Boohbah
A preschool series of interactive televisual games.
Boohbah, a British preschool programme from Anne Wood and Ragdoll Productions with GMTV, first aired on ITV on 14 April 2003. Its 104 episodes target children aged three to six, a slightly older group than Wood’s Teletubbies. The show later appeared on Nick Jr. UK from 2 April 2005.
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- 20 minutes
- Creator
- Anne Wood
- Director
- Chris Bernard
- Annie Gibbs
- Vic Finch
- Starring
- Emma Insley
- Alex Poulter
- Cal Jaggers
- Phil Hayes
- Laura Pero
- Composer
- Andrew McCrorie-Shand
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Series
- 2
Facts from the source article.
Characters
Each episode of Boohbah is split into two parts: one with the Boohbahs and one with the Storypeople. The Boohbahs are five colorful beings described as magical atoms of energy, portrayed by actors in full-body costumes. Their fur glitters and glows with tiny lights, and they have large eyes with rows of lights for eyebrows. Each Boohbah has a distinct color: Humbah is yellow (Emma Insley), Zumbah is purple (Alex Poulter), Zing Zing Zingbah is orange (Cal Jaggers), Jumbah is blue (Phil Hayes), and Jingbah is pink (Laura Pero). The Storypeople are silent human characters whose actions are directed by children off-screen who say the magic word "Boohbah." Every episode includes a scene where the Storypeople receive a magical gift; the Los Angeles Times described these moments as comic visual puzzles done with vaudevillian flair. The Storypeople include Grandmamma (Linda Kerr-Scott), a spry elderly White woman with white banana-shaped hair; Grandpappa (Robin Stevens), a spry elderly White man with white hair and a mustache; Mrs. Lady (Harvey Virdi), an Indian woman; Mr. Man (Mark Ramsey), a Black man; Brother (Manuel Bravo), a Spanish boy, and Sister (Vee Vimolmal), a Thai girl; Auntie (Sachi Kimura), a Japanese woman; and Little Dog Fido (Dash), a Jack Russell Terrier who wears a red collar and is the only Storyworld character not fully controlled by the word "Boohbah."
Development and broadcast
After the success of a 2001 direct-to-video Teletubbies release called Teletubbies Go!, which had exercise segments, Ragdoll grew concerned about childhood obesity and decided to create a fitness-focused show. This led to Boohbah. In November 2002, ITV’s preschool block CITV and GMTV agreed to a five-year deal with Ragdoll, splitting weekday and weekend broadcasts in the UK. The plan was for 104 episodes across two series, the first airing in spring 2003 and the second in 2004. Video Collection International, Ragdoll’s longtime home video partner, handled UK VHS and DVD releases. The series launched on ITV on 14 April 2003, and on GMTV’s weekend preschool slot the same day. Ragdoll kept worldwide distribution rights. In June 2003, Ragdoll announced a US launch, with PBS, Scholastic, and Hasbro—the same companies behind Teletubbies in America—securing TV, publishing, and toy rights. The first UK DVD, Boohbah Magic, came out on 26 May and hit number two on the children’s chart. In October 2003, Canal+ and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation bought French and Australian rights, planning January 2004 and spring 2004 launches. The US premiere on PBS followed on 19 January 2004. That same month, Hasbro signed a separate global toy deal, excluding the UK, Ireland, the Americas, and Asia.
Reception
Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly gave the show an A− score, commenting that Boohbah could be experienced by its intended audience and its inadvertent audience of parents and stoners as a mind-blowing gas. Lorraine Ali of Newsweek gave a positive review, writing Move over, Barney, and make room for Zing Zing Zingbah. Common Sense Media rated Boohbah 3/5 stars, calling its educational and fitness goals admirable but noting that the real test is whether the show works with your child. The New York Times Magazine remarked that although the sequence of events may sound incoherent, the overall effect is mesmerizing, sometimes funny, even beautiful. The Boston Globe felt that the segments featuring the Boohbahs were ploddingly slow, maddeningly repetitive, and without much purpose, while the live-action segments with real people were the only things worth watching. Slate found Boohbah less effective than Teletubbies, stating that for all its earnest intentions, Boohbah lacks both the conceptual purity of Teletubbies and its sublimely silly sensibility. Cheat Sheet ranked the show first on their list of 5 Most Horrifying TV Shows That Aren't Supposed to Be Scary, criticising the characters' appearances but crediting it for encouraging children to perform physical exercise.
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