romper room

“Bumping, bumping, stomping…”

It seems as if in recent years all those terribly fantastic children who grew up with us in the Romper Room now rule the world and move and tremble in the most important circles of life.

Those who grew up in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s are today’s influential agents. Now they are bankers, brokers, directors. writers, rock stars, and corporate CEOs. But they all have the Big Question for me when I’m lucky enough to meet one of them. “Why didn’t you say my name in your Magic Mirror?”

When the January 23, 1997 issue of Rolling Stone revealed to the world that my son, Emerson Hart, lead vocalist and songwriter for the band Tonic, had a mother who was the lady from the Romper Room, I could no longer hide in anonymity. They pulled me out from under the rock that I had been hiding since the 1970s. Since then I have been forced to give an account of my sins.

Some of these wonderful men and women I have met at my son’s concerts either thank me or chide me for not saying their name in my Magic Mirror. When I explain that I did my best to name each and every one I could in the short time allotted at the end of the show to ‘see’ all my Do Bees, but due to the volumes of mail I receive each day, I could not recognize as many as I would have liked, they pretend to understand, but are still not satisfied. So if you’re reading this and I didn’t say your name, please forgive me.

‘Smash Bomper, Stomper Boo. Tell me, tell me the truth. Magic Mirror, tell me today did all my friends have fun playing? I see Michelle and John and Bill and… oh, there they are. I’ve been looking for you all these years. I see you!”