Some kids’ TV show hosts become household names across geography and generations: Mister Rogers, Mrs. Rachel, Bill Nye and the like. But other children’s entertainment personalities haven’t been as enduring in the public consciousness and instead exist in a sort of time capsule of viewers’ childhood memories.
One such blast-from-the-past TV educator is John Burstein, better known to kids of the 1970s and ’80s as Slim Goodbody, a.k.a. “The Superhero of Health.” Costumed in a skintight, flesh-colored unitard decorated with biologically accurate organs, muscles, and skeletal structures, Mr. Goodbody taught youngsters about human anatomy, healthy nutrition, personal hygiene and exercise routines via songs, dances, skits and more.
And while members of Generation X no doubt remember Slim Goodbody from his days on CBS and PBS, younger TV viewers might not be as familiar with Burstein’s signature character, especially after all these decades. Here’s what to know about Slim Goodbody and what John Burstein is up to these days.
? SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox ?
John Burstein as “Slim Goodbody” with puppet, Inspector Thiamin, on “Captain Kangaro.”CBS/Getty Images
Who was Slim Goodbody?
Slim Goodbody is an original character created and performed by actor-educator John Burstein. The performer adopted the alter ego while working at The Floating Hospital in his native New York in the mid-’70s; he wrote original songs and short skits about anatomy, digestion, and the inner workings of the human body to entertain the hospital’s disadvantaged children. “I came in, and I sang a couple of [songs], and somebody said, ‘You know what would be really good? You ought sell them to Sesame Street.’ Then I said, ‘Gee, maybe I could sell myself to Sesame Street. What would that be, if I could do that? And it would be a custom character,” Burstein explained Goodbody’s genesis to the Bangor Daily News. “So I went to this funky loft on 14th Street and said, ‘I got this idea, and I want to do this sort of thing that looks like the body, but I don’t want it to be Gray’s Anatomy. I want it to be more superhero. So we sat down, and we marked some stuff up, and she built this costume for me.”
Burstein then took the character to television, booking regular guest spots and cameo appearances before securing his very own television series, Inside Story, on PBS in 1980.
Related: The Highest-Rated Episode of ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ Was the Last One Ever
Actor-educator John Burstein, in costume as ‘Slim Goodbody,’ in New York 1981.Brownie Harris/Corbis/Getty Images
What show was Slim Goodbody on?
In the early days of Burstein’s TV career, he appeared as Mr. Goodbody on daytime programs like The Today Show and Good Morning America. Between 1978 and 1981, he began guest-starring twice a week on the beloved CBS children’s series Captain Kangaroo, appearing opposite host Bob Keeshan in education segments like “The Adventures of Slim Goodbody in Nutri-City”.
“[Producer Jim Hirschfeld] sent his production team to watch my show in New Jersey, and they really, really liked it,” Burstein recalled to The Hollywood Reporter about scoring the regular CBS gig. “And they say to me, ‘You are going to be on Captain Kangaroo.’” He later added: “Captain Kangaroo gave me the credibility that enabled my whole career to flow. I just got a royalty check today from Discovery streaming for stuff I did 35 years ago.”
After the popularity of his Captain Kangaroo cameos, Burstein spun his character off into his own educational series on PBS: The Inside Story with Slim Goodbody premiered in 1980 and soon became the station’s second-highest-rated program.
Related: ’90s Kids Lock In, Bill Nye And Steve From ‘Blue’s Clues’ Gave An Interview Together
Bob Keeshan and John Burstein on “Captain Kangaroo.”CBS
When did Slim Goodbody end?
Well, Slim Goodbody never really ended. The CBS educational television series The Inside Story with Slim Goodbody ended in the early 1980s. Still, John Burstein kept the character going both on-screen and off-screen for decades to follow, including Nickelodeon programs, educational shorts, health books, live appearances and more.
Related: Ms. Rachel Is Taking Her Viral Toddler Hits Off-Screen in a Huge New Release
John Burstein in “Well, Well, Well With Slim Goodbody”PBS
Where is Slim Goodbody now?
John Burstein, the man behind the Slim Goodbody persona, is now 76 years old. He lives with his wife, Chrissy, in a lakeside home in Lincolnville, Maine; they have two sons, Devin and Luke.
Burstein has been appearing and educating as Mr. Goodbody for the better part of five decades, though these days, he’s better known online as “Grandpa Goodbody.” He continues to share educational health content for young viewers on his Instagram and YouTube channels, including short videos detailing everything from fine motor skills to easy magic tricks to the American political system.
Nearly 50 years after creating Slim Goodbody, the performer has reflected on the legacy of the character and the impact he had on young people’s lives. “Slim lives on because it’s also iconic, the character in the suit, and people remember it from their childhood,” Burstein told the Bangor Daily News in 2020. “I don’t believe it when people say to me, ‘Oh, you made such a difference, you’re why I’m a doctor.’ Pfft, yeah, right. But to know that you’ve had a positive effect on people, for whatever small little bit, that feels very satisfying to me.”
Next, Whatever Happened To Steve From ‘Blue’s Clues’?
Hence then, the article about in the 1970s he became a fan favorite on captain kangarooo wearing a suit that showed his organs 50 years later here s what happened to slim goodbody was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( In the 1970s, He Became a Fan Favorite on ‘Captain Kangarooo’ Wearing a Suit That Showed His Organs—50 Years Later, Here’s What Happened to Slim Goodbody )
Also on site :
- Record-Setting Falcon 9 Launch from Vandenberg SFB Scheduled for Late Monday into Early Tuesday
- Ballon d’Or 2026 award ceremony LIVE: Winners, reactions and latest news
- Spotify Streaming Fraud Lawsuit That Claimed Drake Gets Billions of Fake Plays Dismissed by Judge