I have a special love for Barbapapa! A series of children's books created in the 1970's, they gained a broader audience with their 5 minute long shows that I enjoyed as a child. Barbapapa is both the name of the father character and the species.
The family consists of Barbapapa, Barbamama, Barbazoo (who loves animals), Barbalala (who loves music), Barbalib (who loves to read), Barbabeau (the hairy one), Barbabelle (who loves being beautiful), Barbabright (the scientist) and Barbabravo (the strong one). Barbapapas have the ability to shapeshift at will; becoming musical instruments or exercise equipment or gardening tools with ease, accompanied by the fun phrase "Clickity-Click, Barba-Trick!" In addition to the show being fun and positive, there was always an environmental message that I liked. Today it is hard (if not impossible) to find English language episodes online, although a few years ago we did find them and watched them with joy, but if you want a sneak peak and the theme song (even though this one is in French), click
here.
