creating the phonograph.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Several of the America Rock shorts, which as noted were produced around the [[SeriousBusiness Bicentennial celebrations]]. Suffice it to say that the nuances of history tend to be really difficult to stuff into catchy three-minute songs, with the notable exception of "I'm Just a Bill", which gets the process of lawmaking impressively straight.

* ExtraDigits: "Little Twelve-Toes" has six fingers on each hand, and six on each foot.
* ExtraExtraReadAllAboutIt: Newsboys hawking newspapers appear in "Fireworks" and "Walking on Wall Street".

''Schoolhouse Rock!'' was a series of educational short cartoons -- so short, that they'd fit into the space of a single commercial break--that aired [[SaturdayMorningCartoon Saturday mornings]] on Creator/{{ABC}}, originally between 1973 and 1985 and again from 1993–2000.

At around the same time, advertising executive David [=McCall=] noticed that while his son was struggling in school, he had no trouble remembering the lyrics to his favorite songs. Thus the idea to [[EducationalSong introduce basic learning concepts to young minds via simple-but-catchy rock, jazz, folk and pop tunes]]--most of them written by jazz mainstay Bob Dorough and eventual Broadway lyricist Lynn Ahrens--accompanied by entertaining visuals, animated by a team led by Tom Yohe.

Along with the educational content, the series won accolades for the consistently high quality of the songs--besides Dorough and Ahrens, performers included genre legends Jack Sheldon, Blossom Dearie, Essra Mohawk, and Grady Tate--and the overall cleverness of the lyrics and animation. Taking cues from ''Series/SesameStreet'' and other contemporary educational programming, ''[[http://abc.go.com/shows/schoolhouse-rock Schoolhouse Rock!]]'' avoided the blandness and conformity plaguing most animated shows of the era and instead presented a hip, inclusive, fast-paced, and funny (often [[DeadpanSnarker downright snarky]]) attitude to learning.

Episodes initially fell under one of four headings, in order of production: Multiplication Rock, Grammar Rock, America Rock (history, mostly released around the 1976 American Bicentennial) and Science Rock. 1983 saw an earnest but ill-fated attempt at Computer Rock (a.k.a. Scooter Computer & Mr. Chips) and in 1995/96 the original team reunited for the much more successful Money Rock. In addition, two new Grammar Rock segments ("Busy Prepositions" and "The Tale of Mr. Morton") were added. The shorts continued airing, now part of the ''Creator/OneSaturdayMorning'' block, until 2000. Reruns later aired on Creator/ToonDisney in the mid 2000's.

->''"As your body grows bigger''\\
''Your mind must flower''\\
''It's great to learn''\\
'''Cause knowledge is power!"''
-->-- "'''Schoolhouse Rocky'''" (the opening theme)

''Schoolhouse Rock!'' was a series of educational short cartoons--so short that they'd fit into the space of a single commercial break--that aired [[SaturdayMorningCartoon Saturday mornings]] on Creator/{{ABC}}, originally between 1973 and 1985 and again from 1993–2000.

* BareYourMidriff: The singer of "Sufferin' 'Til Suffrage" wears a blue crop top with a white star.

* InstantCostumeChange: The singer of "Sufferin' 'Til Suffrage" demonstrates this ability.

* MediumBlending: The singer of "Sufferin' 'Til Suffrage" interacts with black-and-white photos and drawings.
* MesACrowd: The singer of "Sufferin' 'Til Suffrage" has this ability, as she represents all female voters in the United States.

** "Sufferin' 'Til Suffrage" discusses the fight for the female vote and its success, which was a large step in women's rights but was also subject to segregation for some time afterward.

* StayInTheKitchen: "Sufferin' 'Til Suffrage" calls out this mindset a few times. The singer unpleasantly recalls that before the suffragette movement and consequent passing of the 19th Amendment allowed women to vote for president, they just stayed home and did such menial tasks as mashing potatoes and washing dishes while the men cast their votes.

