Top 10 Children's TV Shows > Reviews (51)

Children's programmes. The bane of parent's lives? Or a harmless pastime for anybody who is young at heart?

Quite frankly I have no idea, and I care even less.

I love children's TV (much to my wife's annoyance) and I watch it as often as I can.

And so this "Top Ten" is a mish mash of some favourite classics and a few modern bastions of childhood hilarity...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1. Chorlton and the Wheelies

Very few of my friends have ever heard of this and so I have great difficulty describing it to anybody. It comes and goes in waves, much like some ribena induced acid flashback.

The programme was animated in a very similar fashion to the likes of Camberwick Green, in that it was stop motion. Other than that it bore no resemblence whatsoever.

Chorlton was a dragon, who was orange, with multicoloured hat and a yellow t-shirt. He also had a Huddersfield accent (?).

Chorlton lived with the wheelies, little heads that ran around on wheels, and they lived oblivious to the fact that a Welsh witch, who lived in nearby kettle, was trying to harm everybody.

That's about it really. I just think that somewhere in my twisted head the insane near breakdown of that witch every programme was really funny.

2. Captain Caveman

A Hanna Barbara cartoon, much in the same vain as Scooby Doo (what ones weren't - The Schmoo, Fangface, etc) in which a thawed out prehistoric superhero (the eponymous Captain) helped a group of pretty young girls solve crimes.

It outdid the old Scoob in one very, very appealling area for a young boy... what other show allowed you to scream "CAPTAIN CAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAAA​AAAAAAAAAVE-MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA​AAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" at the top of your lungs? I ask you.

3. Bod

Okay, whoever came up with this programme had to be on some serious medication. Bod was a bald kid, with only one set of clothes and a theme tune that followed his every move. He lived with his Aunt Flo (dear god), who also has her own theme. As did the local bobby, farmer and anybody else.

There was also a strange frog that loved "Strrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwberry"!

LSD for the young and no need to pay man.

4. Spiderman and His Amazing Friends

Has anybody ever heard of Firestar? No? Neither had most comic fans until the advent of this superteam cartoon.

The simple premise was that the yougest of Marvel's catalogue of heroes at that time (the surprisingly adult looking Peter Parker, Bobby Drake and a girl) share a flat and use their varied superpowers to save the day. Peter of course wa the ever bouncy Spiderman, Bobby is Xmen's Iceman and the girl was just Firestar (still none the wiser). I understood the yin yang of the ice and fire, but never quite understood where Spidey fit into that at all (except as a well known hero).

It was crass and laudible, but I don't think I ever missed an episode. Does that make me sad?

5. The Fraggles

I talking aboput them when they were still under the oblivious watch of Fulton Mackay, not John Gordon Sinclair.

Back when they were the real Fraggles.

I just loved the Doozers (little building creatures complete with yellow hard hats). They were fantastic.

6. Samurai Jack

Up to date now, with a cartoon that defies belief. A work of genius where tales are created as if they were actual stories of old.

The premise has it that in the time of fuedal Japan the Evil Demon Aku, at the height of his reign and almost complete dominance of the world, is very nearly struck a death blow by a true warrior Samurai (Jack). Before the blow an be struck Jack is hurled by Aku into a rip in time and on into the distant future. On to a time where Aku rules and his word is law. It is now Jack's solumn duty to fight and find his way back to his time and defeat the Evil Aku.

Phew. With all that said, it plays out as a beautiful animated tale of legend, with some fantastic characters being created almost every episode. The world is a strange mix of fantasy, history, sci fi and the familiar. Fantastic.

7. Ed, Edd and Eddy

Quick explanation. Eddy is short, thinks he's wonderful and is up for scamming cash out of anybody. Edd (Double D) is a genius, and so anal that he has labels on everything in his room (everything). Ed is a comic reading, monster movie watching, anything eating, chicken loving, inbred idiot.

The three of them live in the cul-de-sac, their entire world, surrounded by the same faces, all of whom want them dead and all of whom Eddy wants to scam. Their is Kevin (the cool kid), Sarah (Ed's foul mouthed, violent sister), Jimmy (the delicate boy who's only friend and protector is Sarah, who also shares his love of tea parties), Rolf (the some of a goat herder and permanent exchange student/farmer), the Cankers (three trailer park sisters, who look nothing alike), Nazz (the gorgeous girl who everybody loves), and Jonny and Plank (Jonny is a wierd kid, who's closest friend is a piece of wood with a painted on face, Plank. Plank is shall we say deranged).

The premise, as stated before is simple. The Ed's want cash for jawbreakers. They intend to scam it from everybody. Surprisingly they never do.

8. The Powerpuff Girls

The cutest superheroes on the planet. Bubbles, Buttercup and Blossom, created by ther dad Professor Utomium, are here to save the city of Townsville (and sometimes its neighbour he town of Cityville) from giant monsters, evil gangs, wicked badguys and their arch enemy Mojo Jojo (who is a supergenius chimp).

The best line ever...

Buttercup - "I saw that Mojo Jojo had a boo boo and I felt so sorry for him, but then I remembered he was a bad monkey, so I kicked his monkey face in!"

9. Bear In the Big Blue House

Muppets gone wild. A big Bear, in his big blue house. He sings he dances, he as lots of friends and he was created by the Creature Workshop!!! Anything with a muppet connection is good, but you have to see this bear dance.

10. Anything with Muppets

Sesame Street, the Muppet Show, Muppets Tonight, the Muppet movies. I love them all.

When was the last time you watched a puppeteer actually sitting in front of you, with one hand up the puppets bottom, the other holding rods to work the puppets arms and moving his lips unashamedly to talk for the puppet an yet you still watch the puppet as if it were real. The late great Jim Henson did that to me when he let Kermit be interviewed on Parkinson some years ago. I think Parky taked to Kermit the entire time.

Everything that man touched remains magical to me forever.

A Muppet Christmas Carol will forever be one of my favourite Christmas movies. Even though I know whats underneath the chairs and streets. All children deserve to find the muppets once in their lives. So do all adults. If only to marvel at Pigs In Space...