“Groan. My head hurts. A sliver of light is coming in through that window.
It’s barely 7.30 am. Must I wake up? I’m exhausted after my late hours at work (not to mention, the 3 pegs of Royal Stag I downed to get through it).
Uh oh …noises. The door is opening. It’s wifey. Shailaja. And the brats. Must they wake up at the crack of dawn? Is all the work in the kitchen over already? (Who am I kidding? My mother does a large chunk of the cooking any way.)
Oh no! they’re turning on the TV. Haaa…aaalp! It’s ….it’s POGO!”
The kids and mum plonk on the bed. TV is on full blast. Dad buries his head under a pillow.
Strains of music penetrate the confines of the pillow. Aussie accents singing. Kids laugh and sway. It’s Hi Fi. Nathan, Tim, Charli, Kathleen and Kellie do their stuff. Singing, dancing, giggling, talking to assorted puppets. The show closes with a cute story and a song-and-dance routine – which leads mum to think, somewhat uncharitably, maybe the quintet are actually wannabe popstars.
“Hmmm… the music is kinda nice. Besides it’s nearly 8. Maybe I’ll stretch and open an eye.”
Dad casts a long pained look at the telly. Mum gears up for the next show, Boobah, while kids jump excitedly over Tiny TV promos.
Boobah starts with 5 furry creatures (supposedly atoms) waking up, dancing and generally trying to look cute. There’s also a story section, typically, revolving around these characters – Grandpapa, Grandmama, Mr. Man, Mrs. Lady, Brother and Sister (inexplicably, brother looks Latino and sister, Chinese), Auntie and Little Dog Fido. Mum cynically notes that Boobah is very politically correct with all races suitably represented.
At this point mum and kids head for their baths. Dad goes off for a cup of tea and a smoke
The gang is back, just in time for Baby Looney Tunes. Think Bugs Bunny, Daffy and Tweety in diapers with a Grandma thrown in for good measure. Now this is a genuinely cute show, sweet without being nauseating. Kids watch it in snatches. Mum and dad hang on to every word, pretending to be doing their chores.
“Rush hour. 9 o’clock. Can’t find my socks. Think wifey has shoved it back in the cupboard in one of her cleaning fits
‘Barney is a dinosaur…’ The kids perk up. Not so mum and dad. Barney is disgustingly sweet. Assorted talking furry creatures flit in and out, and Barney, the dinosaur moves his purple bulk in an alarming fashion, mouthing puke inducing lyrics like I love you, You love me… I mean do kids really talk like that? The show is frequently punctuated by loud exclamations like “Oooh wasn’t that fun” “That’s terrific!!!!” I once saw the characters do a completely sanitized enactment of The Frog Prince (no kissing the frog).
Fortunately, its time for mum and dad to leave. But if grandpa and grandma are in an obliging mood, the kids have more stuff lined up:
Franny’s Feet
Whenever Franny tries on a new pair of shoes, she is transported to a different land. A trifle pedantic, this show is not one of the kids’ favourites.
Noddy
An interesting adaptation of the evergreen Enid Blyton’s series.
Miffy
A model-animation programme about a bunny Miffy and her friends. A lil goody-goody and slow, but has a catchy title song.
Teletubbies
Aimed specifically at pre-schoolers, this one is pretty boring for anyone above 4. I like it though, so that gives away my mental age.
There’s more – Brum, Just for laughs, Looney Tunes, Mr. Bean (animated version), etc, etc.. The promos are fun and colourful too.
Last Word
Aditya: Takun Takun Booba Googa, Goo, Goo!
Meghna: Pogo is fun, just wish I understood that language ‘Englif’ better. Still, when I sing snatches of songs from Pogo, my parents find me adorable and I get away with everything.
Dad: Pogo is not bad. In any case I love animation. Wish they had more superhero stuff – Batman, Spiderman or perhaps He Man …or at least an animated version of Bruce Lee.
Mum: Pogo is a blessing; it keeps the kids occupied for a few seconds at least. My kind of TV is BBC, the History Channel or National Geographic (I like to think that I am an intellectual) but Pogo will do as long as the lil devils rule my life. So long as I don’t miss my favourite reality TV trash like American Idol.
Warning: Too much TV is not recommended for your kids. Fortunately my kids don’t yet have the attention span to watch more than a few minutes at a stretch. (Now you know who actually watches Pogo). Books are always a better deal, but yes, kids can learn a bit if they watch good programmes, and Pogo offers an interesting mix. They really must stop showing re-runs, though.