* TruckDriversGearChange: Happens in tons of songs from the series. [[labelnote:See which ones here.]]"I Got Six", "A Noun is a Person, Place or Thing", "Verb: That's What's Happenin'", "Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla", "The Tale of Mr. Morton", "Sufferin' 'til Suffrage", "Elbow Room", "Mother Necessity", "Presidential Minute", "The Energy Blues", "Scooter Computer and Mr. Chips", "Software", "Tax Man Max", "$7.50 Once a Week", "This for That", "Walkin' on Wall Street", "The Little Things We Do", "Don't Be a Carbon Sasquatch"[[/labelnote]]

--> Hooray, I'm for the other team.

--> Don't call me clumsy, don't call me a fool. When things fall down on me, I'm following the rule...

-->'''[[PlayingHardToGet Geraldine]]:''' ''Well!'' You've got some nerve! ''Oh!'' I've never been so insulted in all my life! ...Hey! You're kinda cute!

-->'''Spectator #1:''' Aw! You threw the wrong way!\\

--> I have a friend named Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla, and I could say that Rufus saw a kangaroo that followed Rufus home and now the kangaroo belongs to Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla-*pshew* I could say that, but I don't have to, 'cause I got pronouns, and I can say "'''He''' found a kangaroo that followed '''him''' home and now '''it''' is '''his'''!

[[AC: Notable episodes:]]

-->''[[TheStinger Darn! That's the end!]]''
----

--->''If she had a kangaroo, I'd say to you, '''she''' found a kangaroo that followed '''her'' home and now '''it''' is '''hers'', but I can't say that -- 'cause she found an aardvark!''

* RunningGag: In "The Good Eleven", an angel bumps against something at any utterance of "She never gave me any trouble till after 9".

* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6ikO6LMxF4&noredirect=1 The Shot Heard 'Round the World]]" (America Rock, performed by Bob Dorough) -- Notable both as a fairly comprehensive three-minute summary of [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution the American Revolutionary War]] ''and'' for some surprising nudity. Near the end, a multi-ethnic crowd appears to represent America, and one of them -- apparently a Native woman --bis naked (albeit in the long shot only, no details shown).
* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxVUpBukACk The Preamble]]" (America Rock, Lynn Ahrens) -- Explaining the basic concept of the Constitution, using the Preamble as the chorus (albeit omitting the first 'of the United States' to fit the lyric scheme). A decade or so later, teachers across the nation wondered why students taking history exams were singing under their breaths...

All of the classic ''Schoolhouse Rock!'' shorts are now available on UsefulNotes/{{DVD}} - save one installment of "Scooter Computer" thought lost until 2013, which eventually emerged on Website/YouTube. The newer Earth Rock set is also available as a separate release.

