oojamaflip

oojamaflip n. something that one cannot or does not want to nameWhatchamacallit, whatsit, thingamagig...oojamaflip. So now I have added a new nonsense word to my repertoire. Awesome. I have never heard this word used in common language. It makes me think of the whatchamacallit candy bar - which is really tasty. It also makes me think of Fraggle Rock, which is also a wonderful thing. The Doozers were my favorite and they actually have the Doozer knitting song on Youtube - which just made my day...[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdbeGkovaXQ]Now that I have a baby, I've realized how poor the quality of children's television is. Sesame Street is ALL ELMO. I feel like Jim Henson would be so disappointed. There should be more Oscar and Grover. Snuffy is never on anymore! Sesame Street and the Muppets were so intelligently made that adults could enjoy them. I can't stand the children's shows today. Thomas the Tank Engine? Dora? Really? It's so depressing. Creepy Mister Rogers was ten times better. Those puppets in the Land of Make Believe were freaky as hell, but they lit the match on a child's imagination.I think that may be the nub of the problem with children's television these days...they go too far. The muppets, fraggles and creepy puppets were almost a real life depiction of a child's imaginary friends. They sparked childrens creativity without doing the whole job for them. This is why I hate toys that make noise and move. Children need to learn how to create their own thoughts and imaginations...not have everything done for them. My husband and I talk about the toys we loved as kids - Memory Games, Sit and Spin, Choose Your Own Adventure books. Let's hope the whole retro fad extends into children's toys, games and television.