DVDs that don't annoy
We don't do TV in the Crabhouse, because Crabmommy would watch all day. So it's strictly DVDs here. The no-TV policy also controls Crabtot viewing and lets Mom pick, hence the slightly odd choices in Tot's viewing library.
When it comes to kiddie viddies, I like a show that is as follows:
a) 3-dimensional (i.e., claymation, animated puppetry...'cuz I just like it and I somehow believe it's better for young eyes than 2D cartoonishness)
b) free of whiny voices
c) low on the color purple. Especially purple, prehistoric characters.
d) likely to appeal to Crabtot
Here are a couple of my faves for toddlers:
Pingu!
If you don't know Pingu the claymated penguin, Amazon him this minute. Beyond clever and cute and dealing with real-life issues like sibling rivalry in an igloo, Pingu is that much more spectacular because the penguins speak no known language, just some soft, Scando-inflected gibberish known to fans as "Pinguish." This means no actual talking. Which is music to a mother's ears. And music to David Hasselhoff's too. Yes, inexplicably, the Hasselhoff was moved to record Pingu Dance (not music to our ears).
Hello Kitty in Stump Village
This just-out Asian confection is so dang cute you could just squish it. HK comes to DVD-land at last in delectable 3D stop-motion animation. See HK and friends crack walnuts! Watch them sleep in their strange little mushroom houses! Look at their weird little mouth-slots! Try to figure out why it is that when Cinnamon Roll is asleep, a little clay bubble comes out of his nose with each breath!?
(Note: there are some whiny dubbed voices on here but the bizarro-cute visuals makes this an exception to my rule. Just keep the sound low.)
More DVD picks to come. And if you have something 3D to recommend, by all means share.
When my oldest daughter was 2, her favorite movie was 'Breakfast at Tiffany's.' You can't get much more 3d than that!
We've always welcomed the 'Teletubbies' in our home, mostly because the phase never lasts too long. Right now, those four creepy little things make the screaming in our house stop. That, my friend, is worth its weight in gold!
I love the Tubbies. And we are not alone. Judging by the intense support registered for the possibly gay Teletubby Tinky-Winky on my personal blog last month. oor Tinky Winky was attcked for suspected sexual orientation by a radical Conservative from Poland. She did not like his voice. Nor his purse.
Is that implying that every little boy who tries to walk in his mommy's high heeled shoes is also gay? I have three girls, and they all have toy trucks. Does that mean I should automatically sign them up to play SOFTBALL, get them all K.D. Lang cds and mullets?
Yes, I'm generalizing. But it's okay to do if you're generalizing about generalizing.
I recommend The Third Man. It's not animated and not even in color, but if my vast wealth of experience with children has taught me one (or two) things it is that:
a) kids LOVE Orson Welles
b) kids LOVE zither music
Well, I did anyway.
Nanalan' is puppetry and just adorable. I highly recommend... they are puppets you won't be tempted to strangle, I promise!