And how couldn't I? This show was like a miracle waiting impatiently to happen. Bob the Builder showed in a majestic way that shows for children don't need to be corny, preachy or shallow for children to appreciate them. All characters are extremely charismatic; I seriously find it impossible to dislike any of them. The stop-motion animation is spectacularly beautiful. But most of all, I think it's the writing that truly makes the show. I don't remember seeing any story that went into a tired, obvious cliché just for the sake of being "educational". The focus is always on the diverse construction jobs - a most interesting and rich subject for children - and on topics like teamwork, cooperation and friendship. The stories are very well thought out. I have to say that several moments of the series are just plain funny, and I actually laughed out loud sometimes.
The characters aren't banal at all. With time, you can pick up some delicate intricacies and twists in their personalities that makes everything very believable. Bob himself, for example, is an extremely competent worker and a friendly guy, but he has his own moments of silliness: he built a cornet for himself once, and got so excited that he played his loud, out-of-tune ramblings all night long (either that or he was acquiring the taste for avantgarde). Other time, he found an old tambourine while cleaning a house's attic, and while playing with it, causes a tiny catastrophe; and while seeking for buried treasure with his metal detector, he broke a water pipe on farmer Pickles's field. Those small things make the series much more believable and palpable than other children's series, and in the end, you surrender and start to believe that marionettes can live a happy, joyous life in perfect harmonies with talking machines. Not everyone can create a series like that, you know.
I honestly recommend this series for everyone. And if you (or your kid) already are a fan, please, don't miss the Album. If you live in the US and are used to the Nickelodeon dubbing, you'll have to conform with the British voices (which I personally prefer). Either way, it's excellent, exciting music.
