I never heard of Wonder Showzen until the other night, when I randomly found it on the shelf at the local rental place. A quick glance at its description on the back of the cover sold me instantly. What I didn't expect was how funny it was. Sickly funny. I've never seen a show so blatantly and brilliantly awful. It's anarchy at its finest, packaged neatly in a vintage Sesame Street vibe that only kids born between 1969-1979 can really understand. Watching this brought back memories of watching The Electric Company and Sesame Street through the mind of someone mentally ill tripping on acid. LOVE IT. I don't think anyone could top the genius of Wonder Showzen. In a way I'm glad there were only 2 seasons of it, because it would have been a shame to see it go downhill and lose its sense of vitriol and vim. Highlights include "Beat Kids!" and educational films with kid commentary (saying gems like "DADDY!" when a slaughtered pig appears on screen) and Muppet-ish puppets in pornographic situations - it's everything a cynical adult secretly thinks about kids' TV, but manifested with unabashed glee. GET IT.
Review of Wonder Showzen
