Trippy
Why does entertainment intended for children seem like it was created by people on drugs? Last night I rocked Baby Evan to sleep to a song about bowling. Bowling with a guy named Bert. I can understand most of the other songs on the tape because they’re about baby whales and meadows and trains and silly giraffes named Joshua. Very child friendly. But bowling? Raffi might have had a few beers that day.
Clearly though, the real serious drug users have focused on children’s television. Teletubbies? Sponge Bob? Yo Gabba Gabba?? No way were those shows created by sober people. I barely even believe they’re actually meant for children.
Do you think that when the tv executives sit around the board room table they refer to it as the children’s/acid-tripping demographic?
I’m convinced SpongeBob was made for drug addicts. Weed, heroin, whatever works for you, you won’t understand SpongeBob without it. I also used to go insane when they would repeat scenes twice during Teletubbies (my little sister was obsessed) but apparently kids remember things better that they’ve seen twice… But, uh, you’re 100% right here, and I’m a little sad I have no excuse to listen to Raffi CD’s…
Also, one of the random links up there is titled “Weekend Update – Baby Named Jesus”, which reminded me of the fact that my friend’s son has a child in his after school program named God. Seriously. G-O-D.
I agree. I was adamantly against allowing my oldest to watch Yo Gabba Gabba, but one day a commercial came on for it and she stopped what she was doing, sat down and was enthralled. I immediately changed my mind and we watch it now. It’s actually fun.
And it works. I am assuming that folks that are high and babies/toddlers must have similar brain synapses or some other highly scientific reason for why it works.
Also, I think they must do it to keep us slightly entertained. They assume we are sleep deprived, which is sometimes like being a little high I’ve heard.
I LOVE Raffi! Is it the song “I like to go bowling with my friend Bert/A bowling ball and a bowling shirt?” If so, I have no idea where in my subconscious I just pulled those lyrics from.
Yo Gabba Gabba terrifies me. I have always, always said that the people that make children’s shows *have* to be on drugs.
Britni – That is 100% the song I was talking about. Can you believe E had never heard of Raffi and thinks I’m some sort of crazy person for having all these tapes from when I was a kid? He hasn’t seen crazy yet – wait til I get out my Psalty the Singing Songbook tapes.
Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point has a whole chapter on how little children learn best from repetition, and that’s why Blue’s Clues is so freaking repetitive. But he can’t tell me why I have to watch the whole of The Wedding Date whenever it’s on TNT. May have something to do with Dermot Mulroney’s ass, I’m not sure.
Can you imagine what archaeologists will think thousands of years from now when they find Teletubbies in our cultural remains?!
E should remember Psalty the Singing Songbook, because we listened to those records when we were younger. Yep…RECORDS. There was someone else too…maybe he’ll remember better but she was a goose, with a rainbow and some sticky substance that she needed to get back?? It’s somewhere in my subconcious still, but that was an acid trip on vinyl too.
I refuse to have to listen to children’s songs until I absolutely have to! The preschool years will be bad enough! Until then my little guy is just going to have to learn to like George Strait.