The Bed

Shape up with silly Boohbah marching and spin around and around and around. In Storyworld, Grandmamma tries to nap in a big bed. But will she rock herself to sleep, or roll off?

Humbah, Zumbah, Zing Zing Zingbah, Jumbah, Jingbah.
Characters (Live-Action): Grandmamma, Grandpappa, Mrs. Lady, Mr. Man, Brother, Sister, Auntie, Little Dog Fido

Combined live action (the Story People) and animation (the Boohbahs).

There are plans to produce and show 104 episodes through 2004.

This is the first time that British networks CITV and GMTV have joined together to commission a long running pre-school series. It is based on considerable research with pre-school children by studio Ragdoll Limited.

From an interview with creator Anne Wood:

"I think in Boohbah, the main thing is that you have engaged children totally with movement, right from the beginning. Everyone knows that movement is good for children. What we're trying to do is engage the children in recognition, recognition of what the movement is, imitation- let's imitate what they do and then what you might call consolidation- make them really happy- because what we want to do is make children feel happy inside.

"The sound effects on the Boohbah movements are all about releasing anxiety. So if you get daft sound tracks like we've got, then you don't feel anxious about having a go. You can have a go, you can be like the Boohbahs, cos they are absolutely silly!

"The Story People have been designed to be two-dimensional characters. They're like pieces in a game to be played with.

"The stories are what you might call puzzles. You're always trying in a script for young children, or a story for young children, to encourage curiosity, first of all. So you make them curious- what's coming- we don't tell them what it is, until after we've left them long enough for them to work it out for themselves.

"We do use patterns very deliberately in Boohbah. Patterns are very important. The recognition of patterns. So knowing this, we consciously in Boohbah made the patterns even more elaborate.

"The activities that the children do in the 'Look What I Can Do' section are often very simple, and to the adult eye, this might seem that we are not teaching the children anything, but in fact, what we're doing is encouraging the joy of discovery.

"I think it's really important that we value every individual child for what they can do, and that's what the 'Look What I Can Do' section is about. It's a real shame, I think, when we try to make all children measure up to one perfect model. There is no perfect model. Were each our own perfect being in a sense, and children of this age know that and they really enjoy what they have to offer.

"In the opening titles we go, or we did travel, to 15 different countries, so that the children watching over the weeks will see different countries every day.

"It's a good thing for children to feel that there are others like themselves, not just in the next street, but in other parts of the world, as well. And it makes us aware of our similarities, rather than our differences, which is always a good thing.

"And the thing that joins us together most of all, at the risk of sounding soppy, is laughter. And it is the best thing. Makes you feel better whatever you do."