TV FOR BABIES: PROGRAMMING FOR THE VERY YOUNG
by Maureen Furniss, PhD

Both scholarly discussion of television and industry-initiated research commonly take the form of audience studies analyzing the effects of TV on its viewers, including the ways in which they are targeted as consumers. Both gender and race may be factors considered in such studies, but age is most significant of all, especially as advertisers and programmers consider how the most ‘desirable’ individuals are targeted for any particular programming. Special interest groups and media scholars have investigated the influence TV has had in terms of learning or modeling and social behavior, including violence, perceptions for success, tolerance, and other concerns. Though studies of these types can be found far and wide, encompassing a fairly large range of factors, there is one area of analysis that has been largely overlooked—and is both conspicuous in its absence and strangely provocative. I refer to the study of television in relation to babies, or more precisely, babies and toddlers: viewers aged from birth to about two years of age. While pre-school viewers (ages 2 to 5) have been the subject of a significant amount of research, scholarship has largely overlooked the youngest of TV watchers.

This paper presents an overview of BabyTV, the first cable television channel for babies, including its objectives, structures, challenges, and strategies, and the media context from which it emerged. Also included is information on several of the original animation series created by BabyTV in conjunction with a particular studio, PIL Animation, Ltd. This research is based on many hours viewing programs from various baby video and television contexts, as well as analysis of company documentation and discussion with company personnel from both BabyTV and PIL Animation. It is primarily historical and aesthetic in nature, though it does pose some questions related to babies’ perceptual processes.

Significant Precursors
While the phrase ‘baby TV’ is actually fairly descriptive, it nonetheless tends to raise questions. Television for babies? Babies watching television? In a way, it is perfectly normal to consider that babies watch television, since it is part of the world in which they live. It is less natural to think of babies as viewers per se, in the way that an adult or even slightly older child might be, sitting in front of a television for possibly hours on end. For one thing, can a baby really ‘see’ and comprehend images on TV? Can babies learn from televisual media? Completely separate is the issue of developing media for babies as an ethical or even plausible endeavor. Many people question whether even older children should be watching television regularly, so it can be hard to imagine an argument for babies. And yet such media exist, generally promoted as a way to help babies learn or to be entertained, and both networks and production studios take their work seriously. The realm of baby TV is filled with complex questions, contingent in large measure on an understanding of babies’ cognitive abilities within the specific context of televisual media. While researchers and organizations have begun work in this realm, our body of knowledge is still emerging. Nonetheless, television for babies has forged ahead.1

Programming for babies has been built upon developments in related media over many years—it is a kind of ‘final frontier’ that at long last has been declared open. Within the realm of television, the initial step was the identification of young viewers as a target audience, which in the United States occurred during the early 1960s with the lineups of Saturday morning cartoon blocks on broadcast networks. As cable television began to develop during the 1980s and 1990s, children’s programming reached an apex, becoming an around the clock enterprise. Cable networks are based on the concept of ‘narrowcasting’, or targeting very specific types of viewers, which in the case of children occurred through such venues as Nickelodeon (first aired on cable in 1979, followed by Nick Jr. and Noggin), 2 The Cartoon Network (first aired in 1992), and PBS-Kids (first aired in 1999), for example. These networks were developed in the US, but equivalent counterparts arose in other parts of the world.

Television audiences are segmented by age, the primary factor in demographic data. In order to sell advertising based on viewership, Time Warner Cable Media Sales identifies four separate groupings of “kids” (boys and girls together): 2 – 11, 6 – 11, 9 – 14, and 12 – 17. It also identifies separately men and women (that is, boys and girls) aged 12 – 17 and men and women aged 12 – 34, as well as the more generic ‘persons’ (both male and female together) aged 12 – 34. The Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon contain a range of programs that appeal to children and adults of different ages, so their overall scope is fairly wide. In contrast, some networks are fairly specific in their appeal—for example, Nick Jr. and PBS Kids are aimed at ‘preschool’ children (ages 2 – 5).3 In the US, the segmentation of young viewers into identifiable groups occurred in part to appease government regulators, who demanded that educational content be incorporated into a portion of children’s programming. As a result, series identify their target audiences, and ‘educational experts’ can be called in to formulate age specific learning objectives and supply the necessary rationale for fulfilling such mandates. For most networks, both broadcast and cable, age ranges and other demographic data are even more important because they attract advertisers, assuring them that their desired viewers are watching and, ideally, buying.

By now, pre-school audiences are well integrated into the matrix of television viewers, and the thought of two to five year olds engaged by the TV is hardly surprising. There are numerous pre-school channels worldwide, usually falling into two basic types: advertising supported programming within normal cable television packages, and commercial-free programming that is purchased individually by the consumer on an à la carte basis. In the United States, two networks affiliated with Nickelodeon illustrate these types. Nick Jr. began as a programming block on Nickelodeon in the early 1990s. It later was developed into a stand-alone network aimed at preschool viewers, supported by advertising. Noggin is Nickelodeon’s commercial-free option for pre-school viewers. Parents pay a subscription fee to add it to their cable lineup. Originally it shared a channel with another Nickelodeon offering, N, which was aimed at adolescents; the pre-school programs appeared from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., when the older aged programs took over. At the end of 2007, the two broke into separate channels.4 In England, the BBC offers pre-school programming on Cbeebies, while pre-school viewers in Israel can watch Hop!, one of several channels managed by Zebra TV Channels. In the United States, the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) created PBS-Kids Sprout! for pre-school viewers. It is a commercial-free subscription-based channel. Programming on these channels ranges from syndicated or licensed productions to original series commissioned by network producers, which can be merchandised and sold as DVDs or in the form of various consumer products.

