In the Night Garden 6 DVD

In the Night Garden Hello Igglepiggle 6 DVD

For an adult first seeing this, the reaction is complete bafflement. There is no continuity or perspective, no dialogue beyond a few strange noises and words, and plots which would barely last through an 8 page board book let alone a half hour TV show. But put an 18 month old in front of it and you will see it from a whole new perspective...

The intent of the program makers - who were also the brains behind Teletubbies - was to come up with a show for very small children which was pure entertainment with no intended educational aspect, which I would say they have achieved admirably (though inevitably for this age group, where everything is a learning process, it's impossible for them to not learn anything at all from it). It is a combination of colorful, exaggerated, uber-simple characters, melodies and sounds in a beautiful fantasy forest landscape setting. Because of its simplicity and repetition, the characters and situations become familiar and recognizable to small children very quickly and I have yet to come across a tiny who didn't light up at the sight of IgglePiggle or the Ninky-Nonk after just a few viewings.

Sadly the US versions of these DVDs have been withdrawn but it is possible to find the UK import versions, which can be played on an all-region DVD player, or through a computer using a universal format media player. "In The Night Garden" is supposed to be arriving in the US within the next year to 18 months (time of writing is March 2009), probably on PBS, but it is well worth trying to hunt down the DVDs in the meantime if you have children in the 12-36 month age group.