Blue's Clues is a show about a normal human (supposedly) male person (previously Steve, but he quit to start a rock band, now Joe) and his female (cartoon) dog, Blue. Each show, Blue wants something that the person can't figure out, so Blue gives clues (denoted as such by a paw print on the object), and the person draws the item that is marked with a paw print in his Handy Dandy Notebook. After three clues, he sits in his thinking chair and puts the three pictures together in a variety of toddler appropriate ways until he figures out what it is that Blue wants. Then he dances and sings a song about how smart everyone is for figuring it out.

Deb, that's an awesome quote, and a great memory of Roger. Thanks.

I like the sound of that show. Seems to be about using one's noodle, which is a damned good thing to emphasise to children.

JS, you bet. He was the best.

My half-brother used to watch it...

Peeking in to say Blue's Clues is actually great for the toddler set. It's interactive, and it's not drippingly sweet. Ben loved it when he was three and four. Teletubbies, I always thought, was much more appropriate for bored grown-ups getting high.

Sesame Street is still my sentimental favorite, though. I actually met Mr. Hooper once, too, and got his autograph. Sniffle.

On Blue's Clues, whenever there's a new clue to be found, and the paw print is visible, Steve will turn to the camera and ask, "Do you see the clue?" Then there's a pause, to allow the kids watching to shout out, "On the mailbox" or whatever, then you hear offscreen kids shout, "On the mailbox." It's really entertaining to watch two-year-olds watching this. Of the kids I babysat, the three- and four-year-olds love it, and will answer all the questions Steve asks. The one- and two-year-olds will start looking around at all the adults in the room, with an "Is everyone here very stoned?" look on their faces.

I babysat an 18-month old for an interminable five days. Every afternoon by some osmosis, he would look increasingly anxiously at the tv and chant, "boozecoos, boozecoos, boozecoos." I felt like "Five minutes to Wapner!"

And what does it say about me that Boobah apparently hits me with a stun ray whenever I stumble across it surfing? Can.not.change.the.chan.nel.Send.help.

I went through a phase of watching Teletubbies. DH and I found it so soothing. So simple. So relaxing after a hard day, it was just like being very stoned. Everything is so pwetty! And we liked the songs. We like the Wiggles, too, and walk around singing Hot potato, hot potato! Obviously, if we had children, they would all too soon be much more mature than we are.

So, I'm the only one out there who thinks the Teletubbies are some sort of mind-controlling evil cult?

Seriously. They hit me the way the Pokemon stuff did. I literally found my teeth chattering. Creeped me out to new and undiscovered levels.

Teletubbies are your friends, deb. Tinky-Winky is your friend. The big happy sun is your friend.