Thursday, December 10, 2009

Pingu 2

Just to show I'm not picking episodes that support my view of the bad habits displayed by the CBeebies programme "Pingu" here's a synopsis of today's offering.

Pingu and his little brother are at home looking through records. Finding one they like they move to the record player to use it. Little brother points out that their mother is asleep so they put the player on their sled and move it outside.

Oh dear the record isn't playing what's wrong? LB points out that it's not plugged in. Pingu looks like he's about to start crying, but then spots a windmill on a nearby igloo and has an idea.

Heading into the shed he uses a hammer to bash together some metal oars (?) into a windmill which works with great gusto.

Cut to - a ladder on the side of their igloo house with LB standing near its base and Pingu on the roof fixing the windmill into position. Pingu then sends down the cable and jumps off the roof after it. Plugging it in it's still not working as there's no wind. Even hitting it doesn't make it work!

Then dad comes home on his powered sled. Drives past the pair, notices the record player, the ladder, and the windmill and decides to start tinkering with his sled; pulling out the car-battery to do so.

Pingu spots the car-battery, disconnects it and splices it to the record-player. Hurrah the record starts to play! This wakes up mom in the igloo who listens to and enjoys the music. Dad too stops his tinkering and listens to the music.

Pingu and LB start to dance and mom comes out to join dad, and they all start dancing together and Everyone's Happy!
--
So first up yes I'll acknowledge the "consideration for others" displayed towards their sleeping mother; except that was done by LB and not Pingu and they ended up waking her anyway. Okay it's the thought that counts.

Next up it's okay to take the record-player outside without asking first, it's okay to hammer together bits of metal in the shed, and it's okay to clamber about on your roof (and then jump off). It's then okay to fiddle about with car-batteries.

Also on display are the great parental skills shown by the father.
"Oh hey sons what have you been up to today?"
"Well we've been playing with your vintage record collection, took your prized player out into the cold and damp, hammered together some metal that you might have wanted into a windmill, then climbed up onto the house to shove it through the roof, but it's still not working even though I've hit it several times and tried to scratch your records!"
"Great, now play nice while I fiddle with my car"
...
"Oh hey you've got the record playing and woken your mother"
"Yes we borrowed your car-battery and spliced it to the record player"
"Excellent, let's all dance"

Perhaps Social Services should call round to their igloo?

1 comments:

Orphi said...

I'm just visualising Social Services in the bizario world of Pingu… Man, that's gotta be some party!

Also, what is it with children's programs having impronouncible names? Is this some kind of bad joke?