My son Justin is a certified Barney baby. Barney was the first kiddie VCD I made him watch. We got hooked the first time we laid eyes on Barney (with emphasis on “we”). Of course, mommy has to make sure Justin’s watching the right stuff. So what makes Barney an instant hit with kids?



Barney features fun and exciting characters top-billed by Barney himself with friends BJ and Baby Bop who all sing well and dance well. We also get to watch kids of different ages in the show that make watching Barney even more interesting.

I actually became an instant fan of Barney because of the easy-to-learn songs that are set in good music and some danceable tunes, too. I would often sing these songs to Justin, and he would sing with me and imitate the action that went with these songs. Justin even knows Barney’s theme song “I Love You, You Love Me” by heart.

Primarily, I think Barney was conceptualized to teach children a good number of things, such as the letters of the alphabet, numbers, shapes, colors, zoo animals, etc. The show also imparts good values, namely: loving one’s friends and treating them as family, sharing what one has with others, being considerate of others’ feelings, and accepting others for what they are, among others.

I think these are good enough reasons to convince parents to let their children watch Barney. What do you think?

There are a number of things that my son Justin took after his daddy. One of those is his fondness for watching TV and VCDs/DVDs. In fact, the only time the TV set in our living room is off is when Justin is taking his afternoon nap at the sofa bed. Otherwise, it’s on the whole day.

That’s the same with his dad. When he’s not in front of the computer playing chess or watching an international chess tournament, you’ll find him in front of the TV watching his favorite shows or a VCD/DVD of a film he already watched before or he’s yet to see. To date, Justin’s daddy already has around 300 original VCDs. He started collecting when we got married. DVDs are quite expensive, so he only had a few originals. He actually had wooden shelves installed in our living room wall to house his growing collection.


Ed's VCD/DVD library

Justin’s daddy already started buying his son his own DVDs. (Note: There are DVDs for kids that are selling at Php100.00 in selected stores.) Justin’s own VCD/DVD library consists of a few Barneys, 3 Blues Clues, 3 Thomas & Friends, 2 Dora the Explorer, 2 Brainy Baby, 1 Bob the Builder, 1 Bee Smart Baby Vocabulary Builder, and 1 Brilliant Baby Collection. Justin’s daddy did not buy all of these, however. Some are gifts from friends. I now wonder what part of our living room wall will be for Justin’s own collection.

Looking for something new for my son Justin to watch, I chanced upon a Thomas & Friends DVD that one of his godparents gave him on his first birthday. I remember he didn’t really pay attention to Thomas the first time he watched it. I played the DVD again last night to see if he would react to it differently now that he’s almost 2 years and 3 months old.

Initially, he was afraid of Thomas and all the other train and vehicle characters featured in the show. Perhaps, he found it odd that trains or any other vehicle, for that matter, would have exactly the same faces as humans have and with rolling eyes at that. He wouldn’t leave my side while watching. He just clung to me like crazy. But he watched the entire DVD five times before drifting off to sleep.

He watched Thomas & Friends again repeatedly this morning. He isn’t afraid anymore. He even knows some of the characters now. At one point, I overheard him addressing Thomas while watching: “Thomas, dede Justin, gutom Justin” (“Thomas, Justin wants milk. Justin is hungry”) while Manang, Justin’s nanny, was preparing his milk.

What does Justin love about Thomas & Friends? He likes the music. When he hears the soundtrack, he says, “Mommy, dance.” And he is particularly fond of trains and cars, too. In fact, he often builds blocks to form a train here and a car and a bus there. He even invites me or Manang to play with him as he creates things from scratch.

Tonight, I expect Justin to request for Thomas & Friends again. That’s exactly how my son is. If he finds something that interests him, he’ll have that thing played over and over again until a more exciting one comes along, of course.

Justin’s latest preoccupation is watching Dora the Explorer every morning on a local TV channel. This prompted his Daddy to buy him his first Dora the Explorer DVD last week. Last Friday night, I bought him his second Dora the Explorer DVD that we both watched until he fell asleep. Watching Dora the Explorer, it’s easy to see why kids adore this show. Dora the Explorer has got what it takes to make kids glued to the TV sets: interesting characters, exciting adventures, great music, and valuable lessons.

First, Dora the Explorer features an interesting set of characters complete with a protagonist, a sidekick, and a villain. The lead character is, of course, Dora, and her sidekick is Boots, the monkey. Then, there’s Swiper, the mean fox who swipes things from Dora every time he gets the chance. Other major characters include The Map who shows Dora and Boots how to get to their destination and Backpack who keeps Dora’s things, which often come in handy with each adventure.

Aside from its colorful characters, Dora the Explorer is filled with fun and stirring adventures. Dora, together with Boots, is seen either sailing in an ocean on a pirate adventure or going to the cloud castle or heading to some remote island to retrieve something or to help someone in need.

There are also specific parts of the show that are set in music, and this makes Dora the Explorer doubly interesting to watch. Of course, there’s the Dora the Explorer soundtrack. There are also songs for when Dora and Boots begin their adventure and when they complete their mission for the day. Likewise, when Dora calls on The Map and Backpack, they both respond with their standard songs: “I’m the Map…”and “Backpack, Backpack…” The melodies used in the show are all danceable tunes, too.

Finally, and most importantly, Dora the Explorer teaches kids some valuable lessons. Counting, identifying colors, singing nursery rhymes, and illustrating action words (e.g., jump, reach, crouch down) are some of the things a kid learns from the show. Dora likewise imparts the values of leadership, friendship, and teamwork to name a few. One also gets to learn basic Spanish words.

So, the next time you sit in front of the TV with your kids, try watching Dora the Explorer. The show would be a treat for sure with its colorful characters, rousing adventures, wonderful music, and great lessons. Who knows? You might even like it, for your kids, I mean.