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Kids These Days

Ladies and Gentlemen: the world is  a changing . More  importantly , the  realm  of  TV  is changing . And even more specifically, the  realm  of children’s television … is evolving . What I am talking about are the types of characters, subject matter, and  the types of stories  of cartoons  during the period when  my parents were kids verses the cartoons that my little sisters watch. Even the cartoons I watched as a kid were  a lot different   than  the cartoons  enjoyed my parents and sisters.

My  father was telling me the other  day  that she used to  enjoy  the cartoon “Strawberry Shortcake” when she was a  small   one ; a  made up little strawberry themed  character  that was featured onchildren’sgreeting cards and,eventually made intfigurines and various  trinkets .  In fact , Strawberry Shortcake resurfaced in 2009 as atelevisionseries; …it all  becomes full circle.

Now, when I was  little ,  growing up and getting older  in the late nineties (early two-thousands) – an example of a  popular children’s  television  show was The Wiggles. Imagine someone were to take the Beatles, and tried resetting all of their brains back to 1st grade, and then giving them all fluorescent long sleeve  t-shirts  … then you have  Wiggles. However, no children’s show creeps me out more than Yo Gabba Gabba , a show where the  featured characters  are giant mascot-like alien-looking creatures. Yo Gabba Gabba was  made  by Christian Jacobs;  frontman  of an punk rock band The Aquabats . The show is  ridiculous  ; filmed so  wacky  that it seems like a music video for MGMT –  Ironically,  MGMT is responsible for half of the  shows  soundtrack ! Even  Tony Hawk was featured on an episode. I went to my  family’s  house the other day and saw my sister playing with Yo Gabba Gabba toys; she lovesit. Honestly, the show speaks for itself so, all I’m going to say is: go  see  an episode, you won’t forget it.

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Sing Along Shows You Should Know

Keeping up with entertainment these days can be daunting task, not to mention keeping up with what you’re kids are watching! Trying to stay on top of what’s cool in your kid’s eye is hard to do, but at the same time so crucial to helping ensure strong development. Luckily, if your kids  are between the ages of 3 and 10, than one of these three children’s sing along shows may  may be what they think is cool !

The first is Yo Gabba Gabba. Though a somewhat more mature children’s show, Yo Gabba Gabba embodies the creative side of kids sing along songs today . The show can be seen on Nick Jr. and if you’re wondering what it’s about, well, it involves an excited singer and some wacky creatures, I’ll say that much . The show was actually created by members of the rock band the Aquabats and is generally regarded in the independent music culture as one of the more respectable sing along shows .

Another great sing along show gaining popularity this year is the Wiggles. The wiggles have been around since 1991, originally forming out of the disbandment of austrailian 80’s group, the Cockroaches .  Over the years they’ve gone through a few lineup changes, however, through those long years of being together, they’ve built an incredibly strong following among parents and kids . Putting on live shows with extravagant stage props and bright colors, these singers are certainly one of the most lively children’s entertainment group.

Another come back from the 90’s that’s making a second stand is Barney! That’s right, everyone’s favorite purple dinosaur. EThink about it, how cool was Barney in the 90s? What kid didn’t have a box full of Barney toys? The best part about Barney is by far the loveable songs he and his friends sing. Every episode’s a new adventure and jam packed with all kinds of different songs for the kid’s to sing.  If you’re looking for good wholesome sing along songs to share with your kids, Barney is certainly a great way to go!