Isn't It a Pip? (In the Night Garden)

Member Name: Autarkis

Product:	In the Night Garden
Date:	16/10/08 (143 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Children enjoy this show, it calms them.

Disadvantages: Some of the obsessive behaviours are unhealthy.

In the Night Garden has become very popular, it is shown on the Cbeebies Channel daily, each episode is 25 minutes long.

It has become a big hit with toddlers, its targeted audience is children aged 1 -4.

Sir Derek Jacobi narrates us through with his calming happy voice, which is accompanied by music and rhymes.

In the Night Garden is a magical place that exists between waking and sleeping imaginations of children. It is set on a landscape with trees and birds.

Iggle piggle is the star of the show, he has become a much adored TV character other characters in the show are - Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka, The Tombliboos, and the Haahoos. All of the characters are very bright and colourful. Each character has there own song that they bounce around to.

When my son first heard the opening music to the show, he stopped what he was doing, and he was mesmerised by it. The programme holds his attention for the full duration. He even giggles when he watches it. I also find it soothes him when nothing else will, it is the only show my son watches as he loves it so much.

My opinion -
I have mixed feeling about this show, I don't think it teaches children healthy habits, Makka Pakka has an obsession with washing faces, he even has a special 'Og Pog' as it's known where he keeps his strange shaped sponge, that he pushes around with him everywhere he goes. He washes everyone's faces, and he collects stones and washes them and arranges them neatly. I don't think this obsessive behaviour is very healthy.
Aside from that I think it's a good show for toddlers, some good points are the repetitive songs, the actions the characters use to communicate such as nodding.
Children love this show, and that's all that matters.

I have to say this is better than some programmes that are aimed towards pre- school children.

I think the show is fun for children, they enjoy watching it and listening to the music. A little bit of TV is nice for them and does them no harm, but I don't think TV should be used too much for entertaining them, as children learn through play.

Summary: Children will love it, but it may drive you insane.