Mayim Bialik — the quirky, never-without- a-hat teen who won fame as TV’s “Blossom” in the early ’90s — believes she is a total stranger to today’s under-20 crowd.
That’s the kind of thing that can hurt a comeback.
“Kids have no clue who I am,” she says with a shrug. “When I do personal appearances at colleges, I have to sort of backtrack and say, ‘In case you didn’t know, I was on after ‘The Fresh Prince‘ for five years.’ ”
Bialik, 34, took herself off Hollywood’s radar for much of the past decade to pursue a PhD in neuroscience and start a family.
Now the mother of two — Miles, 4, and Fred, 1 — is back at work and hoping to reconnect with her longtime fans and their kids. In the next few weeks she will start recurring guest roles on ” ‘Til Death” and “The Secret Life of The American Teenager.”
“I am trying to see if the industry would like to see me as an adult actress and not as a teenager,” she tells The Post.
Bialik, who got her show biz start as the young Bette Midler in “Beaches,” joins “Secret Life” tonight (ABC Family, 8 p.m.) playing the new high school guidance counselor who was fired from her previous job for inappropriate behavior — attending the prom with a student.
The controversial drama from executive producer Branda Hampton (“7th Heaven“) continues to push the envelope as its teen stars tackle issues from unplanned pregnancy to oral sex.
“When I was on ‘Blossom’, ” Bialik says, “it was considered very racy for us to have Salt-N-Pepa singing ‘Let’s Talk About Sex’ on our show!”
Bialik, a proud vegan and spokesperson for The Holistic Mom’s Network, also takes another whack at comedy, starring as herself in January episodes of ” ‘Til Death.”
Bialik, a self-described “nervous performer and auditioner,” has been best known in recent years for her rustic domestic practices — she makes her own baby shampoo, granola and home-cleaning products — and kooky, frumpy thrift store fashion.
Last year, the granddaughter of Holocaust refugees was ambushed on the streets of New York and given a makeover on the TLC series “What Not To Wear.”
“My husband [UCLA sweetheart Michael Stone] told me that until I am really famous again, I can’t be that eccentric in public,” she says with a laugh.
“I need to look a little more middle of the road.”