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| Super Why Once upon a time, people made funny shows for kids. They figured that maybe, just maybe, it was the job of parents and schools to educate children and teach them their moral values. Apart from learning that the bad guys are bad guys, did Scooby Doo ever teach us anything? I don’t think so. We did laugh a lot. And that’s important. Of course it all started to go downhill with Sesame Street and in the intervening thirty or so years, the big flashing childminder in the corner of the living room has gradually continued its weary trudge downhill until we receive one of the most sanctimonious pieces of television programming ever made, in the shape of Super Why Bother. If you’re not familiar with Super Why, allow me to explain. Storybook Village is a fantastical land situated within a library shelf – yes I know that every time you hear the word ‘library’ in respect to a kids TV show, you think of Storymakers and a cold shiver runs down your spine. Me too. Its inhabitants are led by Wyatt (aka Super Why) and his fairy tale friends. Each episode, one of the gang faces a tricky moral dilemma, such as Wyatt having to tell his big brother Jack, that he’s figured out Jack bats for the other team (OK, so I made that one up, but check that Bomber Jacket and hairdo out). In order to solve the dilemma, the gang transform into superheroes and jump into a storybook, where the main character faces a similar problem. Of course, each classic story gets a liberal (in both senses) dose of whitewash to make sure no-one gets upset. (For example, Cinderella's sisters aren't ugly) The gang are then presented with a series of challenges, all requiring various reading/letter recognition tasks to be accomplished before finally getting to drive that moral message home. At approximately episode 4, the writers ran out of good ideas, and as the series has progressed, the plots have become increasingly thinner. Anyway, let’s meet the cast: Wyatt/Super Why Leader of The Gang, Wyatt, puts aside his home problems of bleeding-heart liberal parents, a metrosexual big brother and one of those ‘happy accident’ screaming little sisters, to be the cool kid on the block. He has “the power to read”. Well, I should think so at his age. That’s not a super-power. It only shows that he doesn’t have learning difficulties. Red Riding Hood/Wonder Red If you watch the show in the UK, you’ll be treated to West Country Red. Fresh from her voiceover work advertising Cider and Farm Implements, she tries so hard to put on the RP tones more associated with the mainstream, but each time she has to say the word ‘Power’ (which she does a lot, having ‘Spelling Power’, don’t you know) things start to slip, and we’re a few lines before we return to the Home Counties. Princess Pea/Princess Presto Yes, by the time they got to the Princess character they were clearly running out of enthusiasm for names and hardly changed her super hero name at all. Anyway, talking about running out of enthusiasm… The Pig One Yeah, whatever. Back to Parents Guide to Kids TV |