A few years ago, while I was babysitting, I discovered the television show Kipper,
based on the book series by Mick Inkpen. I found the slow pace and kind
characters charming, so I was delighted to find that several
collections of episodes are available for Instant Viewing on Netflix.
What can I say? I’m a big kid. These remind me quite a bit of Cynthia
Rylant’s Poppleton stories about a timid middle-aged pig and his
friends, but I would say that they aim at a slightly younger audience.
The television series is probably best suited to children younger than
kindergarten age, though I still found it entertaining at age 28. Kipper: Playtime features seven different stories and is just under an hour long.
In The Treasure Hunt,
Tiger, a gray and white terrier who is one of Kipper’s best friends,
gets a metal detector, a gadget for which I always longed as a child. I
had visions of combing the backyard or the beach and digging up
long-buried treasure, and that’s just what Tiger has in mind too.
Generous dog that he is, he invites Kipper, the orange and white beagle
who is the main character, to join in his search. After a hard day of
looking, their most valuable finds are a couple of old toys belonging to
Arnold, the toddler cousin of their friend Pig (whose name is
self-explanatory). Good for Arnold, disappointing for the dogs. Could
there still be a treasure in store for them?
Looking After Arnold
finds Kipper taking on the task of babysitter. Pig needs a little
break, and Kipper is happy to help out, but little Arnold is not nearly
as tired as Pig suggests he will be, and a nap is the last thing on his
mind. Hence, Kipper has his paws full keeping up with this little tyke.
Throughout the entire video, Arnold never speaks, and he’s hardly a
Tasmanian devil here, but he does seem to have an endless supply of
energy that Kipper can’t quite match. He sure is a good sport, though,
and I especially love the nostalgia of watching him construct a
playhouse using the table, a blanket and some cushions and a train using
an old cardboard box. Classic!
Tiger’s Joke Box is
perhaps the funniest of the episodes. Tiger has a rather spunky
personality, and here, it seems an extra “g” might suit him well, as
he’s up to all kinds of mischief. Toting a box full of tricks that ought
to have Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes stamped right on it, he spends his day
fooling his friends with whoopie cushions, trick candy, an
eye-blackening telescope and the like, chortling with laughter as he
flees the scene of the crime. But what will happen when his friends
realize they’ve been had?
Pig’s Sweater takes place on a
hot summer day. While Kipper is enjoying a refreshing dip in the kiddie
pool, Pig stops by to show off his new sweater. He doesn’t want to get
in because he’s concerned about damaging his new clothing, but a
different problem presents itself when Arnold discovers a mysterious
trail of arrows. Under the hot sun, Pig becomes quite uncomfortable.
What’s more, unknown to him, his sweater gets snagged, leaving a trail
of yarn stretching far behind him. Where could the arrows be leading,
and what’s to be done about the sweater?
Clay Time makes me think of Ghost,
since Kipper and Tiger make huge messes of themselves while attempting
to create pieces of pottery. Of course, the scene here is hardly steamy,
just silly, especially when Pig, stopping over to Tiger’s for tea,
mistakes the not-yet-baked pots on the tray in the living room for
chocolate cookies.
Aladdin has nothing on Kipper when it comes to getting rides on enchanted objects. In The Magic Carpet,
one of the fabled conveyances slips in the window while Kipper is
asleep, leaving him to discover, the next morning, that he has a
passport to go anywhere he likes - but he can only make three
destination wishes. Big-dreaming Kipper decides to go to the moon and
hang out with the Bleeper People, strange creatures who look a bit like
Snowths, the Muppets who sing back-up for Mahna Mahna, and sound like
Elmer Fudd speaking gibberish. A cute I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon sort of story.
Kipper the Hero
ends the collection on a high note as Kipper, reading about his
favorite superhero, decides that he will become a hero himself. Giving
himself a new name, a cape and a super-bike, he dashes about trying to
prevent catastrophes, but instead, he only seems to cause them. But when
a real disaster strikes, Kipper is ready to spring into action and show
what he’s really made of.
Each of the seven stories has a
good mix of humor and kindness. These are clearly friends who care about
each other, and while each has his quirks, there is no malice to be
found here, even when Tiger goes a little overboard on the practical
jokes. The main characters are well defined, and though the sheepdog
Jake only appears in a couple of episodes, his shy, gentle personality
comes across pretty well too.
Martin Clunes voices Kipper, who
speaks with a lower voice than any of the other characters. The rest
are portrayed by Chris Lang, who makes his characters sound similar to
one another but still distinct. The animation is simplistic but
appealing, and the jazzy score has a soothing quality to it that matches
the nature of the stories. I also like the British feel of the
characters, evident not only in the accents but also in some of the
phrases, like “have a go,” “fancy a sweet” and “brilliant”.
Additionally, the ducks on the duck pond are white, rather than the
brown ones we have around here.
I’ve been known to complain
that cartoons nowadays just aren’t up to the standards of what we had as
kids, but shows like this make me reconsider. Teletubbies and Booh-Bah still give me the willies, but Kipper is high-quality programming, and Kipper: Playtime is a fine representation of that.
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