El sofa da la imagniación

Upon perusing some of my, and my daughters' favourite t.v. programmes, I came upon a rather nasty review of The Big Comfy Couch, right here on IMDB. Unfortunately, the writer doesn't "get" the idea behind the show.

First of all, it is a show for TODDLERS! It seems inane to anyone over six, but then, it's not meant for older children, or adults. Do we criticize a Japanese movie for unintelligible dialogue (assuming, of course, that you don't speak Japanese)? Of course not, the film is intended for people who DO speak Japanese and can understand what is going on.

My two year-old daughter loves Big Comfy Couch. It entertains her, and that is what is important. The show's main characters are female, which was unheard of back in my day (in the 50's and 60's the only female characters were the girlfriends of the heroes and played mostly damsel-in-distress roles, like Olive Oyl, or very secondary roles, like Minnie Mouse). So Big Comfy Couch is not especially educational--does everything have to be? Can a two year-old only watch t.v. programmes that educate? Teletubbies (my daughter's favourite show) also is not really big on educating, but my daughter enjoys it anyway. Heck, how much education is in the programmes we watch? Unless you watch nothing but PBS all day, and even they run movies and concerts of questionable educational value.

So, don't worry so much about what your children are learning from a show--sometimes they just need entertainment. And, just for the record, there is plenty of educational value from Big Comfy Couch--when you are two or three years old, just socializing, cleaning up after yourself, sharing, etc. are things you need to learn. If the programme is cute, or fun, children will tune in again tomorrow, and the next day. If the show is not, then what's the point of making it if no one watches after seeing it once?

I don't know how long this show has been running, but I hope Loonette lasts until my kids are too old to watch. I have a 3.5 year old and a 1 year old, and they are rivetted to the tv during this show.

Loonette the Clown, her Grandma Garbanzo Clown, Major Bedhead the mailman, and the other characters teach such things as responsibility (at least once in each show, Loonette asks "Who made this big mess? ME?? then I have to clean it up, it's only fair!"), helping others, telling the truth, etc. I read the other review for this show and had to laugh. Of course adults aren't meant to take it seriously - it's not geared towards us - it's geared towards pre-schoolers and babies. The show has plenty of educational value - it won't teach you the alphabet or counting to 20, but it teaches VALUES and how to interact with others.

I think the imagination and creativity demonstrated by this show is admirable and definitely strikes the right chord with kids, who can't get enough of the Big Comfy Couch (my kids want one now... unfortunately, our house isn't big enough!). Thumbs up from the kids!

This is one of my 3 year old daughter's favourite programs, and I gladly encourage her to watch it. It's a cute little show that encourages activity (the "clock" stretch, dancing), storytelling, friendship, etc. while addressing common fears and concerns of small children. I like the Foley family, too! :o)

The actress who portrays Loonette is fantastic. I totally disagree with the poster that thought a woman playing a child is creepy. I'm sorry, but I find Mr. Rogers MUCH more creepy and don't appreciate his condescension towards children. There are also a few jokes that fly over my daughter's head but get me giggling.

Two thumbs up!

I find this to be a wonderful show, I can find it on my local PBS station on Saturdays at 8 am. My almost 4 yr old daughter has enjoyed this program since she was under a year old. The should bring it back and try it for another season. It must be good if kids are enjoying it a decade later!!!

It's sad that Allison Court is going to be known more for doing the voice of Jubilee on "X-Men" (yes, that's her!) than for this show, which is one of dozens of promising and solid children's shows that never got enough of a chance to catch on. Maybe in its native Canada it gets more respect, but here on the other side of the falls, an educational show is judged more by how much merchandise it sells than how much children learn from it.

For an adult, the show may look at times silly and cheesy, but to toddlers and pre-schoolers, who these shows are aimed at, it's a show that is at the same time exciting and soothing.