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posted Oct. 22, 2007
I Love Ruff Ruffman Watch Fetch With Ruff Ruffman weekdays at 11 a.m. on Western Reserve PBS I really like some kids’ shows — PBS’s Sesame Street and Wordgirl and the Saturday morning network series Dragon, based on the children’s book series by Dav Pilkey (who, by the way, used to be a Kent resident). However, I LOVE Fetch With Ruff Ruffman. Never mind that I often get confused and call it Ruff With Fetch Fetchman. In Ruff Ruffman you’ll find a character that invokes the comedic sensibilities of Rodney Dangerfield and Phil Hartman, commingled in a hilarious animated dog full of neuroses and one-liners. And talk about emotional range. In every episode, Ruff swings from exhilaration to terror, self-aggrandizement to shame. Joanna Weiss of the New York Times wrote, “Ruff is a refreshingly flawed lead character, manic and egomaniacal; he gives one of the kids bonus points for saying ‘Ruff Ruffman’ a lot. He's a would-be mogul who specializes in bungles and half-baked cover-ups, a portly dog whose eyebrows float considerably north of his head, and whose ears express deep shades of embarrassment and pride.” Oh, that’s the Ruff Ruffman I love! In fact, Ruff is so hilarious, so lovable and so watchable (is that a word?) that I think he should be the host of the PBS Kids program breaks. I’ve been pushing Ruff’s agenda on this matter, thus far with no success. But don’t worry, Ruff — I don’t give up easily. For instance, I’ve been trying to talk our programmer into acquiring broadcast rights for Northern Exposure for over 10 years and I think I’m getting closer. All this Ruff adoration aside, the show has great educational content. Part game show, part reality TV and part spoof, Fetch features real kids, real challenges and real science. Ruff is the animated mastermind who commissions a team of “fetchers” to solve scientific problems, which always have to do with Ruff’s personal problems or grand ambitions. Targeting 6- to 10-year-olds — and a few 47-year-olds such as myself — the series is spontaneous, unscripted and full of twists. “It’s all about problem solving, teamwork, science and me, Ruff Ruffman,” says Ruff. Right on, Ruffy! You must take a look at Fetch. Check out a video clip of the show or visit the Web site. |
Read past blogs Counting Down and Counting on You — Dec. 3, 2012 Cat Meets Squirrel, Offers Tour of House — Nov. 5, 2012 More, Please — Feb. 2, 2011 The Child Is Father of the Man — Nov. 15, 2010 In Praise of Simple Machines (And the People Who Know How to Use Them) — Oct. 25, 2010 This week, take time to stop and smell the dirt — April 19, 2010 It’s Like Shark Week for People Who Like Documentaries on the Subject of Religion — March 27, 2010 This is about Extreme Mega NOVA — Feb. 9, 2010 Pride and Prejudice: A Ridiculously Brief History of the Novel in Film — Jan. 31, 2008 Theeere Was Johnny — Jan. 7, 2008 The Name’s the Thing — Dec. 13, 2007 The British Really Are Coming — Nov. 28, 2007 Eavesdropping Heaven — Nov. 20, 2007 The Theoriousness of Theory — Nov. 12, 2007 Queen and Country — Nov. 7, 2007 Rats — Oct. 29, 2007 I Love Ruff Ruffman — Oct. 22, 2007 Eight-letter word for quirky documentary? — Oct. 15, 2007 Does Nova have a contender? — Oct. 1, 2007 |
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