Well, we made it unscathed through the digital switchover. We did end up getting Fox, so thankfully we won’t have to shell out for cable. And now, my sweet children, who have never in their lives watched anything other than PBS Kids, have discovered Qubo. All kids shows, all day long (and all night, too!) Forget Sesame Street, Arthur, and Cyberchase. The girls now get to watch shows like Lambchop (you know, the puppet lamb with the song that never ends – joy), Postman Pat (and his black-and-white cat), and (I swear I am not making this up) Marvin the Tap Dancing Horse.One of the things we have always loved about PBS Kids, other than the educational nature of its programming, is that there are no commercials. Ever. Other than the quarterly pledge drives, they never broadcast anything that asks for money. And even then, there’s only the tiniest mention of it during the kids’ shows.
Qubo is a different story. Oh, they don’t show regular commercials. We get no plugs for toys, tampons, or bathroom cleaners. No, instead, in between every show, there’s a mini-infomercial. I am not joking. Vicki just came in and excitedly informed me that we need some sort of hanger contraption that can hold up to five hangers and reduce crowding in your closet. And while I will admit that this is a bit of a problem in their closet, it’s nothing that can’t be solved by Mom going through and sorting out the clothes hanging in there that don’t actually fit anyone right now. But the girls see a different solution – the Wonder Hanger! She brought up here with her not only the verbal information, but a napkin on which she’d written the phone number, the price, and a note that we’d be getting a $50 value for just $9.99! Not only that, but if we call now, we’ll also get a free closet light! (never mind that every closet in our house already has a light)
After I (unsuccessfully) convinced her that we don’t need and aren’t EVER going to buy anything off a TV commercial, she said, “Are you bothered by toothpaste messes on the counters?”
Oh, Heaven help us all.
The same thing has happened to us! We now get Qubo. Little Jack has informed me that we can get cash for gold. :) I can't decide I think Lambchop is cute or weird. That "bounce your bottom" song is strange.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Ha ha ha! Indoctrinating young minds in the art of infomercials. Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteZack and I decided that buying something off of a TV commercial is part of living the American dream. So we decided to get a Magic Bullet a few years ago. I have to admit it has come in handy. And now I can say I am truly American.
I really want that wonder hanger. So I went to the website just now, and then tried to click out of it, and it asked me twice if I was SURE I wanted to go and instead talk to a sales rep.... uh yah, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what I'm going to do when I stop getting free cable from the HOA. We'd petitioned to switch it to internet instead of cable. It is not that I can't live without cable, but I definitely can't live with a station like qubo.
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