The Most Annoying Kids Shows

D'Snowth

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Since we somehow seem to get onto the subject of Teletubbies on occasion around here, I found this and was rather interested by it - the people who were inside those Teletubby suits:



Though, I heard the first guy who played Tinky Winky was fired BECAUSE of the whole ambiguously gay controversy. I heard.

That, and the guy who played Dipsy HATED doing the show, but apparently was strapped for cash and that's why he took the job.
 

Drtooth

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Like I said, the Tinky Winky thing was intentional. But more of a mockingly gay thing than a "corrupting young religious zealot automatons" way. After all, British television is mostly about dry wit.

I think I'm totally out of annoyingly bad kid's shows, and can only think of substantially bad ones. Scary ones, even. But we already have a thread on that. So I have no choice but to list one I actually did like, but annoyed me on various levels.

The 2002 Berenstain Bears cartoon. It isn't bad. Most of the time it was quite enjoyable actually. But considering how old I am, I grew up absolutely loving Hanna Barbera's (Austrailian Off Shoot Studio's) wackier, Ruth Buzzi and Brian Cummings-ier version of the series. The newer series comes off much more quiet and mellow, and it deletes some of the more interesting characters like Raffish Ralph and Big Paw (Actual Factual was in the show, however). To give you an idea, one episode of the original 80's series, Raffish Ralph and the Weasles were actually trying to kill Papa Bear (via a Hot Air Balloon Crash). Even trying to ignore the nostalgia factor, the older series does come up better.

Then of course there were the episodes based on books that really weren't that good. Canadian Content regulations barred Stan and Jan from writing episodes themselves (expanding on the books a lot of the time), even though they were still producers. The Bad Dream erased all references to 1980's toys, turned Space Grizzlies into a campy 1950's Space serial show, and didn't even show the bad dream. The Big Blooper (the swear episode)... well, reasonably they had to take Honey Bear out, since they didn't have her in the show... but you lost the funniest sequence there. And While I do like the Get the Gimmies episode, I just wish that they kept the temper tantrums in. Otherwise it makes Papa and Mama look unreasonable when the kids politely, if needily, ask for things.

Then there's the case where they actually made the same episode twice and changed the tone. The one where the Bear Scouts explore a cave. The same incident goes different ways, a goat eating the rope they tied to a rock near the entrance so they wouldn't get lost. In the 80's series, dramatic music played, giving the situation a state of hopelessness and urgency. The 02 series instead opted for "oh boy" comedic music, making the scene a joke.

But overall, not a bad show, just a few things that bug me compared to the earlier series and the books. Though they did change the unfortunate implications of the "New Neighbors" book by making them slightly different bears instead of pandas.
 

LaRanaRene

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MikaelaMuppet

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Since we somehow seem to get onto the subject of Teletubbies on occasion around here, I found this and was rather interested by it - the people who were inside those Teletubby suits:



Though, I heard the first guy who played Tinky Winky was fired BECAUSE of the whole ambiguously gay controversy. I heard.

That, and the guy who played Dipsy HATED doing the show, but apparently was strapped for cash and that's why he took the job.

Is that the real people who played the Teletubbies?
 

Drtooth

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Know what was annoying? The totally radical Club Mario show.



Wow. That is so something a 40 year old out of touch dude would create. And not only that, as much as I liked the Mario and Zelda cartoons, the best part of the show was the live action Mario Bros. Plumbing segments. The awkwardly placed C list celebrities, the amazing chemistry between Captain Lou and Danny Welles... so much better than that embarrassing attempt to be hip.
 

fuzzygobo

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Since we somehow seem to get onto the subject of Teletubbies on occasion around here, I found this and was rather interested by it - the people who were inside those Teletubby suits:



Though, I heard the first guy who played Tinky Winky was fired BECAUSE of the whole ambiguously gay controversy. I heard.

That, and the guy who played Dipsy HATED doing the show, but apparently was strapped for cash and that's why he took the job.
HOLY CRAP ON A STICK!!!! The Teletubbies were the Black Eyed Peas all along!
Who woulda thunk it?
 

Drtooth

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For realz, the woman that did the voice of one of them was Trillian from the TV show version of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Said so on the trivia track of the DVD.
 

fuzzygobo

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On the flip side to all the crappy shows that you've been subjected to, back in the late 70's when cable first became available, there were a number of syndication deals that allowed us to see some kiddie shows that were big in other parts of the country, but unknown in New York. And I was amazed how many markets had puppet shows that were big faves in their hometowns, and now we had a chance to view them too.

From L.A. we got to see "Dusty's Treehouse", and from Chicago we were treated to
"Gigglesnort Hotel" and "Hot Fudge". And some lucky kids outside of New York City got to see what "Patchwork Family" and "The Magic Garden" was all about. Pretty neat deal.
 

mr3urious

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From L.A. we got to see "Dusty's Treehouse", and from Chicago we were treated to "Gigglesnort Hotel" and "Hot Fudge". And some lucky kids outside of New York City got to see what "Patchwork Family" and "The Magic Garden" was all about. Pretty neat deal.
Did you ever see Peppermint Place, produced in Texas?


R.I.P. Jerry Haynes.
 
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