Slim Goodbody
Encyclopedia
Slim Goodbody is a fictional character
created and performed by John Burstein. Slim is a human adult who wears a flesh-colored unitard
with various tissues
, organs
and organ systems painted on the front in biologically-accurate locations and sizes. Burstein created the character in 1975. At that time, Burstein was working at The Floating Hospital in New York City
. He began writing songs and skits to entertain the children there and to teach them about anatomy
and the workings of the human body
. He eventually added an organ-painted body suit to the design, dubbing his alter-ego "Slim Goodbody".
Burstein soon took his character outside the hospital. In his earliest days, he mainly did personal appearances and guest spots on shows such as The Today Show and Good Morning America
. His skits also focused on exercise, personal hygiene
, and nutrition
.
Slim Goodbody eventually received his own television series in 1980, Inside Story on PBS. The program mainly consisted of Burstein's live-show Slim Goodbody sketches, though other children's show celebrities such as Captain Kangaroo
would sometimes make guest appearances. The show soon became the station's second-highest rated program, and Burstein landed roles on other stations, including Nickelodeon
. Since then, Slim Goodbody has featured in several other series, as well. At one point Slim Goodbody began making educational shorts on such subjects as the fear of visiting a hospital, amongst others. One of these shorts featured Burstein's son, Devin, as a child learning about hospitals as he overcomes his fears of an upcoming operation.
Beginning in 1982, the character has also appeared in books
published by McGraw-Hill
, Putnam, and Fairview Press
.
Over the years, Slim Goodbody has also addressed child obesity
, bullying, personal safety
, self-esteem
, literacy
and environmentalism
.
Today, Burstein tours the United States
and Canada
dressed as Slim Goodbody and performing in Bodyology. School-based shows, performed by other actors, include Musical Health Show and Lighten Up!
Burstein and his Goodbody programs have won numerous awards including the Parents' Choice Award
and the Healthy American Fitness Leader Award.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
created and performed by John Burstein. Slim is a human adult who wears a flesh-colored unitard
Unitard
A unitard is a skin-tight one-piece garment with long legs and sometimes long sleeves. It differs from a leotard in that a leotard does not have long legs. The garment can be considered to be a combination of a leotard and tights...
with various tissues
Biological tissue
Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism. A tissue is an ensemble of cells, not necessarily identical, but from the same origin, that together carry out a specific function. These are called tissues because of their identical functioning...
, organs
Organ (anatomy)
In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in structural unit to serve a common function. Usually there is a main tissue and sporadic tissues . The main tissue is the one that is unique for the specific organ. For example, main tissue in the heart is the myocardium, while sporadic are...
and organ systems painted on the front in biologically-accurate locations and sizes. Burstein created the character in 1975. At that time, Burstein was working at The Floating Hospital in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He began writing songs and skits to entertain the children there and to teach them about anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
and the workings of the human body
Human body
The human body is the entire structure of a human organism, and consists of a head, neck, torso, two arms and two legs.By the time the human reaches adulthood, the body consists of close to 100 trillion cells, the basic unit of life...
. He eventually added an organ-painted body suit to the design, dubbing his alter-ego "Slim Goodbody".
Burstein soon took his character outside the hospital. In his earliest days, he mainly did personal appearances and guest spots on shows such as The Today Show and Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
. His skits also focused on exercise, personal hygiene
Hygiene
Hygiene refers to the set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living. While in modern medical sciences there is a set of standards of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not can vary between...
, and nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
.
Slim Goodbody eventually received his own television series in 1980, Inside Story on PBS. The program mainly consisted of Burstein's live-show Slim Goodbody sketches, though other children's show celebrities such as Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo is a children's television series which aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for nearly 30 years, from October 3, 1955 until December 8, 1984, making it the longest-running children's television program of its day...
would sometimes make guest appearances. The show soon became the station's second-highest rated program, and Burstein landed roles on other stations, including Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
. Since then, Slim Goodbody has featured in several other series, as well. At one point Slim Goodbody began making educational shorts on such subjects as the fear of visiting a hospital, amongst others. One of these shorts featured Burstein's son, Devin, as a child learning about hospitals as he overcomes his fears of an upcoming operation.
Beginning in 1982, the character has also appeared in books
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
published by McGraw-Hill
McGraw-Hill
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., is a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Rockefeller Center in New York City. Its primary areas of business are financial, education, publishing, broadcasting, and business services...
, Putnam, and Fairview Press
Fairview Press
Fairview Press is the publishing arm of Fairview Health Services, a regional healthcare provider affiliated with the University of Minnesota. Fairview Press publishes books and other forms of patient education materials on topics such as aging and eldercare, grief and bereavement, and health and...
.
Over the years, Slim Goodbody has also addressed child obesity
Childhood obesity
Childhood obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or wellbeing. As methods to determine body fat directly are difficult, the diagnosis of obesity is often based on BMI. Due to the rising prevalence of obesity in children and its many adverse health effects...
, bullying, personal safety
Safety
Safety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...
, self-esteem
Self-esteem
Self-esteem is a term in psychology to reflect a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame: some would distinguish how 'the self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem, the...
, literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
and environmentalism
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
.
Today, Burstein tours the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
dressed as Slim Goodbody and performing in Bodyology. School-based shows, performed by other actors, include Musical Health Show and Lighten Up!
Burstein and his Goodbody programs have won numerous awards including the Parents' Choice Award
Parents' Choice Award
The Parents' Choice Award is an award presented by the non-profit Parents' Choice Foundation to recognize "the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels." It is considered a "prestigious" award among children's products, and has been...
and the Healthy American Fitness Leader Award.