Back in the 80′s, some of us kids were shown a series of videos educating them about how to use the library, called Tomes & Talismans. The basic plot is about a post-apocalyptic society (the earth has been taken over by a race of people called “Wipers” whose favorite pastime is “the disruption of all communication and data technology”), and the earth’s last librarian and a group of youngsters must fill the last earth library – because today, all humans will evacuate the planet and head for the “white crystal solar system.” Are you excited yet? You should be. My brain had erased all memory of this until I saw it today. And wow.
There are so many things about this video that are an equal mix of hilarious, terrifying, and just outright SAD. Somehow, Mississippi Public Broadcasting figured the best way for kids to learn about the Dewey Decimal System is through a bleak, futuristic drama such as this. There are too many amazing moments to list here, but I will just say this: at the 1:34 mark, a puppy is lasered into oblivion.
The entire series has been uploaded. Happy watching!
(via BoingBoing)
