(CNN) -- Think back to the age before GoldieBlox, before gender-neutral Easy-Bake ovens, before "My Princess Boy" or "It Gets Better" or "Lean In." Way before apps for infants or TV networks for toddlers, in the days when "Schoolhouse Rock" was in its infancy. That'd bring you to the early 1970s, when an album in a bright pink sleeve was passed among teachers, parents, librarians and kids. It was called "Free to Be... You and Me," and record players around the country spun songs such as "William's Doll," "Parents are People" and "It's All Right to Cry." When it debuted in 1972, there was nothing else like it -- at least, nothing so popular. It was feminist and multicultural; an early childhood education in empathy; multimedia before anybody used the word. There was the gold record album, a best-selling book and in 1974, an Emmy- and Peabody-winning TV special that starred its creator, Marlo Thomas, "and friends" -- literally, her formidable list of famous pals, including Harry Belafonte, Alan Alda, Diana Ross, Roberta Flack, Carl Reiner, Rosey Grier and a young Michael Jackson.
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'Free to Be... You and Me' was first broadcast on ABC on March 11, 1974
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The TV special came after a "Free to Be..." book and album for children
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Actress and activist Marlo Thomas was inspired by her niece to create "Free to Be..."
"@placeholder" was revolutionary for its kid-savvy and reach, but it wasn't universally beloved.