What if a children's show from 1972 already understood something about emotional intelligence that we are still trying to teach kids today? Doug Momary and his wife Emmy Jo created and starred in The New Zoo Revue, the musical series that taught kindness and empathy to kids through characters like Freddy the Frog and Henrietta Hippo. Decades later, grown fans are still finding them online and thanking them for shaping how they treat other people. On this episode of BACKtalk, Janice Robinson-Celeste sits down with the couple to talk about how the show came together, why its lessons still hold up, and how they are now helping a new generation of parents navigate something the show never had to face: raising kids in a digital world. What You'll Learn: ✅ How The New Zoo Revue was created and what its real mission was ✅ Why the show's lessons on kindness and respect still resonate with grown fans today ✅ What it's like reconnecting with generations of fans at conventions and online ✅ How Doug and Emmy Jo balanced marriage, family, and being on screen together ✅ Why today's kids are growing up faster than ever, and what parents can do about it ✅ How Doug's new project, Knights of It: Guardians of the Digital Realm, helps kids navigate social media safely Why This Matters: The values parents try to teach today, kindness, patience, respect, are the same ones this show was built on more than 50 years ago. Hearing how Doug and Emmy Jo are still thinking about kids' emotional development, now in a world of screens and social media, is a reminder that good values do not go out of style. Meet the Guests: Doug Momary and Emmy Jo are the creators and stars behind The New Zoo Revue, the beloved children's series that premiered in 1972 and became a staple of morning television for kids in the '70s, '80s, and '90s. The husband-and-wife duo built characters like Freddy the Frog and Henrietta Hippo around lessons of kindness and emotional connection long before social-emotional learning became a common parenting term. Today, Doug is developing Knights of It: Guardians of the Digital Realm, a new show designed to help kids safely navigate social media. Chapters: 0:00 Intro / Cold Open 2:55 The Origin Story of The New Zoo Revue 4:42 Comic-Con Reunions and Rediscovering Fans Online 6:42 Freddy the Frog, Henrietta Hippo, and Building Real Characters 14:12 Married Before the Pilot: Doug and Emmy Jo's Story 20:22 Kids Growing Up Too Fast in a Digital World 21:02 Knights of It: Guardians of the Digital Realm 25:44 Riding the Rapids of the Teenage Years 33:48 Why the Golden Rule Still Matters Today About BACKtalk: BACKtalk is the interview series from Successful Black Parenting Magazine, where Janice Robinson-Celeste speaks with experts about the issues affecting parents raising Black children and the families who support them. 👍 Like this video if The New Zoo Revue was part of your childhood. 💬 Tell us: what children's show helped shape who you are today? We are listening. 🎧 Listen to more conversations from BACKtalk on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5SvuNxTJKD0BE4NnWuiHQL 🌐 Explore more parenting resources, expert interviews, and articles from Successful Black Parenting Magazine: https://successfulblackparenting.com/ 📺 Subscribe to Successful Black Parenting Magazine for more expert interviews and resources for parents raising Black children. 📲 Follow us on Instagram @successfulblackparenting 💼 Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/successful-black-parenting/posts/ 🧰 Free Parent Tools https://successfulblackparenting.com/free-parent-tools-printables/