to move up and down
All-ages show: Hipsters love children’s programming
Children’s programming has long operated on different levels for different demos — with social commentary, double entendres and adult references sailing far above toddler heads — but the older age group tended to be teens and twentysomethings. The stoner overtones of H.R. PufnStuf appealed to hippies; Pee-wee’s Playhouse had enough eccentricities and innuendo to attract older fans of the Tim Burton film; and Teletubbies provided soothing early morning surrealism for ravers home from warehouse parties.
What differs with the current crop of children’s shows is that they’re targeting hipster parents, too.
The cuddly monsters of Yo Gabba Gabba! all live inside DJ Lance Rock’s ’80s-era ghetto blaster and the show’s retro 8-bit computer graphics recall the original Nintendo. Neither reference would make much sense to a generation weaned on iPods and Wiis. So who is this show aimed at exactly? (Illustrations by Steve Murray)
