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boohbahs expelling air, what more could a child want???

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boohbahs expelling air, what more could a child want???

Old 01-19-04, 11:32 AM
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boohbahs expelling air, what more could a child want???

from the same woman who brought us teletubbies, now we get blobs...

http://www.usatoday.com/life/televis...boohbahs_x.htm

Boohbahs take a bow
By Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY
Think of them as Teletubbies for the 21st century.

Boobahs is the latest creation of the woman who brought the world Teletubbies.
AP Photo/PBS Kids/Ragdoll Ltd.

Five colorful blobs. They fly. They try to touch their toes. They expel air. And they don't talk — they don't have mouths.

"Atoms of energy" is how creator Anne Wood describes them.

Wood is the woman who gave the world Teletubbies. Now, her new offering, Boohbah, makes its debut on PBS Kids today. The question is: Will it really be another Teletubbies?

One of the biggest successes in children's television, Teletubbies, which launched in England in 1997, is now seen in 111 countries and 41 languages.

With that success came controversy over its educational merit. Critics have denounced Teletubbies' talk as baby babble. A Spectator magazine writer described the show when it first aired as "bizarre, lurid, disturbing and mind-numbingly repetitive."

But it became a huge ratings hit and a pop culture phenomenon. Remember the furor in 1999 when Christian leader Jerry Falwell suggested that handbag-carrying Tinky Winky was secretly gay?

None of the Boohbahs carries a purse.

It's all about sparkles and rainbows and movement. The show opens with a glowing boohball zooming around to dancing children in various countries.

"Boohbah!" shout children. Then each gumdrop-like creature is called to wake up from its sleeping pod: Humbah, Jingbah, Jumbah, Zing Zing Zingbah and Zumbah. Once up, the blobs begin to touch their toes, expelling air with each bend. Children can be heard giggling.

Halfway through the program, live-action characters appear in a grassy, sunny world. Grandmamma, Grandpapa, Mrs. Lady, Mr. Man, Brother, Sister, Auntie and Little Dog Fido do simple things such as jump rope.

Kenn Viselman, founder of Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Co., which marketed Teletubbies, says adults have always had a hard time understanding Wood's concepts. "Ann's work is not designed for an adult. She creates her work with children in mind and speaks directly to them."

Her approach is not didactic, she says, but rather invites response. "They'll only have fun if they find it satisfying. If they are getting something from it, they're learning."

As for the roundness of the Boohbahs, it's not a commentary on obesity, she says. " 'Round and 'round is a very important thing — spin 'round and 'round. It's just movement, pure and simple."

The real goal: "They're meant to be funny."

That's why they make the pffft noise. "In urban societies, you get the feeling that children are surrounded by caution and a lot of anxiety. To some extent it's understandable. You sometimes want them to be freer. You hope that Boohbah will let them be freer."
the purple one looks just like Grimace!
Old 01-19-04, 11:36 AM
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Thank God my kids are too old to be interested in this crap.
Old 01-19-04, 11:41 AM
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That woman must be on some very heavy medication.

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