Edutainments

This weekend, the Dinoteens were recalling some of the great edutainment programs of the Noughties: “The Most Extreme“,”Animal Face-Off“, and “Deadliest Warrior.” The boys watched the hypothetical match-ups (polar bear vs. walrus, Sun Tzu vs. Vlad the Impaler) avidly, and we had lots of fun betting on the outcomes. It might not have been the most realistic or even accurate info they ever absorbed about history or animals, but they still remember about the leathery skin and deadly tusks of the walrus almost a decade later. They also remember me getting mad when Sun Tzu lost, which is a little alarming. At any rate, watching it didn’t make us significantly dumber.

Mouse and I watch “How It’s Made” and “Strip The City” when we’re loafing around. They’re good programs. But yelling at the TV with my sons and talking trash about whether Joan of Arc was going to beat Attila the Hun was really fun. Maybe this is why people watch sports. Alert Muppet Labs!