As I sit with my toddler and watch Yo Gabba Gabba, Teletubbies and The Night Garden with him I look at the characters and wonder…
“What the hell are those things?!”
As they dance around, teaching children about situations and how to handle them I realise I can’t even define them. Visually, they don’t represent an animal or a human in any way. Yes we had “Gumby” as a child but that show made no mistake, it was just plain abstract and weird, the soundtrack included. I grew up with Sesame Street where you could say,
“That’s a fairy, that’s a vampire, that’s a bird, that’s a woolly mammoth…”
So as I watch the fat teddies with human faces, the dolls which talk but their mouths don’t move, and the green monster with the extra long arms I look at them and wonder, are these weird looking things supposed to make small children comfortable about looking under their bed at night, and not worry about what may be lurking in their closet? Because honestly, if I saw something like that hanging around outside my window at night, or saw them in my room doing their thing, or if I came across one of them in a dark alley, I would without a shadow of a doubt… shit my pants.
Haha especially Makka Pakka! (sp?)
I’ve found myself analysing kids programmes far too closely and thinking “yeah right?!” too much, as Upsy Daisy and Igglepiggle climb inside a train thing that comes to their knees as it drives past… It’s like being really really drunk.
Or on a bad trip!
Well, I was going to say that, but I couldn’t speak from personal experience… 🙂
Neither could I, but those shows are exactly what I always imagined it to be – scary and weird lol!
But they keep the little ones mesmerised, especially ITNG!
Yes! If it is one thing I am thankful for it is being able to mop all the floors while they are sitting there watching it, it’s like they don’t want to look away in case something exciting happens!
Haha I know the feeling. It amazes me that there are 100 episodes of ITNG, they’re all pretty interchangeable, but still my son would insist on certain episodes.