Culture on My Mind
Slim Goodbody
August 8, 2024

I’m thinking about the Superhero of Health.

Growing up, I remember videos played during school hours featuring a curly-haired man wearing a unitard. That outfit was decorated with various human tissues and organs in biologically accurate locations and sizes. That man was called Slim Goodbody.

Slim Goodbody championed health education and exercise for children. He is played by John Burstein, who entertained children at The Floating Hospital in New York City. Along with his songs and skits about exercise, hygiene, and nutrition, he added a body suit to teach anatomy lessons and took the stage name. After his time at the hospital, he started on The Today Show and Good Morning America before landing on Captain Kangaroo. He eventually received his own television show, Inside Story, on PBS in 1980.

I knew about his various shows on public television, but what I didn’t know was how Burstein made a lifelong career of his character. He has published books and educational shorts, and now tours the United States and Canada and runs a YouTube channel. The YouTube channel includes clips from his past work and new videos. He also has an Instagram account and a webpage.

John Burstein’s work as Slim Goodbody has earned him numerous awards and the longevity of his work has touched countless lives as he addresses children’s physical, mental, and emotional health. His lifelong mission continues to impress.

 

Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.

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