Wondershowzen

July 28, 2005 3:11 PM

Subverting childrens television shows isn't exactly new, but when did it become mainstream?
posted by tighttrousers (15 comments total)

So much funnier in french. C'est drole!
posted by blue_beetle at 3:17 PM on July 28, 2005

All bow before the glory that is the perverted Rainbow episode (big WMV file)
posted by gurple at 3:18 PM on July 28, 2005

VirginBlue Filter.
posted by five fresh fish at 4:16 PM on July 28, 2005

Choose Your Own VirginBlue Filter.
posted by five fresh fish at 4:17 PM on July 28, 2005

Gah Live Preview Means MetaFilter Never Returns From The Dead Filter.
posted by five fresh fish at 4:18 PM on July 28, 2005

Thanks! I went ahead and downloaded all the episodies of Wonder Showzen.
posted by Mach3avelli at 4:34 PM on July 28, 2005

You're never too young to have a vietnam war flashback!
posted by Dean Keaton at 5:00 PM on July 28, 2005

I can't help but wonder if there's some significance to crapping out 3 Mexicos onto China that I'm not seeing.
posted by Citizen Premier at 8:00 PM on July 28, 2005

How exactly does the Virgin Mobile ad fit in with the others, by the way? And out of curiosity, was there anyone who felt any urge whatsoever to buy a phone from Virgin Mobile, or like me were all repulsed by it?
posted by Citizen Premier at 8:12 PM on July 28, 2005

Wonder Showzen is absolutely brilliant.

Have you ever seen this show? It's on your "MTV2." I don't really get offended, you should see some of the videos I have on my desktop for ready access, but if I was the sort of person who got offended for show and tried to get famous for it Wonder Showzen would be the tool I'd use to finally dismantle that pesky First Amendment. If Charles Schumer or some other professional scold were to bring this program to wider public attention, it wouldn't be like the Videogame Controversy, where they get up and yell, and then someone reminds them we live in The United States Of America, and everybody sits down with their hands neatly folded until the sequel. No. If the populace at large saw Wonder Showzen, there would be no public hearings, no televised debate, and certainly no warning. You would just wake up one morning and your television would be gone. -Penny Arcade

The "Patience" Episode is especially good. The most DeVO 22 minutes of my life. Seriously one of the best things I have ever seen on a screen. I'm not kidding.

See this now. (Torrent of Season 1, 1.5 GB)
posted by blasdelf at 8:16 PM on July 28, 2005

When did it begin?

Well, Sesame Street itself wasn't exactly free of subversiveness (I personally remember the Python guys lending voices to an animated segment based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail), but in a good way -- I'm of the opinion kids actually need a little bit of subversion in their diet.

The old Soupy Sales is the earliest example I can think of, with the "get the green pieces of paper out of your parents' wallets and purses and send them to the station" joke.

And of course, there was the whimsical majesty of Pee-Wee's Playhouse.

Of course, these are actual children's shows, not fake ones. Have I missed the point?
posted by JHarris at 8:52 PM on July 28, 2005

Thank you for the torrent blaself. I also support the cause.
posted by Dean Keaton at 11:02 PM on July 28, 2005

Your quite welcome. I want people to see this so bad that I want to save them the 30 sseconds it would take to find the torrent.
posted by blasdelf at 11:38 PM on July 28, 2005

Um, isn't Wondershowzen just Kids Show with a new title?
posted by macdara at 2:52 AM on July 29, 2005

The interesting thing is not the show itself, but what you implied in your post, tighttrousers, by putting "subversion" and "mainstream" in the same sentence -- they used to be opposites. What happens when kids grow up on institutionalized subversion, as opposed to the old-fashioned type? It all began here, I think. Once upon a time subversive kid stuff was hand-drawn on looseleaf and passed under school desks. Now it's served up by multibillion dollar companies. Sort of changes things, no?
posted by QuietDesperation at 8:54 AM on July 29, 2005