Ah, Clarissa Darling. The ultimate in preadolescent/young teen icons of the 90′s.
One of the things that made Clarissa so instantly likeable was that she was so… real. She could be any teenage girl, in any town, going through the usual annoyances and traumas of school and puberty. But she was also a bit different, a bit eccentric – she was quirky before quirky characters became the norm, was genuinely happy being herself and that’s what made her the perfect role model.
After all, is there any point in a role model when you’ve already achieved everything they can do and the things that you like about them? Clarissa could do things that were just so cool, things I could only dream of being able to do, but that in turn inspired me to find my own cool things that I could do.
For example, Clarissa was great with computers. She would often whip up mini video games that involved killing her younger brother Ferguson – what 90′s child didn’t want to make their own video games?! And I’m sure every viewer with an annoying younger brother could relate (being an only child, I can only assume this to be the case)… I wanted to kill Ferguson.
As if she needed anymore cool points, she also had a pet alligator called Elvis (although he mysteriously disappeared…), a phone in her bedroom (a cool see-through one no less) and her best friend Sam could come over whenever he wanted to, due to the fact he had a ladder that went to Clarissa’s bedroom window.
And last but not least, let’s not forget her impeccable fashion sense! If Clarissa were a member of The Babysitters Club, she’d be up there with Stacey McGill and Claudia Kishi. I still get inspired watching episodes of Clarissa Explains It All today!
Tags: 90's, babysitters club, clarissa darling, clarissa explains it all
