Review of They Might Be Giants - Here Come The 123s

Introduction

I remember They Might Be Giants as an idiosyncratic American pop band that made some of the quirkiest chart music of the 90s. Songs like Birdhouse In Your Soul, or that one about Istanbul, or was it Constantinople? I can`t recall. But, and despite Si Wooldridge`s Here Come The ABCs review, the fact that they had turned their lyrical talents to edutainment had passed me by. So Here Come The 123s was quite a surprise when it turned up for reviewer scrutiny. It also instantly raised my hackles, as surely by singing about letters and numbers, they are trespassing on hallowed Sesame Street territory. However, Sesame Street is a pale shadow of what it was in its glory days. Political correctness means that Oscar the Grouch is unhygienic, the Cookie Monster promotes obesity, and Bert and Ernie have… connotations. All that is left is the sickly anodyne Elmo, a character that deserves to be taken out and…

A children`s edutainment review is the wrong place for those sentiments, but it does mean that there is ample room for someone to entertain and educate pre-schoolers in a way that doesn`t raise the gorge of any parent, carer of teacher. Here Come The 123s is a title that offers an introduction to the world of numbers through song, and over 45 minutes, They Might Be Giants offer some memorable and entertaining tunes, punctuated by some imaginative animation and puppetry. We go all the way from 0-9, with diversions at 12, 813, infinity, the days of the week, even numbers and addition.

Be aware that if you are looking for this title, it will be in the CD section of your entertainment emporium, marketed as a music CD first, albeit with a bonus DVD. It`s that DVD that gets reviewed here. It really should be the other way around, as the animations make the songs work much better, and will certainly hold young minds in thrall longer than just the CD alone.

Video

NTSC 4:3 that does the job. The image is clear and sharp throughout, with plenty of primary colours. The song videos vary in style, with collage style animation, puppets, stop motion, computer animation and more. Some styles work better than others, but there are some striking and effective animations to look out for here. I really loved the animation for One Dozen Monkeys, a blue monochrome 2D look that was very impressive.

Audio

You get a PCM stereo track on the DVD that is loud and clear. There are some catchy tunes that you will be humming afterwards. It`s also music that exhibits maturity and depth that will appeal to all ages, not just the usual simple tunes that are aimed at pre-schoolers. You are getting a They Might Be Giants album after all.

Features

I hate discs that autoplay within 10 seconds of insertion. This is one of them.

I didn`t listen to much of the CD, but it simply repeats the main programme on the disc, sans pictures. I suppose it`s useful when you want to keep the kids busy, but away from the goggle-box.

This is a 2-layer disc. 1 layer offers the whole programme, with intros to the songs by puppet John, and puppet John, the knitted incarnations of the They Might Be Giants front men. The second layer omits the intros and just has the songs. There is also a menu that lets you choose the song that you want to listen to.

Non-numerical songs include The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme, Hot Dog! and The Heart Of The Band from Higglytown Heroes.

Conclusion

I`m so old now that my childhood feels like it happened to another person. I`ve been able to count since I was three, and arithmetic wasn`t long after (teachers for parents). Suffice it to say that I don`t need to revise the fundamentals at this late stage. Yet I thoroughly enjoyed Here Come The 123s. They Might Be Giants don`t treat the audience like idiots, and while the songs and concepts are aimed at pre-schoolers, there is no pandering to the age group.

It`s also a revelation to hear real pop music used to convey simple concepts. The music has dimension and the lyrics have a deceptive simplicity that carry much more than the simple message. They are also entertaining to listen to, even for this cynical reviewer. Play School this ain`t! It`s nice to see a little edginess to children`s entertainment, and if that means that mum or dad can sit through this disc five times in a row with baby, then that`s all for the good.

Also, while the songs and videos are great for pattern recognition and learning about numbers, there are some surprisingly difficult concepts and thoughts thrown in, ideas that may provoke a few questions from children. Zero is a tough concept at the best of times, and it was the most recently invented number. The song Zeroes attempts to show the uses of the digit, in fractions as well as large numbers, but it`s still a toughie to begin with, and I`m not quite sure it comes off as simply as it should. One Everything on the other hand should be pretty straightforward, but when the song ventures off into the description of the universe… But the majority of the songs are much more accessible and useful. I wasn`t expecting an ichthyosaur to pop up with 9 bowls of soup though.

Excellent music doing a fine job to introduce numeracy to children is a rare thing. Dare I blaspheme, but it`s even better than Sesame Street. A parent will have no qualms in leaving their little ones in the company of They Might Be Giants for 45 minutes, but I`ll let you into a secret, it`s even more fun to watch it with them. Here Come The 123s is a worthwhile learning tool that parents of pre-schoolers should invest in.