Bob the Builder

Along with Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, Bob the Builder was one of my brother's favourite shows when he was little. And although I was 3 years older, and in year 2 of primary school when the show first aired, I loved it as well. You should have seen my brother's face every single time Bob the Builder came on, there were times when he would sulk but when the show came on it was as though he had seen something absolutely wonderful and wanted more of it. He wasn't the only person who loved it. A couple of friends of mine had a son who was ADDICTED to it, and when I was in primary school, at one time when we were doing assembly, the infants started chanting the theme song. And why shouldn't they? It is a great theme song, simple but catchy and memorable without being annoying, just like the theme songs of Rosie and Jim and Pingu, other favourites in our family. The animation was also really nice and the characters were cute and endearing. Then we had nice story lines that taught an important lesson every now and again, and the writing while simple wasn't stupid or childish. It may be corny for some adults, but overall this is a great show, that is guaranteed to delight toddlers. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The old one was good but the new one freakin sucks

A nice show along the lines of Dragon Tales, where working together to solve problems is the key. The main song will get to adults after a short while, but it is not horrible. The characters are fun and they explore the results of poor behavior. Most of them have fears that can get a bit over done. But a fun show to watch with your 3 year old.

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.

We first encountered Bob the Builder when my daughter returned from a trip to England with a CD copy of the theme song for my son. We went around singing it for days! When we heard that the program was going to be broadcast on Nickelodeon we were delighted. What a disappointment! Why was it necessary to dub the show into American? It takes away half of the charm. Nobody thought of dubbing Wallace and Gromit.

Our only hope is that eventually there will be a DVD with a choice of English or American soundtracks. Is anyone out there listening?