Culturally speaking, few great things came out of the 1990s. If you’re a 90s kid like me, you know that this was perfectly exemplified by the television shows we watched. Of course, we have to make an exception for timeless classics like "Dragon Tales" and "Arthur." These shows were factually awesome with developed characters that went on adventures and learned lessons and took us to worlds that prompted us to use our imagination. But let’s take a look at some of the more… curious shows we avidly watched… and weirdly loved. The following is my attempt at a logical, rationalized understanding of three of the strangest TV shows from the 90s.
1. "Teletubbies"
It’s no secret that this show makes very little sense. The real mystery of it is why it’s so g-d captivating, then! Who sat at a table and pitched this to their agent? I would love to have been there for this pitch:
“So there are these four creature/puppet/monkey/alien things with TVs on their stomachs. They live in a sod house/hobbit hole in presumably the English countryside and the sun is a baby. Oh, and the teletubbies also have a vacuum creature friend that serves them porridge and then cleans it up.”
“Yes!” cries the executive upon hearing the pitch, “That’s brilliant!” How was he right? We were fascinated by this show. It was hypnotizing to watch these strange creatures frolic around the Teletubby moors. (Wait... can ‘teletubbies’ be converted to singular form?)
Po was my favorite. I felt bad that he didn’t have a multi-syllabic name like the others. Unlike Po, his comrades fulfilled a significant social roles within the gang. Tinky-Winky was the leader of the pack, Dipsy was probably the friend who would do anything for a laugh, Laa Laa was like the carefree, adorable one, and Po was just also there.
2. "The Big Comfy Couch"
Apparently I loved this show as a little tyke. I only vaguely remember it, and I don’t want to look it up because my memory is funny. All I remember is a clown girl named Loonette, her doll Molly and their fascinating life together on a massive, evidently comfortable couch.
Occasionally, Loonette and Molly would venture outside (onto a sound stage) to visit a strange old lady who would teach them how to plant potatoes in a song. Was this show a musical? I don’t know. Maybe. There was also a postman who rode a unicycle and a male clown who was always just around. He casually rode by on his bike and his red clown ‘fro sprouted through his helmet.
In between scenes of tea parties on the couch and potato-planting, an aerial shot would capture Loonette lying on a round clock rug pretending that her limbs were the hands of a clock. What an artsy way of showing that time had elapsed, am I right? It was interesting to say the least and I refuse to go back and watch this show for an accuracy check because what I’m envisioning in my head is hilarious.
3. "Bananas in Pyjamas"
Now, this one, conceptually, is strange. There’s no subjective way around it. It’s strange. It makes absolutely no sense. This show makes "Teletubbies' and "Comfy Couch" look like "House of Cards." "Bananas in Pyjamas" really need not be explained as far as ‘premise.’ What I admire about it is that at least you pretty much know exactly what you’re signing up for when you sit down to watch it. The program boasts the most self-explanatory title ever in television history. So if the premise suggested by this title doesn't appeal to you, you can walk away. When trying to recall a storyline from any episode, I asked my mother what she remembered about the program. Her response was "They [the bananas] marched around." And that is completely accurate.
