Why the Boobah's are evil...

[Red96TA]

I've got a 1.5year old daughter and she just LOVES this PBS show called the 'Boobah's'.

I'm watching the show and have decided that it's pretty nasty and suggestive! The Boobah's look like giant groins running around the screen...I mean, their stomach looks like a huge scrotum, their necks look like foreskins and their heads...well, their heads look like what you'd think I was talking about.

Anyway, the show starts by this group of kids calling each Boobah by name...when their names are called, their head 'pops' out from their neck region...hmmm

The next segment shows all the different Boobah's running around and 'bumping' into eachother...hmmm

There's this next segment where if the children 'blow' on the Boobah's, they perform magic for the children...sounds like it's right out of Michael Jackson's playbook, eh?

What's with the UK, that they would come up with this stuff? Do a google image search and find out for yourself what a Boobah looks like...yuk.

[Capmaster]

Reminds me of the trend I see all over. Like the scene in Grinch where his tail becomes erect when the girl walks in. Come on ....it's a children's movie

[northcat_8]

1.5 year old kids don't have the mental capabilities to relate any material into sexual meanings...that would be the mind of the perverted parent.

But in the UK..you never know...there are a lot of wankers over there

[Capmaster]

1.5 year old kids don't have the mental capabilities to relate any material into sexual meanings...that would be the mind of the perverted parent.

But in the UK..you never know...there are a lot of wankers over there

Maybe it's my perverted mind, and Red96TA's (BTW I had a 3rd gen ) too, but I see all kinds of innuendo in G-rated movies.

[northcat_8]

Well I suppose Foghorn Leghorn spanking the dog's ass could be considered S&M to some folks.

Speaking of that....since Porky never wore pants and had no...equipment....how did he **** Petunia?

Peppie LePew was always trying to rape the Black Cat....one of Dave Chappelle's great jokes.

If your mind is of a perverted nature Cap, you can turn just about anything into something sexual...sheep for instance :P

If it makes you feel better Cap, I do not consider you a pervert...at your age you are now legally considered a PROvert.

[CoasterCreator]

I guess if you look hard enough into something you can come up with negatives ..like the looney tunes man those are great but if you think about it ,,,,,the rapist skunk the killer coyote and the smart ass bunny and the revengeful duck..boy they are great, arent they ?
Look I think I even see the deathstar

[gshelley61]

My little kids really like Boobah... I've watched it frequently with them and it is fine. Very colorful, entertaining and funny. Nothing suggestive that I've seen.

Here's a picture of one of them (Zing Zing Zingbah)




Boohbah is a television show aimed at children between three and six years old, intended to encourage kids to exercise


There are two sets of main characters on Boohbah:

The Boohbahs, who are five colorful atoms -
Jingbah
Humbah
Jumbah
Zing Zing Zingbah
Zumbah

The Storypeople, who are two-dimensional -
Grandmamma
Grandpappa
Mrs. Lady
Mr. Man
Brother and Sister
Auntie
Little Dog Fido


One of the common features in Boohbah is the Boohball. The Boohball, which is a glowing white ball, is the place the Boohbahs live. It travels from country to country when it is called by children. Inside the Boohball is a recharging pod, where the Boohbahs recharge energy. The energy is created by the laughter of the children when playing with the Boohbahs, the Boohball, and the Storypeople.

Each show follows the same sequence of events in every episode -

Opening title. The Boohball flies over 15 different countries

Boohbah warm up. The children call the Boohbahs using the special chant ("Humbah, Zumbah, Zing Zing Zingbah, Jumbah, Jingbah -- Booh!"), and then the Boohbahs do a dance.

Present giving, in which a group of children bring a present for the Storypeople and they blow it into the Storyworld with the power of Boohbah magic. The present given will be the theme of the segment.

Storyworld and the Storypeople, which is based off of the present given in the last segment. During the segment, certain Storypeople will encounter problems, and the children will say the magic word, which is "Boohbah", enabling the story to continue and make the problem solved.

