Slim Goodbody ("the Superhero of

Health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

", also known as Mr. Goodbody) is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life perso ...

created and performed by John Burstein. Burstein created the character in 1975. He performs wearing a sometimes white, sometimes peach colored

unitard A unitard is a skintight, one-piece garment with long legs and sometimes long sleeves, usually stopping at the wrists and ankles. It differs from a leotard which does not have long legs. The leotard is also usually considered a more feminine cloth ...

with various tissues,

organs In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a f ...

and

organ system An organ system is a biological system consisting of a group of organs that work together to perform one or more functions. Each organ has a specialized role in a plant or animal body, and is made up of distinct tissues. Plants Plants have ...

s painted in biologically-accurate locations and sizes. Each costume costs $4,000.

John Burstein

Burstein was born on December 25, 1949, in

Mineola, New York Mineola is a village in and the county seat of Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 18,799 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from an Algonquin Chief, Miniolagamika, which means "pleasant village". ...

, and grew up in Lawrence, Nassau County, New York. While working at The Floating Hospital in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

he began writing songs and skits to entertain the children there and to teach them about

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having it ...

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 lives with his wife, Chrissy, in a lakeside home in

Lincolnville, Maine Lincolnville is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,312 at the 2020 census. Lincolnville is the mainland terminal for Maine State Ferry Service transport to Islesboro. History Approximately 10,000 years ago, a g ...

. They have two sons, Devin and Luke. Burstein's sister,

Karen Burstein Karen S. Burstein (born July 20, 1942) is an American Democratic Party politician, attorney, civil servant, and former judge from the State of New York. She served in the New York State Senate, worked in the administration of Gov. Mario Cuomo, ...

, is a former New York state senator and judge.

Career

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 ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It ...

'' and '' Good Morning America''. His skits also focused on exercise, personal

hygiene Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

, and

nutrition Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient ...

. Between 1976 and 1981 he appeared twice a week on the CBS show

Captain Kangaroo ''Captain Kangaroo'' is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television progra ...

. Slim Goodbody eventually received his own

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

in 1980, ''Inside Story'' on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

. The program mainly consisted of Burstein's live-show Slim Goodbody sketches, though other children's show celebrities such as

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 (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

. 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 McGraw Hill is an American educational publishing company and one of the "big three" educational publishers that publishes educational content, software, and services for pre-K through postgraduate education. The company also publishes refere ...

, Putnam, and

Fairview Press Fairview Press (formerly Deaconess Press) was the publishing former arm of Fairview Health Services, a regional healthcare provider affiliated with the University of Minnesota. Fairview Press published books and other forms of patient education m ...

. A series of educational shorts featuring Burstein's character were produced in 1985. Titled, ''Well, Well, Well! with Slim Goodbody'', these were aimed for school children grades K-4. In 2014, Slim Goodbody appeared in a Radio Shac
commercial advertisement
during the

Super Bowl XLVIII Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for th ...

. Over the years, Slim Goodbody has also addressed child obesity, bullying, personal

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly dif ...

, self-esteem,

literacy Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...

and

environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks ...

. 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 The Parents' Choice Award was 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 was considered a "prest ...

and the Healthy American Fitness Leader Award.

Publications

Burstein has written a number of small, informational children's books (as Slim Goodbody) including: * ''Slim Goodbody, the Inside Story'' * ''The Mind (Wonderful you)'' * ''The Astounding Nervous System: How Does My Brain Work?'' * ''Can We Get Along?: Dealing With Differences'' (2009)

Records

* 1974 ''The Inside Story'', re-released in 1981 on

Caedmon Records Caedmon Audio and HarperCollins Audio are record label imprints of HarperCollins Publishers that specialize in audiobooks and other literary content. Formerly Caedmon Records, its marketing tag-line was Caedmon: a Third Dimension for the Printe ...

Television appearances

* ''

'' (1976-1980) * ''The Adventures of Slim Goodbody in Nutri-City'' (1978) * ''The Inside Story with Slim Goodbody'' (1980) * ''Slim Goodbody's "Top 40 Health Hits"'' (1981-1982) * ''Body Builders'' (1985) * ''All Fit with Slim Goodbody'' (1985) * ''Well, Well, Well! with Slim Goodbody'' (1985) * ''The Outside Story with Slim Goodbody'' (1991) * ''The Before Tour'' (1991) * ''Step-By-Step'' (1994) * ''Slim Goodbody's PSA National Dairy Board'' (1994) * ''Get Ready to Read (1995)'' * ''Music City Tonight'', 1 episode (1995) * ''Gun Safety'' (1998) * ''Goodbodies'' (1999) * ''U.S. That's Us!'' (2001) * ''I'm Safe on Wheels'' (2002) * ''Life Skills 101'' (2003) * ''X-Power'' (2003) * ''Daily Deskercise'' (2006) * ''Daily Almanac'' (2007) * ''Health Tips'' (2008) * '' Oddities'', as customer (2013) * '' RadioShack: "

The '80s Called "The '80s Called" is a television advertisement produced by GSD&M for RadioShack, which debuted during Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2, 2014. Plot A RadioShack store clerk ( Mark Saul) receives a call and informs his coworker that "The '80s ca ...

"'' (2014) * ''Kids Guide To COVID-19'' (2020)

References

External links

* * {{IMDb name, id=2014975, name=John Burstein Children's television characters Health education television series Mascots introduced in 1975 People from Lawrence, Nassau County, New York People from Mineola, New York Male characters in advertising