Why would a grown man spend over two years of his life making a preschool series about a band of four singing potatoes? Hmm. This is a good question and I have been struggling all day to come up with a suitable answer.
I am Josh Selig, founder and president of Little Airplane Productions. Parents of preschoolers may recognise us as the creators of "3rd & Bird" among others. But with "Small Potatoes," our newest show on CBeebies, we have taken a sharp turn into the surreal.
"Small Potatoes" follows the musical career of a band of four adorable potatoes who are modelled (very loosely) on the four lads from Liverpool. We chose potatoes for this series because there is something very universal about a potato. Potatoes are, arguably, the least glamorous of all the vegetables. They put on no airs and yet they can do quite extraordinary things given the right conditions and the right opportunities. And everyone likes a potato.
In fact, we could think of no better metaphor for a young child than a cute, round potato. One of our songs actually addresses how potato-like we humans are: "Short potato, tall potato, light or dark, we're all potatoes at heart."
But the real answer to the question, "Why a band of singing potatoes?" is that we found the idea to be very funny. And the families who watch the show seem to find this idea very funny, too. So, even though it is unlikely that children will be able to add or subtract any better after having watched "Small Potatoes," there is a good chance that it will make them laugh. And I suppose there are worse ways that one could spend a few years of one's life than writing songs and animating characters that make children happy. In fact, it sounds like a very good use of one's time.
I should also mention that I am very grateful to Cbeebies for supporting our efforts on this series and for providing encouragement and gentle guidance every step of the way. Thank you, CBeebies! And we hope everyone enjoys our show!
