New Age Postman Pat and The Bad Ass Wombles of Central Park

The news is out. The world’s greatest post man is back complete with his black and white cat. Hail the return of Postman Pat.

Pat may be back, but to my shock horror, he’s lost a few things during his decade on leave. He’s also had a promotion along the way. Pat is now a Special Operator in the special delivery service. His trademark red van is now accompanied by parachutes and helicopters for his more adventurous deliveries.

I’m all up for giving Pat a coat of paint, but the simplicity of the show in its heyday was the beauty of its success. Postman Pat, together with other 80’s classics like Rainbow, The Raggy Dolls, Super Ted, Banana Man and Paddington Bear were simple in creation and simple in mind…reflecting the essence of what childhood should be. Simple did not mean dumbing down. On the contrary, such cartoons focussed on character building rather than the glam technology or image around the character. It is for that reason that such programmes remain on the tongues of every twenty and thirty something and their parents and grandparents and their baby sisters…anyone who ever had the pleasure of watching some of the most beautifully made children’s programmes which are a still a pleasure to watch today.

Therefore why the need to distort them by giving them the latest technology and swank language bewilders me. We can leave that to the Bratz. If Postman Pat, his black and white cat Jess and his tomato red van hovering around Greendale were good enough for me, then they should be good enough for any child today. On the contrary, the original constructions of these classic cartoons should remain and act as a tool to drag today’s Kidults back to the true essence of childhood.

To support this cause, trade association PACT, which protects all commercial interests related to UK broadcasting, have recently launched a campaign to save British Kids TV. The main stars of their campaign are the Wombles who return to our screens revamped as The Bad Ass Wombles of Central Park. The clip relaunches them as super-stressed Americans yelling lines like Way to go! and Whatever! A word of warning for anyone who does not wish for their fairy tale like memories of the Wombles in Wimbledon to be tainted – do not watch this clip!

I admit that it could be much worse. Pat could have been given a sports car and a Dolce and Gabbana uniform. His return has rather been an excuse for me to rant on about the state of kids TV and I have no doubt that this entry is screaming the words BIAS.

Despite my reservations, I hope Pat does bring just as much joy to children today as he did when he was launched in 1981. So I wish him the best of luck with his return to broadcasting. But like pop stars who try to make a comeback after a decade of getting hitched and having babies, I’m not quite sure if Pat is going to quite “dig it” in the 21st century. Still, its over to the kids to judge…or maybe not... after all “growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.”