Entertainment For Lively Minds
Adult obsessions with children's TV programmes
On German TV, there is a programme on the children's channel called Bernd das Brot (the best translation of which is probably Bernd the Loaf). As you can guess, Bernd is a talking loaf of bread, but is also a miserablist misanthrope, whose character is not a million miles away from the likes of Rigsby and Tony Hancock.
For reasons never fully explained, he shares a house with Chilli (a sheep) and Briegel (a bush), who both share an optimistic, happy-go-lucky outlook on life, which of course our hero wants nothing to do with. He prefers to lock himself in his room and study the woodchip on the wall, or watch videos of long train journeys.
Bernd has several catchphrases, the main one being 'mist!' ('crap'). Others include 'my life is hell' and 'I would like to be left alone' (remember, this is supposed to be a kids' TV show). Bernd is comedy gold as far as I'm concerned -- not something common on German TV. Unfortunately, my admiration of this program falls on deaf ears among my German friends and workmates, who politely indulge me, but probably think I have a screw loose.
Have any other members of the massive become similarly enamoured with a kid's show? I remember in the late 80s, there were two terrific ITV shows; Helping Henry (starring Jeremy Hardy as an alien sent to gather information on earth, but disguised as a talking dining chair) and Gilbert's Fridge (starring Phil Cornwell).
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I've got two under five..
..and see a LOT of kid's TV - but there's nothing in the current crop that I've been drawn to. The nearest thing would be the Postgate canon, which cropped up on a recent thread. On the cinematic level, there's the Pixar / Dreamworks stuff - almost all of which is superb.
Slightly off topic,
but I really hate those pub conversations about childrens' television programmes from our youth. You know it's a bad night out when the talk turns to that.
well, thanks for dropping by
with that Johan. Really helped the thread.
Personally I became mildly obsessed with Pinky and the Brain some years ago and I remain devoted to Cow and Chicken.
However, the halcyonic glow of childhood still leads me to occasional YouTube binges on Bagpuss, The Clangers and Noggin the Nog(which I beleive remains a criminal offence in some states of the US). There was somthing deeply odd and deeply comforting about the crepuscular world of Oliver Postgate. And he had that voice.
Beautiful and strange.
Erm, fair enough
But the idea was to discuss children's programmes that you think work on an adult level
OK
But what makes you think I don't think Cow and Chicken works on an adult level?
Cow and Chicken / Cousin boneless
I watched this when cousin boneless roasted on the roof. And the one when chicken goes to prison after an identity mix up is great. Pork butts an' taters! An adult cartoon which me and my boy yoused to luurrve.
Ren and Stimpy was also great. However, Pokemon and that one about spinning tops was utter shite.
Well for you and me
(except I've already seen it) there is an early Xmas present on 22nd December (tomorrow) on BBC4.
Oliver Postage: A Life in Smallfilms
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pht5q
Ed, Edd &
Eddy. Genius for adults and kids alike.
timmy time
is the best thing on tv. end. of.
All sounds a bit like Evan Dorkin's superb
'Milk And Cheese' comic book.
http://www.houseoffun.com/milkandcheese/index.html
indeed
- i carry one of their trading cards in my wallet - it's them rampaging (no, really) screaming 'We cure the stupid' - I wanted my school to adopt it as it's motto, but couldn't translate it into Latin.
In the Night Garden
Sometimes it seems as if this is playing on an endless loop in our house - my 2 year old loves it. Very definitely aimed at toddlers, yet I find it amazingly gentle and chilled out and slightly hypnotic, especially as it's always on when I collapse onto the sofa when arriving home after a long day at work.
The pleasant little theme tune is etched into my brain now as well.
It's the work of the Devil.......
Iggle Piggle, Upsy Daisy and the rest of them. Satan's warriors singing Satan's tunes.....
Aaaargh......
You will be glad of the day when your offspring turns on Dora the Explorer!
Mr Ben
whoever wrote that must have been out of his tree - the suburban commuter popping in to see the local shopkeeper and coming out on a wild adventure in outer space or the wild west.
Surely the whole series was just a pretty thin analogy for taking an LSD trip.
Hey....
...did you catch this the other week
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8375309.stm
- the lowdown on the real Festive Rd? Mr Benn was great - as was the genius of King Rollo
surely some sort of dark satire on unelected authority figures?
Festive Road
You can visit Festing Road (the model for Festive Road) on Google Street View, and it looks just like you always hoped it would.
Cool, I feel a pilgrimage to South London
is on the cards...
For many years now at Christmas...
... myself and Mrs Sprocket watch The Box Of Delights. Loved it as a child and it still works as an adult. It also has some fine music... What's not to love?
Being re-made...allegedly
Rumours earlier in the year that Mike Newell would be re-making this for the BBC. Looks like the budget may not be there...no news since April?
http://www.totalfilm.com/news/mike-newell-opening-the-box-of-delights
the overlord Spongebob
and his pants of square
Can do no wrong in my eyes.
I even have a small beany Patrick on my keys to the church I work at. Rock and roll, eat your heart out. It's all about a sponge who lives in a pineapple, an octopus with six legs, a money-grabbing crab who sells burgers, a plankton with a desire to take over the world, a Texan squirrel who lives under the water, and best of all a starfish who has TV under a rock and wears Bermuda trunks.
Ridiculous, yes. Enjoyable? Most definitely.
Here, here
Brilliant cast with Robert Stephens opitomising the evil baddie. Yhe SFX that may now look a little cheap were fab in their time (Pat Troughton walking into a drawing was so cool). Think I might snuggle up with some Horlicks tonight and put on the DVD
Spongebob Squarepants
Seriously: it's very very witty and the comic timing is just perfect. It's obviously very appealling on a very straightforward kids cartoon level, but there's geniune intelligence and humour behind it. And the voices are great.
(I'm trying hard to not make this sound sarcastic because people look at me strangely when I express my love for Spongebob, but I am sincere. It's great.)
The Ratties
About 20 years ago there was an ITV cartoon series called The Ratties. It was narrated by Spike Milligan who added a lot of things to the script that would have completely baffled the programme's intended audience. As far as I'm aware it's never been released on video or DVD.
Can we translate Bernd das Brod
as Bernd the Toast?
Not really
The literal translation is Bernd the Bread, but that doesn't make as much sense in English (and he's definitely a loaf).
The German for toast is Toastbrot.
As in
Burnt the Toast.
Very good
Sorry that went straight over my head.
I think that
Catweasle instilled in me at a very tender age a lifelong predilection
for the weird folk/prog, and The Clangers definitely led me to my first dabblings in psychedelics. These days it's hebal tea. And biscuits. It's all pre-wired in the old cerebral circuitry, you see.
Invader Zim
from the peerless imagination of Jhonen Vasquez
No one's mentioned Doctor Who
which is ostensibly a kid's show, but beloved by adults.
Engelbert Tokens
My favourite Gilbert's Fridge character (Len McMonotony). Terrific stuff.
Maid Marian
From a few years back was very funny indeed.
Round the bend....
Late 80s Spitting Image for kids
Life without TV
Nowadays Television has become a part of life. Not only the children. the youngsters also greatly attracted towards the TV programmes. In Day today life the television has become more than entertainment tool. I recently read article about the television and life.
http://www.lcdtvreviews.org.uk/articles/life-without-tv/