Surrealism in broadcasting for the under-4s

Case study: Yoho Ahoy

Background information: Yoho Ahoy is an animated feature about a pirate ship in which the characters say only 'Yoho' or 'Ahoy'. (I Kid You Not.)

Sample storyline: Grog cooks pizza for the crew. Swab and Bilge are happy but Cutlass wants fish. She tries to catch one but has no luck. Grog finds a solution by making a fish shaped pizza, which he attaches to Cutlass’s fishing line. She hauls in the pizza fish and eats it with relish.

What the BBC says:

Animated puppets are used effectively within an entertaining pirate saga set aboard The Rubber Duck. The story lines are simple and easy to follow. [ALWAYS BEST TO USE PUPPETS EFFECTIVELY, I FIND. NOTHING WORSE THAN PUPPETS BEING USED INEFFECTIVELY.]

Yoho Ahoy is fascinating to young children because the characters are essentially toddlers with the same approach to the world - constantly making discoveries and showing awe and wonder at new experiences. The stories and humour are conveyed through visual and physical expression. [THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE GIVEN THE SEVERELY LIMITED LANGUAGE ABILITIES OF THE CHARACTERS.]

Adults might like to offer some additional explanation in order to help develop a greater sense of the storyline and an appreciation of each of the characters. [ADULTS MIGHT LIKE TO BE GIVEN SOME ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION OF THE STORYLINES BEFORE ATTEMPTING THIS.]

What UC says:

This programme is very weird and borders on the surreal. Best stick to Teletubbies.

Coming soon: racial stereotyping and ethnic representation in 'Balamory' and 'Storymakers'.