Devon Bostickfan

My nephew was a huge fan of Oobi, and when I had my daughter I was glad to see that it was still on in reruns. Since my daughter was around 7 months old, she has adored Oobi. She can actually sit through an entire episode without fussing or moving. The characters excite her (especially Uma and Kako), and the gentle nature that Oobi uses to interact with the viewers is superb. It can't help but foster respect for other people, and self confidence in the kids who watch it. The lessons range from cleaning house to getting a new pet, to the different seasons. Each subject is treated with the same gravitas, and the opinions and thoughts of kids are nurtured and reinforced. Oobi is like a super-simple Sesame Street, the side characters are wacky, the lessons are important, and the kids are talked to, not talked at or talked down to.

"Bear in the Big Blue House," the notoriously stupid (and, frankly, downright scary) kids' TV show about a big bear who talks about life lessons, has been the brunt of so many jokes since it started airing. There are too many things wrong with this show for me to discuss here, so I'll just say my favorite ones: (1) I know that imagining are important, but here, Bear needs to tell them to use their imaginations. It's as if they can't imagine so much as a rock without saying, with Bear's instruction, closing your eyes. (2) The show's methods of teaching lessons to the 2-to-5-year-old crowd are really dull. The dialogue is so banal that I want to scream my head off. And the lines are not unintentionally hilarious enough to inspire a chuckle in a cynic like me. Except for one notable exception, the "When You've Gotta Go" episode, which contained lines all said in amazed tone of voice. So what kids will actually learn from the show at the end is either that you need to have a sandwich by yourself, or how to wake up your friends by dancing. This show is no more educational than watching leaves fall off a tree. However, I grew up going to a place where kids can learn valuable information, School. However, if your kids are too young to go to school, they can't watch this show, so keep them far away from the show as possible. But if I do recommend one show, then I would recommend you show your kids The Wiggles, Baby Einstein, Yo Gabba Gabba, and ZOOM instead. They are much better than that Brown Perpetual Smiler Moron in the Small Boring School.