* "[[http://youtu.be/3FI2tTNjrUI Three is a Magic Number]]" (Multiplication Rock, performed by Bob Dorough) - Yes, it is. It's a magic number. The song that started it all, used as the initial pitch to ABC and still one of the best ever produced for the series, centered on the three times tables and the RuleOfThree. Eventually used in Nike and ESPN commercials years later and was sampled for the Music/DeLaSoul song "The Magic Number" off their ''Three Feet High And Rising'' album in 1989.
* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyeJ55o3El0&feature=related I'm Just a Bill]]" (America Rock, written by Dave Frishberg and performed by Jack Sheldon) - Yes, he's only a bill, and he's sitting there on Capitol Hill. A forlorn little bill sitting on the steps of the Capitol explains the long, contentious process by which he someday 'hopes and prays' to become a law. This one became so iconic that not only has it been screened in Washington as an instructional film for new Congressional aides, but it also earned ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' parody "I'm an Amendment to Be" (about an amendment against flag-burning waiting to be ratified)[[note]]in the season seven episode "The Day the Violence Died"[[/note]], a ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' throwaway joke in "They Call Me Bill" (which ends with the bill being poked with a trash pick and put into a garbage bag), and the ''Series/TheDailyShow'' parody "Midterm Elections". It was also referenced by ''[[Creator/{{MSNBC}} The Rachel Maddow Show]]'''s coverage of the 2009/10 health care law, and on the season 40 ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' episode hosted by Creator/CameronDiaz, wherein the Bill (Kenan Thompson) gets pushed down the stairs by UsefulNotes/BarackObama (Jay Pharaoh) and replaced with an executive order (Bobby Moynihan) to grant legal status to 5 million undocumented immigrants.
* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uqa1mT1XX0 Conjunction Junction]]" (Grammar Rock, Sheldon) - What's your function? A kindly railroad freight conductor explains conjunctions (ie. "and", "but", "or") in terms of 'hookin' up cars and makin' 'em run right', in possibly the most insanely catchy children's song of all time. It marks the debut of series regular Jack Sheldon. For the 30th Anniversary Countdown, this was ranked as the greatest ''Schoolhouse Rock!'' song. Notable for the number of cover versions by big name jazz artists (both Harry Connick Jr. and Doctor John have covered it, to name two). Also gave the name to Rachel Maddow's Debunktion Junction segments, and was once parodied on ''Series/{{MADtv}}'' as "Dysfunction Junction", about the dangers of overprescribing ADHD medication. In 2013, the real railroad Norfolk Southern [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI8pNnmDzdE made a commercial with an updated tempo of the iconic song.]]
* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxVUpBukACk We the People (Preamble)]]" (America Rock, Lynn Ahrens) - Explaining the basic concept of the Constitution, using the Preamble as the chorus (albeit omitting the first 'of the United States' to fit the lyric scheme). A decade or so later, teachers across the nation wondered why students taking history exams were singing under their breaths...
* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfnXUWJz0sE A Noun is a Person, Place or Thing]]" (Grammar Rock, Ahrens) - This decent but unremarkable segment became notorious for a colouring goof that causes Chubby Checker to appear briefly as white. (There are also the deliberately white and smiling plantation slaves in "Mother Necessity"; weird notes in an otherwise fully integrated series.) ''[=MADtv=]'' parodied this on their short-lived recurring sketch "Public Schoolhouse Rock," listing the terrible things about public school (gangs in the halls, graffiti, and the absentee staff members). Its chorus's rhythm was sampled by Tracey Lee for the song "The Theme (It's Party Time)".
* "[[https://youtu.be/4OLWJ1TMuNE Mother Necessity]]" (America Rock, various) - The most elaborate of the segments, in which four of the regular performers (Sheldon, Dorough, Ahrens & Essra Mohawk) each sing about different inventions. Notable in that this was a complicated process in the pre-Internet era; the producers had to travel to four different studios across the country to record a couple of lines at a time.
* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6ikO6LMxF4&noredirect=1 The Shot Heard Round the World]]" (America Rock, Dorough) - Notable both as a fairly comprehensive three-minute summary of [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution the American Revolutionary War]] ''and'' for some surprising nudity. Near the end, a multi-ethnic crowd appears to represent America, and one of them--apparently a Native woman--is naked (albeit in the long shot only, no details shown).
* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGgajx1pGPU Interplanet Janet]]" (Science Rock, Ahrens) - She's a galaxy girl! Another notoriously catchy tune, about... an alien softball team exploring our solar system. No, really. "She travels like a rocket with her comet team/And there's never been a planet Janet hasn't seen!"
* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdFTOO9NMCs&ab_channel=ALifeofThoughts The Weather Show]]" (Science Rock, Bob Kaliban) - A missing episode for years because of legal difficulties stemming from the song's use of the phrase "Greatest Show on Earth", which trademark owner Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus did not view kindly. Eventually released as part of the 30th anniversary DVD, with the offending references rather awkwardly excised.
* “[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VjcUOmPS5k&ab_channel=uschronicle Ready or Not, Here I Come!]]” (Multiplication Rock, performed by Bob Dorough) - This song is often regarded as the most memorable song in regards to practical use. Everyone and their pets knows how to sing this song when counting by fives and it's the melody that can be remembered the most in what it teaches.

** In "Interjections", a snake approaches a girl...but the girl pulls a scary face and so the ''snake'' is the one left shouting "EEK!"

--> ''If she had a kangaroo, I'd say to you, '''she''' found a kangaroo that followed '''her'' home and now '''it''' is '''hers'', but I can't say that--'cause she found an aardvark!

!!Tropes present include:
* AbhorrentAdmirer: How [[ThemeNaming Geraldine]] views [[ThemeNaming Geraldo]] in "Interjections". The verse implies he's simply a DoggedNiceGuy, but after hearing his singing, you can't really blame her.

* AnAesop: "Sufferin' Till Suffrage" started off with this: ''Now you have heard of Women's Rights/And how we've tried to reach new heights/If we're all created equal/That's us too!''