Boohbah dance, where the Boohbahs preform a dance related to the "Storyworld and the Storypeople" segment.

Look What I Can Do! In this segment, the Boohball lands in a certain spot, which makes a sparkling spot materialize and on the call "Boohbah", a child magically appears and does a simple activity, such as hopping on one foot.

End title, in which the Boohball flies off to another country with children calling from far away.

[Red96TA]

You mean THIS doesn't freak you out a little?

http://www.boon.co.uk/images/products/03/00007497.jpg

[Doramius]

I found something interesting here.

http://www.bigarmwoman.com/archives/000356.html

January 30, 2004
Vindicated!
In my hatred of the Boobah. Ha! Take that, craptastic show! And that! And that!

I'm just disappointed Lileks didn't mention the fart noises. They are simply too jarring and bizarre for words. And when you have a toddler for whom bodily functions are an endless source of amusement at inappropriate times and in inappropriate places; well, perhaps the child development specialists who invented this dreck should be more circumspect, is all I'm saying.

It's just a matter of time before The Boy makes the "fart noise=flying" connection implied by the boobahs. I cannot wait for the subsequent hilarity to ensue. Not.

Posted by Big Arm Woman at January 30, 2004 08:54 AM | TrackBack

Comments
Am I allowed to hurt you and Lileks for that travisty of color I was tortured into experiencing? No? Well, I have to go gouge my eyes out now, thank you very much.

Wait, I can't see my way to the gouger. DARN YOU BOOBAHS! Now I must sit here blind from those ungodly colors. Thank goodness I'm such a proficient typer. :/

Posted by: Gem at January 30, 2004 11:07 AM
Oh, now I'm excited...this stuff is a total narcotic for an incipient 2-yr-old by the little of it she was exposed to on the website. Can't wait til it crosses the Atlantic so I can spend more time on the computer while the child sucks up Gamma-ray radiation on the couch. I mean, if PBS airs it, it's educayshunal and guilt-free...heheheh...

Posted by: paula at January 31, 2004 10:49 AM
Gosh, when my child was 2, it was Babar that she watched. I feel for y'all.

Posted by: Laura at January 31, 2004 02:28 PM
(And I can still hum the theme song.)

Posted by: Laura at January 31, 2004 02:29 PM
PBS does show that drek, at least in Reno, Nevada - I was there for a business trip last week and watched horrified as the bloated colorful things farted, fell and tipped over every morning as I dressed for work.

I didn't know what the heck they were until I saw BAW's note and clicked on Lileks.

Thank God my son is in college and only chooses to expose himself to MegaTokyo.

Posted by: Beth Donovan at February 1, 2004 07:08 PM
Boobah....scarier than even the Teletubbies. That is saying something.

I hate kid shows that cause the brains of the adults who are watching ALONG with their children to leak out of their ears. With Boobah and Teletubbies, add in material that I can't connect to anything I've either learned or taught about human development. As much as adults wish to jump Barney in a dark alley, the show demonstrates manners in addition to teaching basic concepts.

The Teletubbies can't speak properly. The Boobahs (Boobahbians?? Boobahites?? Boobahese??) jump around like fuzzballs on caffiene. ARGH!

Early childhood education is DEAD!

Posted by: Di at February 1, 2004 07:41 PM
I think I lost 12 IQ points in the few seconds I saw Boohbah. Unfortunately my 6-year-old likes it. My tactic is to make sure I've got the X-Box on at 1:00 every day for both our safeties. So far it's worked well.

Posted by: Julianne at February 2, 2004 08:37 AM
When I realized that my son, at under 2 (now 3), was able to enjoy the greater sophistication of the Wiggles, Bear in the Big Blue House and Stanley, I began to wonder where is the need for things as dumbed down as Boobah and the creepy Teletubbies.

Posted by: winston at February 2, 2004 08:52 AM
Winston -

Exactly. Thank God for Blue's Clues, is all I'm saying.

