Children’s Television, a top 10 of the last 10 years. 2000-2009.

The last ten years have been a big deal for Childrens TV.  There have been a  lot of changes to how, where, when, and what we watch on TV, and Children’s TV (more specifically TV for scampish little pre-schoolers) has made some massive changes. Here are the top ten shows, shows that were original, excellent, or just did something nice for the world. Because kids, you don’t have to pick between The Wombles and Button Moon any more.

The list comes with a few notes. All shows (except Dora the Explorer, because pilots don’t count) were broadcast after 2000. Longer running series were ignored, even if some did manage to innovate. How can we forget Play School’s journey through the gay window?

This isn’t to say that the decade wasn’t free from some absolute STINKERS. This year’s Dirtgirl World being an excellent example.

If you were to take anything away from this, with the variety and number of dedicated children’s channels (ABC 2, ABC 3, all the regular FTA programming and all of the Pay TV channels available) there is great potential to drown in waves of shit children’s content, but this seems to be the opposite of what’s happening. There is a lot of good television being made and some of it is exceptional.

10: LazyTown

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlzaWU0I1s8[/youtube]

Lazy town is weird. It’s lovely, but it’s weird. Latex puppet people, flawed characters, gluttony, excercise, fruit is called “sports candy”. It’s all about the positive message. What makes this show great, especially from an Australian point of view, is that the show operates in a really unique way, which a fascinating approach to storytelling. This is in part to its Icelandic origins (how many shows from Iceland do you normally get to see?) and also the writer/producer/director/star/gymnast Magnús Scheving.

9: Big Cook Little Cook

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNKfTrrJVJI[/youtube]

Wikipedia tells me “The programme is set in the kitchen of a café, with two principal characters, Big Cook Ben and Little Cook Small. Ben is a full-sized adult, but Small is only a few inches tall and flies around on a wooden spoon.” Really, that’s all you need to know, each episode cooks a special fairy-tale themed meal based on whichever fairy tale character walks in for something to eat. For a very cheap show, it really works. It shows that you don’t need much to make a good show, and some great lessons in food preperation and kitchen safety. Also, try and get the theme song out of your head.

8: The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQx7ZZSwaD8[/youtube]

This show is great, and it’s nice to see an Australian on the list. Bottle Top Bill and Corky live in a world where everything is constructed like a some craft project, but on meth. The show works with conflict resolution and fixing problems, and while the characters are generous and eager to help each other, it isn’t the forced charity and civility of some kids shows (The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for example). It’s great to see a world lovingly created (literally) and with such creative detail. It also lends itself to some nice construction games on the ABC website.

7: Charlie and Lola

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OswURUAJeLI[/youtube]

Charlie and Lola are brother and sister, living with their (unseen) Mum and Dad. What makes this show special isn’t just the charming and unique storytelling and animation (although it could be on the list for that reason alone), but the wonderful characters found in the siblings and their friends. The interaction between the two is loving but complicated, and doesn’t come as forced as kid’s TV often is; shows seem more interested in either telling kids to be nice and how to behave, or even worse, show one sibling as an awful bully who needs to be combated. Another thing about this show that appeals, is the portrayal of children living inside an apartment, because honestly children don’t all live in Postman Pat style villages. This quite possibly could be the nicest and most charming show ever made!

6: Dora the Explorer

You can’t think kids TV of the ’00s without thinking of Dora, the multi-billion dollar powerhouse, and received much attention this year with talk of a more grown up “tweeny” version. Dora the Explorer is an amazing educational tool, for so many reasons other than the Spanish/English bilinguality (which is great, don’t get me wrong). Dora teaches kids how a digital environment works and how interactive environments can be manipulated, with the whole show framed as an immersive educational video game. There is puzzle solving, task structure, repetitive visual and aural motifs that have even very young children actively engaging with the show. Active engagement is the key, that all of these shows seem to maintain, because otherwise we’re just setting kids up in front a time wasting box and teaching them to be passive consumers.

5: Humf

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnxYX4xdwBE[/youtube]

If Charlie and Lola is the most charming show of all time, Humf would be a very close second. The show shows the young hairy monster Humf living in an apartment (like Charlie and Lola) with a very realistic life of visits to parks, public pools, and shopping trips. The characters are wonderful and the way we see the young “child” interact with the world is absolutely heart warming, the narration by Caroline Quentin really adds to this. What really makes this show is the characters trying to understand friendship, queuing in shops, working parents, and housework. There are also parents trying to share the care of Humf’s friend Wallace, and Loon’s absent father, which teaches a more realistic world view without forcing an idea of how the world “should be”.

4: Something Special

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n33Ip8MX4Lw[/youtube]

Something Special is a very unique program, designed for differently abled children, which has a variety of ways to communicate with the audience, through song, dance, sign-language, stories, and animation. What makes the show excellent for disadvantaged children also appeals to younger children, providing a safe space with pleasant stories and songs. The show goes one step further by having an “outing” section of each show which shows children, normally special needs, many in wheel chairs, interacting with a variety of locations. For special needs children to be able to see representations of themselves on screen is really important, and the normalised way its done is also important for all children to watch. The show has a very specific remit, which is very different from other kids shows.

3: The Backyardigans
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE0C3ed6es8[/youtube]

The Backyardigans is a charming show, using a variety of CG animation and motion capture, to immerse kids in a world of fun and play. The five friends with neighbouring gardens each day go out a play, and create an entirely imaginary world to play in. The stories are interesting, and the unique music composed for each episode is exceptional. The show is wonderfully anti-materialistic, with the only items being needed are things like soccer balls and hats, to start a wonderfully imagined story, which thankfully doesn’t cost a lot of money for their parents. This really is quality TV. Also the only Canadian show to appear on a mostly British list.

2: Yo Gabba Gabba

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dsLs9KMwTc[/youtube]

There is something about Yo Gabba Gabba that has allowed it to absolutely take over the world! Stage shows, breakfast TV appearances, merchandising, costumes!It has its own internal logic, the characters don’t make sense, the colours are insane, and the music belongs in a night club. This being said, it is some of the most entertaining kids TV ever made. The songs are surprisingly preachy, especially about eating vegetables, but they really put outfits like Hi-5 to shame which the high calibre music. The show is pretty formulaic, finishing each show with a remixed version of the days events and music. As a media type, I really appreciate this remix at the end, giving kids an introduction to song and dance based shows, but also the role as being both a user and producer of media, and remixing and controlling your own media environment. It’s also the place to see some of the best indie bands performing for children some undeniable musical artistry.

1: In the Night Garden

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evlnQG-CHVo[/youtube]

In the Night Garden is this quiet little unassuming show, that provides an excellent social function, but from watching it as an adult, you may not entirely understand why. The Night Garden is a magical land that you drift off to when you sleep, where Iggle Piggle, Upsy Daisy, and Makka Pakka play. The show is designed to relax children, and is an integral part of the show. EP Anne Wood says “”We became very aware of the anxiety surrounding the care of young children which manifested itself in all kind of directions [...] So this is a programme about calming things down whereas most children’s TV is about gee-ing everything up!”. The show has characters playing in a safe space, and everybody loves each other unconditionally, which provides a relaxed and safe place for children to lose themselves in. In a very anxious world, with environmental issues, financial crises, and the threat of terrorism, on top of the regular arguing/divorcing parents, In the Night Garden provides a happy and safe space for children.