Rolie Polie Olie

Okay, so I'm on vacation and flipping through the channels and I see this simple little CGI-rendered cartoon. I'll automatically give a second look to anything that's CGI. It's sappy and the CGI, as well as the storyline, are very simplistic. But there's actually something very subtle and appealing about Rolie Polie Olie. They whole idea is that it's SUPPOSED to be simplistic. From the storylines to the basic shapes used to render the characters, it gives you a look at a nice little care-free world. There's a real 1940's feel, from the retro design of the furniture and backgrounds to the "Our Gang" music soundtrack. It harkens back to the good old days (or our perception of them anyways) when people were just a little bit nicer and everything always worked out in the end. The kids are good little kids. The adults are good little adults. They even have their own Elvis. The whole thing is just so, well, CUTE! The plots are saccharine and entirely unrealistic. There are no drug dealers or mass murderers in Polieland. If I wanted reality, I'd watch the news. But they also deliver a gentle basic morality lesson. I guess a spoonful of sugar really does help the medicine go down. To sum this all up, I guess I really like Rolie Polie Olie, although as I type this my cynical side is attempting to beat me to death with my keyboard. Let your kids watch it. Let YOURSELF watch it. Personally, I'd like to spend the rest of my vacation in Polieland. There, you can talk to the TV and no one will think you're nuts. Because the TV talks back.

This show is actually quite enjoyable. When it first came out this type of animation wasn't big, so many people were impressed. My siblings enjoyed (and still enjoy) sitting in front of the television and sing along to his theme song. Granted it has a few flaws, like the younger sister, Zoe, who degrades all children in her age range because of her vocabulary and gets annoying after awhile. I'm 17 and the thing that amuses me most is the uncle who is supposed to be Elvis. It's amusing. They're all robots and the writers are able to build stories that relate to kids but are exaggerated to a point where it's actually amusing.

Right, bear in mind it is aimed at kids, that's why everything is so simple. But the thing is at 18, I like this simplicity. I liked the concept, and very often this show is cute and addictive. The CGI animation is simple, but it is colourful, well done on the whole and effective. The theme song mayn't be to everybody's tastes, but it is nice and memorable for kids to sing along to. The story lines and writing are indeed the epitome of simplicity, and for the better I think; you don't want your children to go "huh, what did he/she say?" which they probably would do if the language was complicated. And the stories did often have some valuable life lessons, when it comes to a kid-oriented show, that is a major plus in my book. The characters aren't bad either, not the most relateable, but they are at least likable and cute, and the voice acting wasn't too bad actually. Overall, very good for kids, adults may not be as impressed, but if the child in question is smiling and laughing you know that's a good sign! 8/10 Bethany Cox

As a mother I find this show excellent! The first quality of this show is that young kids utterly enjoy it, but also, the characters' voices are not too high-pitched or overly annoying. The music is also not as cheesy as in other kids' shows. Since my 2 year-old daughter watches this, she's learned good moral values like the importance of family and fun and laughter. Thanks to the Baby-bot movie, she is accepting more easily the arrival of her baby sister. Usually, my daughter likes the "stupidest" shows best, but this is actually intelligent and makes ME and my husband laugh from time to time! I recommend it to all parents of young kids. It gives you a few minutes of peace while your offspring has fun and actually learns good things.

Genre: CGI QUITE babyish TV series about robots. Very cute and sweet.

My thoughts: A family favourite TV series, I love this above every other TV series (even David Attenborogh ones) for its cuteness, its cleverness, its humour, its music and its weird but lovely CGI! The fact that all the furniture, the flowers and other things are alive and have faces, it makes this show all the more entertaining and weird. The rest of my family love this too, especially my mum, I think it's her favourite children's TV series! :O I think people who didn't like this are missing something and just focus a little too much on the not-so-good points of things. This should also be shown on more channels, such as Cbeebies, it's WAY too unknown!! :Z

I like watching episodes really often, especially like the ones with Billy, Pappy and Polly (who are side characters who don't appear in ALL the episodes). They are very cute and very clever! :-)

Recommended to: People who like friendly but strange looking CGI, people who like robots and babyish but funny and cute programs. Enjoy! :-)

What happens: In each episode, in some way, Olie, a robot, has an adventure, either on his own, with his little sister Zoe, with his dog Spot, with his friend Billy, or in some other way