For the lucky youngsters in the Columbus, Ohio area education and entertainment went hand in hand  for five hours a day during Pinwheel. The program aimed at preschoolers combined puppets, humans, songs and art to teach basic concepts. Of course this was back in 1979 and by the early 80s, Pinwheel had morphed into an entire cable network for kiddies across America: Nickelodeon.

Pinwheel continued to be an important show for the new channel and it attracted new viewers by the schoolbusload. Jake and Jim were the two live hosts who oversaw the festivities, along with Sal and Smitty, two more humans who ran Pinwheel's Daily Noodle newspaper. A big cast of puppets joined the fun, including Plus & Minus, Aurelia the gypsy, Silas the Snail, Hobo Bugs, Ebenezer T. Squint and many more.

The show also featured several animation shorts from Europe that American audiences wouldn't have had a chance to see otherwise. Pinwheel became a veritable UN of cartoons, showing The Magic Roundabout (France), Paddington Bear (UK), Bolek and Lolek (Poland), Bunny in the Suitcase (Hungary) and Musti (Holland), to name a few. One short, Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings, about a boy who drew pictures and then climbed inside them inspired Saturday Night Live comedian Mike Meyers to create a recurring skit where he played Simon.

Pinwheel aired for close to 11 years on Nickelodeon and segments from the show can still be seen on Nick Jr.