With a never-ending list of channels and a new streaming service seeming to pop up every week, we're spoiled for choice when it comes to finding something to watch these days.
Gone are the days when all we did was switch between BBC, UTV and RTÉ. Yet out of the main channels we were exposed to growing up, RTÉ stood out to us for one reason: its penchant for puppets.
Read more: Nostalgic photos of Johnny Logan in his Eurovision days
If you think back to previous programming of the broadcaster, you'll realise puppets have been just as much of a staple to the channel through the years as the likes of Gay Byrne or Marty Morrissey.
From the 1960s to even recent years on RTÉjr, the broadcaster has televised puppets that found themselves a place in our living rooms, our hearts and in some cases, our nightmares.
Take a walk down memory lane with us as we remember the different generations of RTÉ puppets who graced our tellies through the years.
Let us know in the comments which puppets you loved or were most scared of growing up.
Judge the dog
Viewers of the kids' show Wanderly Wagon (1967-1982) will likely remember Judge the dog the most fondly out of its human and puppet cast. Aptly named, Judge was the voice of reason and morality amongst the wagon's crew and former viewers can still sing his song 'I Am the Flying Dog' all these years later.
Bosco
Be honest, you read the name and immediately heard a squeaky voice chirp, "Hello, boys and girls!" didn't you? Possibly the most beloved puppet in Ireland, Bosco was kind of the Irish version of Dora the Explorer long before Dora existed. The TV series, which ran from 1979-1987, encouraged children to speak Irish by teaching Irish words and phrases amongst its English-speaking.
Zig and Zag
The original Den puppets, Zig and Zag made their debut in September 1987. The fluffiest aliens you've ever seen, the pair joined Dempsey's Den after leaving their home planet of Zog and even found UK fame in the '90s after joining Channel 4's The Big Breakfast.
Dustin the Turkey
Who could forget the turkey heard 'round the continent? Dustin the Turkey became the most famous star of the Den, renowned for his slagging of its human presenters and guests. He famously represented Ireland at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest, and even campaigned in two of Ireland's presidential elections.
Soky
Soky might look similarly fluffy to Den pals Zig and Zag, but he's no alien. He's a sock monster, created in 1993 as a result of Dustin's failure to do the washing. Viewers will remember him calling Ray D'Arcy "Mammy Ray" as he believed him to be his mother.
Podge and Rodge
Podge and Rodge might be the rudest, crudest and most explicit of Ireland's puppets, but that wasn't initially intended to be the case. Podge actually started out as a villainous character on the Den in 1990 and starred on it for six years until he and his twin brother got their own late-night adult comedy show, A Scare at Bedtime, in 1997.
Their chat show, the Podge and Rodge Show (originally co-hosted by Lucy Kennedy) was revived with Dorieann Garrihy in 2018.
The Rimini Riddle gang
If you were a child in the '90s who doesn't remember the Rimini Riddle, perhaps it's because you've blocked it out. The show ran for three seasons between 1992 and 1995 and contained some of the most terrifying-looking puppets we've ever seen.
Even the show's premise itself was quite dark, centring on three siblings who were sent to live with their greedy aunt following the death of their parents. Quite the kids' show...
The Morbegs
If '90s kids were scarred by the Rimini Riddle, they were healed by the Morbegs. Molly and Rossa of Morbeg Land made for much easier viewing with their castle home and wizard pals. Though the show originally ran from just 1996 to 1998, '00s kids also got to enjoy their reruns until 2008.
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