Ramona (1988–1989) User Reviews

One of our favorites

[boogiebob · 9/10 · 28 November 2010]

We watched this series around 1990 or so on VHS, when my daughter was about 6 or 7. Of course we read the books, also. Which I recommend even if you can't find copies of the program.

After just having watched the movie "Ramona and Beezus" (which suffered greatly in comparison) I had to come back and remind folks how great this TV show was.

I thought the characters were well cast. Ramona and Beezus especially. Although Ramona got into her quota of embarrassing situations, the program was not a non stop series comedic events. There was actually time spent on the development of the character's personalities, giving the program some depth. And even as an adult watching it, I could remember in an emotional sort of way how Ramona felt when she thought herself misunderstood and of no importance. As most children do at some time or another.

Too bad it's not available on DVD. Makes you wonder who decides to put the most inane drivel on DVD and not good stuff like this. If it was available, I bet we could talk our daughter into watching it with us when she visits.

Ramona 1988-1989 Tv Show Review By Logan Strohl

[loganjamesstrohl · 9/10 · 17 February 2024]

Ramona is one of the best shows of the 80s and one of my favorite Canadian tv shows of all time along with Goosebumps. If you enjoyed the books then you will enjoyed the show for sure. It is simple and that works so well. It is a almost perfect 10. The movie is pretty good too. But the show is better. If you are looking for something simple then Ramona is just perfect for you. I give it a 9 out of 10. Hopefully it gets released on dvd or streaming sometime soon. In the mean time you can find the episodes on vhs or on YouTube or fanmade release dvds. Give it a watch you will be glad that you did fun for the whole family both young and old.

Sweet Family Show

[iwantsofia · 10/10 · 29 May 2008]

I just re-watched a few episodes of this series on very poor VHS tapes that I recorded the series on. I'm glad I did, though.

Ramona is based on the children's books by Beverly Cleary and follows the adventures of the title eight-year-old (Sarah Polley). She has fun with friends and family and gets into trouble much like many eight-year-olds. All ten episodes are pretty good. "Mystery Meal" kind of grosses me out as a vegan, but it's funny seeing the parents trying to get their kids to eat cow's tongue! And any episode that mentions Godzilla Versus The Smog Monster twice can't be all bad. I like "Ramona's Bad Day" even more. Although it's disheartening to see Ramona going through a rough day, she does imagine herself getting revenge on her friend Howie's uncle (a pre-Psi Factor Barclay Hope), who always teases her. "The Perfect Day" is also good.

Lori Chodos plays Beezus, Ramona's sister. I swear I've seen her on something else, but IMDb doesn't list anything besides this show. Unfortunately, this series is not on DVD. Why is every crappy show made these days on DVD except something I'd actually like to buy? An injustice if there ever was one!

brings back memories

[primrosemoon · 4 January 2005]

I was thinking about this show recently and I decided to see if I could find some episodes for sale. I found some on Amazon and I just finished watching "Ramona the Patient" a few minutes ago! It was really fun to realize that I could still hum along with the theme music and remember the cat book report that she does at the end.

This show was on in the late 80's, and it aired on Sunday mornings for a while if I remember correctly. I was about 6 and I loved it because I was always a huge fan of Beverly Cleary books. The show itself is pretty good, and it does remain loyal to the stories. It's also fun to see Sarah Polley in such a cute role, as she's known to play very serious, somber roles these days.

Yay Ramona!

Timeless stories

[ellybendi · 10/10 · 31 March 2018]

I loved this program as a 7/8 year old when I first watched them in the 80s and 30 years later, I have just bought the DVD from retrotvmemories website & re-watched them as an adult. They still make me laugh a lot & even though there are sad elements like when they bury the cat, they are so heartwarming how the family love & support each other. I will give the DVD to my 2 year old niece when she is a bit older, I'm sure she will get the same enjoyment that I did. Ramona is not your typical kid so unique & eccentric kids will definitely identify with her. I've not read the books but given they were written from 1955 onwards, they are surely timeless, given that they are so relatable over 60 years later. They just don't make them like this anymore.

Great show for kids-available on tape

[Kristinartist79 · 21 July 2004]

Its a great show for children. I was a child in the 80s and I loved the show. I think the books were written in the 70s but the show seemed more 80s like. I liked how they dealt with real situations that children (even children now days) go through. I liked Sarah Polly. She was a great actress. The characters were just like the characters in the book. What I liked was how it showed everything in a child's view. I was really able to relate to Romona as a child. The show was very serious; however, there was some humor in it. Once in a while I will watch a Romona tape. I find some of the problems that Romona has to face to be sad but the show is realistic. If you have a child, watch the tape!

Great Family Show

[theatre81 · 8 October 2005]

I remember watching "Ramona" when it was on TV back in the late '80s. I was about Ramona's age when I first saw the show and immediately fell in love with it. It was so true to real life. Ramona faced many challenges that I faced when I was a child (having horrible days and thinking my parents would get divorced, getting sick at school --only not in front of my entire class--, etc...). Even today I still enjoy watching one of the videos I have from time to time, even though I am far past from being 8 years old. Still, this is a show and probably one of the very few shows that kids can really relate to. And seeing Sarah Polley as a little girl--wow! She was so adorable back then and is just as gorgeous now.

Excellent.

[shrek2004 · 14 September 2003]

This was a show that ran on Canadian TV (back when Canada still made programs!) in the late '80s. It stayed true to the popular Ramona books of the same name, and if you've ever read the books you'll agree the casting choices are absolutely perfect. If you see this one at the library, check it out!