People remember Reading Rainbow fondly, but not everyone knows that it struggled to find an audience in its first season. That is, until I appeared on episode eight as one of the child book reviewers. When I arrived on set, I told the crew that I had forgotten to bring a copy of the book I was reviewing, but that I had my review ready to go. They shrugged and let me proceed.
The book was called Mashy’s Wish. It was about a bowl of mashed potatoes who wants to be uncooked back into a full potato so he can fit in with the rest of his family. Mashy goes to see a doctor, then a chef, then a scientist, and none of them can help him. So he buys the most potato-like object he can find, a football, and replaces the stuffing with himself. Mashy feels unsure about the decision because he still does not look much like an uncooked potato, but his family is proud, and they send him to the NFL, and he is the game-winning ball at the Super Bowl! But then after the game, the commissioner tests Mashy and announces he’s not a regulation-weight football, and the commissioner accuses the winning team of foul play. So to clear their name, Mashy goes on ESPN and gives a heartfelt speech explaining why he’d poured himself into a football. He wins the hearts of America and the commissioner drops all charges. The next season, the NFL changes the rules so that all footballs are now filled with mashed potatoes, and Mashy joins SportsCenter as a celebrity commentator. On Reading Rainbow I highly recommended the book to anyone who loved potatoes or football.
As you may have guessed, Mashy’s Wish did not exist. After the episode aired, PBS got hundreds of calls from kids and parents searching for Mashy’s Wish, and the station realized how passionate Reading Rainbow’s viewers were and renewed the show for another season.
I was happy for Reading Rainbow, but I didn’t get my wish, which was for someone to write down and illustrate this book I had invented. Even now, all these years later, I am only telling you this story in the hopes that you will illustrate and publish Mashy’s Wish. I would draw the illustrations myself, but when I was very young, my hands were baked, crushed, whipped with butter and salt, and served to a family of hungry potatoes.
Gabe Durham is the author of the books Fun Camp, Bible Adventures, and Majora's Mask, and he's the founding editor of Boss Fight Books. "My Reading Rainbow Appearance" is from a massive story cycle called Doctor Boring, and he often tells these stories on TikTok from his account @drboring. He lives in Los Angeles.