To be sick of anthropomorphism in children's TV

[BalloonSlayer]

It seems every time I stick CBeebies on it's "The Large Family." Which is an utterly tedious, unfunny cartoon about a boring family in a boring town doing boring things. But they are all elephants. Why? Why are they elephants and not people?

"Arthur" is bad enough. I don't even know what sort of animal Arthur is supposed to be. He looks like nothing on God's earth. But at least all the families look different.

In "The Large Family" all the elephants look exactly the same except the three hairs on top of their heads are arranged in different ways. Even I have better things to do with my day than scrutinise elephants' haircuts FGS.

I appreciate that Beatrix Potter started all this with Peter Rabbit and his blue jacket and camomile tea. But at least he had some real rabbit issues in his life, like risking being put in a pie by Mr McGregor.

Why can't The Large Family face some real elephantine issues, instead of just the trials of babysitting or having the bath overflow?

Why not:

• drama as ivory poachers are spotted in town
• Mrs Large faces antenatal depression as her pregnancy enters its second year
• a plague of mice terrorise the family
• Mr Large goes to a clinic, worried that his penis is only two feet long

(that was about the accountable comment, but i see you've done it again.
you're incurable )

ROFL
at nickschick phoning the beeb

arthur is def weird

I spend ages trying tofigure them out

I have alwasy despised thomas the tank engine

chugginton is nothing like it, far superior and a joy to watch

According to this feller arthur is a hamster and rumours that he is an aardvark have been circulated maliciously.

if he was a hamster he would be called harry

That is funny... MY mother was saying the same thing the other day. She said why are there no programmes about people. DC2 loves the large family. Dc1 loves Angelina. Fireman Sam, Postman Pat... Grandpa in my pocket I guess.

Fireman Sam and Postman Pat are people aren't they?

dirt girl is also a person, with that in mind they should stick to animals

Why is the BBC being accountable a thread about a thread, nickelbabe?

What've I said?

(What have I missed . . .?)

I was just pleased at the fact that the BBC should not only have its knuckles rapped about showing the Queen appearing to be pissed off when she wasn't, and reprimanding Jonathan Ross etc but that it should also be able to clarify the exact status of the tweenies' childcare arragements. How very satisfying.

< puts Land of Hope and Glory on the gramophone >

I'd forgotten Angelina. I used to like that. Although could never understand why they went about naked but put clothes on to do ballet.

In the sixties we had Rupert, and I would've sworn blind that he and his friends were human. Anyone else remember Toby Twirl? I could never figure out what he was.

Have a baby acqaintance who would be annoyed if 'The Large Family' used more elephantine themes - she already doesn't let her toddler watch Tinga Tinga Tales and Yoko Jakamoko Toto because they're too 'African'! We do live in Norfolk, so it's not that odd in our world...

Hmm. Can anyone explain to me why they take perfectly good cartoons which feature people - .e.g. Charlie & Lola - which DS1 loved with a passion and replace them with weird and wacky signing and dancing birds (that Bird thing), spaced out zoners (in the night garden) and things on a trip (that Waybuloo thing) - causing much upset in the dinkystinky household? What kind of hidden agenda is Cbeebies on?

(FWIW I thought Yoko Jakamoko Toto was Japanese. TBH I tune it out.)

it was a joke, BS! there was a thread that a teacher had set really hard spellings and that they had to make sentences with them in: one of which was accountable.
i only thought of it because you'd bolded it.

i'll get me coat.

phew! I thought I was going to get deleted!

hocus weird thing that about Rupert: all his friends in Nutwood were animals, but everyone else (the chinese girl, the old man, etc) was human. apart from the elves, imps and pixies, which were elves, imps and pixies.

Oh interesting, BalloonSlayer. I wonder if I mention that to her whether it'll be back on the 'approved' list

I don't think reason and logic necessarily prevail there so it may or may not...

I don't like the Large Family or Arthur either! And Jakers annoys me as well - these cartoons would work just as well with people rather than animals!

LOL @ Nancy75 being to blame for Arthur not looking like an aardvark!

I hate Chuggington, sadly DS(2.3) loves it But he does like Thomas the Tank Engine.

But he does Postman Pat (who IMVHO) is a pretty crappy posty! And I am pretty sure Fireman Sam appears on Five.

DS hates the Tweenies, if it comes on, he shouts "no, no, no!" and waves frantically at the screen.

Oh you're right - I'd forgotten about the professor and Tiger Lily etc who were real people!

Have just found Toby Twirl on Ebay (he's a pig incase anyone's interested) and might bid for the annuals I remember having. The stories and illustrations were always a bit weird to me.

I've just remembered another one - Maisy Mouse.

I mean, whyever would a mouse want to be best friends with a crocodile?

That's a relationship that's going to end badly, mark my words.

btw: pinky and perky were animals.

and most of playschool.
although they did play toys, so i don't think that counts.

Nancy - was your comment about not drawing Arthur in response to my link to a real aardvark? It was a cross-post and nothing to do with your drawing skills honest!

I really like Big Barn Farm and love Timmy Time, though. The way they get animals to be animals while attending a nursery and also being toddlers is genius.