Posted by: BAW at February 2, 2004 10:53 AM
"Boobah"... BAH... THIS is EDUCATIONAL television? PBS should be ashamed of itself. To think that this was one station I thought children could still watch and not be harmed by it's programs for kids... Purely disgusting.

Posted by: cheychey37 at May 15, 2004 03:28 PM
sick, sick, sick


Posted by: cheychey37 at May 15, 2004 03:29 PM
I fart in their general direction!

Their mother was a hampster, and their father smelt of elderberries!

nuff said...

Posted by: Avesfox at August 22, 2004 02:46 AM

[northcat_8]

OH...Boobah...all one word

Sorry about that, I was confused....I watch Boob Ahhhh's all the time...but I don't think those video's are suitable for younger viewers except for they may be considered some "restuarant advertisment" aimed at 6 month olds.

They are entertainment for us 422 month olds.

[gshelley61]

You mean THIS doesn't freak you out a little?

http://www.boon.co.uk/images/products/03/00007497.jpg

OK, maybe that does look a bit creepy...

[CoasterCreator]

Red96TA wrote:
You mean THIS doesn't freak you out a little?

http://www.boon.co.uk/images/products/03/00007497.jpg

Talk about blue balls

[Guest]

One word-teletubbies

[Doramius]

One word-teletubbies

4 words - more gas than ME!

[Capmaster]

I guess if you look hard enough into something you can come up with negatives ..like the looney tunes man those are great but if you think about it ,,,,,the rapist skunk the killer coyote and the smart ass bunny and the revengeful duck..boy they are great, arent they ?
Look I think I even see the deathstar

You don't see a nipple? Must be that Olsen Twins pic affecting my perception again

[888888]

Never heard of the "Boobahs". I don't think it is that popular in the US as I sometimes tune in to PBS children's programming and have never seen it. There are however endless re-runs of "Learn to Read" with Wally Amos right before the kids shows.

[Craig Tucker]

You yanks will buy any old crap. :P

[indolikaa]

You yanks will buy any old crap. :P

Pretty much...

[makntraks]

You yanks will buy any old crap. :P

Pretty much...

Yeah - the Boobies and those damn Teletubbies........

makntraks

[mastersmurfie]

reminds me of that "Rainbow" video that was going around a while back...eewww "Pluck yer twangers"...

[Red96TA]

lol...I remember that vid.

"let's all pull out our twangers and pluck."
"oh, yes, we LOVE playing with our twangers..."
"John and I plucked all night until his twanger broke."

The still have the vid over at ebaumsworld.com if you do a search.

What's weird about UK children's programming is that they almost always have the same two things...cocks and queers.

Boobah
Teletubbies
The Wiggles

Anybody seen The Wiggles? Reeks of cornhole...

[indolikaa]

Boy I'd be up-pissed if my twanger broke while it was being plucked! ain: uch:

[lordsmurf]

Boobah is just a bunch of giggling, flashy noise, pretty colors, and stupid crap. If this is what has replaced sesame street, be prepared for a new generation of mildness dolts. Yes, even worse than now.

[Faustus]

I've seen it. Its just teletubbies 2.0.

Ignore it. Or if you hate it that much and have kids who dont watch it already, dont let 'em. If they are old enough to change the channel to the show they want then they are old enough to decide what "kids" show to watch. But not PORN!




or porn

[gshelley61]

Boohbah is not a teaching program like Sesame Street or Blues Clues. It is an exercise/physical movement show that does have the effect of getting my kids up and bouncing around, jumping up and down, stretching, etc. Just silly and fun, basically.

They also watch plenty of "edutational" stuff - and we teach reading, writing and math to them directly each day, as well. They are doing just fine and will not be mindless dolts...

[Madz]

You mean PBS came up w/ something more evil than Barney?!!

[pyrate83]

I've seen some definite adult humor in Spongebob Squarepants when my little cousins are watching it.