"Free to Be You and Me" turns 35

by Bethany Sanders (Subscribe to Bethany Sanders's posts)
Oct 23rd 2008 4:00PM

Filed under: Activities: Babies, Media

My girls have a handful of toys left over from my old childhood -- a plastic strawberry filled with Strawberry Shortcake dolls, a family of squeak-able squirrels who live in a log, and a set of homemade Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls. But something I didn't keep that I wish I had is my copy of the Free to Be You and Me album. I think the reason I no longer own it is because I played it so much that it wore out!

Free to be You and Me is turning 35 this year. Marlo Thomas recently talked to the Today show about the big anniversary and a reissue of the book and album. Though the album has been left alone (thank goodness!), the book is getting an update. Marlo says that she created the book after growing tired of the stereotypical books available to her 5-year-old niece. Little did she know what a phenomenon it would become.

I may just have to pick up a copy of the reissue for my own new generation of girls (the book is for boys too, of course). And just for a little nostalgia, here's a YouTube clip from the Free to Be You and Me TV special, in its 1970s splendor.