J.K. Rowling satirized the idea of "sanitized" fairy tales in The Tales of Beedle the Bard through the character of Beatrix Bloxam, whose bowdlerized versions of Beedle's tales were so wretched they caused kids to vomit, thus undermining her stated goal of writing stories more appropriate for children.
Relatedly, recently an image appeared on Facebook of the character Lady Elaine Fairchilde as she appears in Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood; both her ugly face and her irascible attitude are considerably toned down. It only made me miss the original version of Elaine from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood all the more. Fred Rogers was not one to shy away from the ugly feelings we all feel from time to time; and Elaine's original design draws heavily from the Punch and Judy tradition (which itself could have very dark and scary themes whilst still being entertainment for children, and itself has been toned down).
When all the hard surfaces of our culture have been made soft, spongy and safe, when all the sharp edges are filed down smooth, how will we raise children who grow into adults adequately prepared to deal with the harshness of the real world?
> When all the hard surfaces of our culture have been made soft, spongy and safe, when all the sharp edges are filed down smooth, how will we raise children who grow into adults adequately prepared to deal with the harshness of the real world?
Scarred and maimed kids aren't more ready to take on the real world. Losing a toe doesn't make you any more prepared to deal with a difficult coworker.
Daniel Tiger is actually really excellent in how it prepares kids for the real world. No other kids show does a better job of talking about strong emotions, acknowledging them, and dealing with them (or dealing with conflict in general). It shows parents getting upset, kids being shits, and stuff generally just not going right all the time.
I see no way that having an ugly mean Elaine would benefit the show.
The kids will soon need an episode where Lady Elaine is jailed for her interracial relationship with Music Man Stan.
Miss Elaina visits her mother in prison and learns the cruel and capricious nature of King Friday (featured frequently in the original series and sadly missing from the spinoff). Bob Trow plays the LEO and jailer.
King Friday is a regular character in DT. He cruelly makes his son prince Tuesday run the entire city because his favorite son, Prince Wednesday, is being groomed to be the true heir to the throne.
I believe X is plotting a Coup d'état. What he's doing in the enchanted forest is shrouded in mystery. The very name, X, conjures intrigue.
If anyone is running the Jail cells, it's Tuesday. He does that in-between babysitting daniel, maintaining the baseball field/running the little league, and working as a volunteer fireman. [1]
Making up dumb conspiracies about the show is just a way to pass time. Hence the /r/danieltigerconspiracy subreddit.
X is a fairly unflushed out character in the show. You really don't know much about him other than the fact that he takes care of O the owl. That leaves a lot of room to imagine what he might be doing with his spare time.
I've posted this before[1], but I have a feeling you'll like Dirt Poor Robins' But Never a Key[2] and the concept album it lives in, Deadhorse.
It begins:
Algernon
You won't need these flowers
They've revoked the horrors
Your tragedy now ends happily
And I'm sure that they won't be done
Till they fenced off the ledges
And rounded the edges of all that goes wrong
For you, Algernon...
> When all the hard surfaces of our culture have been made soft, spongy and safe, when all the sharp edges are filed down smooth, how will we raise children who grow into adults adequately prepared to deal with the harshness of the real world?
Unfortunately, child marriage is still legal in the majority of the united states, and approximately 1 in 4 children experience abuse or neglect within their lifetime. So I'm pretty confident this isn't a concern that surfaces within either of our lifetimes.
Relatedly, recently an image appeared on Facebook of the character Lady Elaine Fairchilde as she appears in Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood; both her ugly face and her irascible attitude are considerably toned down. It only made me miss the original version of Elaine from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood all the more. Fred Rogers was not one to shy away from the ugly feelings we all feel from time to time; and Elaine's original design draws heavily from the Punch and Judy tradition (which itself could have very dark and scary themes whilst still being entertainment for children, and itself has been toned down).
When all the hard surfaces of our culture have been made soft, spongy and safe, when all the sharp edges are filed down smooth, how will we raise children who grow into adults adequately prepared to deal with the harshness of the real world?