A Visually Rich Children’s Show That’s Quietly Appealing to Grown-Ups
From time to time on Yahoo Tech, The New Old Thing tells you about what’s not-new — but still great and available to you right now thanks to the magic of technology. Your tips are welcome; send to rwalkeryn@yahoo.com.
This week: Claire Zulkey, Chicago-based writer and proprietor of the magical Zulkey.com (and regular on Jesse Thorn’s Bullseye, among other things), recommends Rolie Polie Olie.
“Rolie Polie Olie is something I would not have known about had I not had a child,” Zulkey tells me.
Like many parents these days, Zulkey and her husband try to keep their 1½-year-old’s time in front of a screen under control. “A wise grandparent” guided her to the Disney Junior network, where she, her husband, and their child discovered this one program they could all agree on.
“It’s a simple show, about a little boy named Olie,” she continues, “although he’s not so much a boy as a little robot. He and his family and friends live in Polieville, where they have adventures that are both everyday (Olie doesn’t want to say ‘I love you’ to a female friend in a school play) and fanciful (the family travel to a newly discovered ice cream planet).
“My son enjoys the bright, round animation and happy theme song, while my husband and I enjoy the gentle wit. It’s not laugh-out-loud funny — but at the same time, not in-your-face with witty jokes for adults or pop culture references. It’s just sweet and charming, without being cloying or idiotic.”
As a non-parent, the show is news to me, but the animation style is in fact trippily charming. Looks like the series ran from 1998 to 2004, and there were a few movies as well. In addition to Disney Junior, the show is on DVD, and at least some of the material seems to have found its way to YouTube.
Oh, and one last comment from Zulkey: “What I like best,” she adds, “is that my kid will let me cut his nails while he watches it.”
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