Pocket Money (non-existent inaugural Nickelodeon series; 1979)

The paragraph in the Nickelodeon 1979 press kit mentioning Pocket Money.

Status: Existence Unconfirmed

Pocket Money is an unconfirmed TV series set to air on Nickelodeon that was first mentioned in the 1979 press kit for the channel.^[1] It is currently unknown if the show ever entered production for the network or if it was mentioned for another reason entirely.

History

Pocket Money was mentioned for the first and only time in the 1979 press kit for the then-new children's cable network Nickelodeon. On page 2 of the press kit, the network is introduced and various inaugural shows that were set to air on the network such as Video Comics, Nickel Flicks, America Goes Bananaz, and Pinwheel were given brief descriptions, including Pocket Money.^[1]

The description reads:

"Pocket Money, a show that will cover everything from lollypop factories to youth in politics."^[2]

This is the only mention of the show officially by Nickelodeon, as the show was never mentioned again in any capacity by the network. It is unknown what exactly the show was and what exactly became of it.

Theories

There are several theories of what exactly Pocket Money was and what became of it, and they go as follows:

Early Name for By The Way

The most well-known theory for Pocket Money is that it was an early name for By The Way, another obscure inaugural Nickelodeon show. This theory was first corroborated by YouTube user poparena in an addendum episode of his series Nick Knacks.^[2]

This theory is backed up by the fact that besides Nickelodeon's inaugural TV schedule, By The Way is not mentioned anywhere else in the press kit, while other inaugural Nickelodeon shows are.

However, some found footage of By The Way goes against the original plot of Pocket Money mentioned in the press kit, though another mention of By The Way seems to be somewhat vague like the Pocket Money description, meaning this theory is still up for debate.^[3]

Pocket Money was Cancelled

Another theory is that Pocket Money was outright cancelled entirely by Nickelodeon, explaining why the series was never mentioned after the press kit. However, this theory does not confirm nor deny that Pocket Money ever entered production in the first place.

Pocket Money was Filler in the Press Kit

The final theory is that Pocket Money was simply filler in the press kit to make it seem like there were more shows set to air on Nickelodeon or to make the kit seem longer. This explains why the shows' description is not very detailed and doesn't explain clearly what the show was about. This seems to also support the fact that the show would never be mentioned again afterward.^[2]

Availability

As mentioned before, Pocket Money was mentioned for the first time in the 1979 press kit for Nickelodeon, and was never mentioned again afterward by the network. It is current unknown what Pocket Money entailed and what happened to it after its mention in the press kit. No footage of the show is known to exist currently, and it's unknown if the show ever entered production at all or if it was mentioned for another reason entirely.