Videos and DVDs for Babies
During the 1980s, simultaneous with the early development of cable networks, the ‘home video’ explosion allowed distribution of a wide range of specialty media, including children’s programming. As a result, a number of DVD series were created for pre-school viewers and by the end of the 1990s, the market was fairly saturated. It is not surprising that enterprising individuals then targeted babies, turning out series promising to appeal to the youngest of viewers.

It had not been hard to sell consumers on the notion of educational videos for preschool aged viewers, as a means to ready them for entering school. Then, as child psychologists and educators furthered our understanding of cognitive abilities and learning processes in the very young, consumers also began to believe that children under two years of age could learn from DVDs.5 It is likely that parents have become more receptive to this idea because, as children, they grew up with the concept of ‘educational programs’, such as “Sesame Street.” Educational material for babies is just a step away from their own experiences ‘learning from TV’ as kids.6
The DVDs that have been produced for babies vary in content, being educational, soothing, or entertaining in various ways, and they incorporate a combination of techniques (live-action, puppet, and animated imagery) and genres (including documentary, social settings, direct address, singalongs, and storytelling, among other approaches).In the United States, perhaps the best known DVD series for babies are:

• Brainy Baby: Established in 1995 by Dennis Fedoruk and his wife Stephanie, who previously produced industrial videos and then established Small Fry Productions, which created videos for pre-school aged children. Its titles include Right Brain, Left Brain, Peek-a-Boo, and Laugh-and-Explore.

• Baby Einstein: Established in 1996 by Julie Aigner-Clark, who, according to company publicity, “shot the first Baby Einstein video in her basement in Alpharetta, GA,” and edited the footage on her home computer with her husband, Bill.7 Some of the episodes included the couple’s two children. In 1997, the product was launched in a small number of retail outlets and a website was developed. The brand diversified into the musical series “Baby Mozart” and other related products. It is now a subsidiary of Disney.

• So Smart!: Founded in 1997 by Alexandra Tornek and her husband Scott. According to company publicity, she got the idea while she was doing doctoral research on infants. The series website includes a statement by Scott Tornek, who says, “Being an artist, Alex spent day and night learning graphics software programs, and we researched the animation industry. With a background in film, television and journalism, as well as business, [Scott] began working with Alex and developing concepts and a business plan for a 30-minute home video titled, ‘So Smart! Sights & Sounds’.”8

• Baby Genius: Founded in 1998 by Larry Balaban, who worked in marketing other entertainment products before he joined the distribution company Genius Productions. The Baby Genius line of baby-oriented DVDs was integrated into the company’s existing product lines, which included jewelry and family-oriented DVDs and CDs, among other things.

An interesting aspect of these series’ development is the type of historical origin each claims: in each case, that its creator was motivated by the birth and/or viewing needs of his or her own child, and the lack of quality media available. In effect, they say “I did this out of concern for my kids.” In three of these four cases, the development team has been a husband and wife duo, working out of their home in a very ‘down to earth’ way. The websites for Brainy Baby, Baby Einstein, and So Smart! each explain this historical basis, while press coverage of Larry Balaban’s original concept emphasizes that he, too, was motivated by his child’s needs. It also tells us that Balaban, a one-time actor and model, has a role in front of the camera, taking children on “super-fun play dates to places they have never been before”9—so, in a slightly different way the series also becomes highly personal to him. This ‘mom and pop’ level of creativity seems to assure the consumer that the series is characterized by some sort of wholesomeness and family values (the So Smart! website goes so far as to list the couple’s children, aged 7 and 2, as creative director and operations director).10 It can also be considered a reflection of the way this field has evolved, from fairly intuitive ideas about what would satisfy babies to the start of an industry in which conventions are beginning to solidify.

Television Channels for Babies
BabyTV, the first television channel devoted to babies, appeared in 2003. It was founded in Israel by Liran Talit and Ron Isaak, and it spread to Europe two years later and, subsequently, went worldwide; in 2007, Fox International Channels purchased a major stake in the company, boosting its distribution.11 It is interesting to note the similarities between the ‘history’ of Baby TV and the baby DVD series described previously. Company publicity states:

BabyTV was conceived following a sleepless night spent rewinding a baby video at the demand of an unrelenting toddler. Our creators imagined a service which offered easy access to programming specifically designed for babies around the clock. They felt that in today’s world where media use is so prevalent, there is a need to offer parents a televised service they can trust.

At BabyTV, we know what its like to be a parent. We therefore put together a dynamic team of content experts and childhood experts and created the first television channel adapted to the needs and abilities of the 3 and under age group.

We know how important it is for parents to have safe and effective tools for learning and for play with their youngest child and this is what we endeavor to do. Our main focus is to develop high quality series that are designed to promote learning, activity and interaction in a fun environment.

Here again we see a history citing that the creators of this product were motivated by their children. Although the text initially appeals to parents (endlessly rewinding videos for a demanding child), the description confirms that the programming is good for baby: it is educational, and entertaining as well.

Within a few years, other networks for babies appeared. The next was Baby First TV, which was created by Israelis Guy Oranim and Sharon Rechter in the United States; it first aired in 2006.12 The following year, in 2007, Luli was launched in Israel by Zebra TV Channels, following its success with the preschool channel Hop!13

Problems Facing Channels for Babies
Though the concept for baby television can be imagined in a logical progression from existing models, such as channels for preschool children and DVD series for babies, when BabyTV became the first channel for babies, it faced circumstances that were unique to its endeavor.

One of the biggest problems related to baby television is skepticism, resistance, or outright denunciation related to programming for babies. A 2007 study published in The Journal of Pediatrics is the basis of a number of news articles reporting that televisual viewing is likely to delay language acquisition, not accelerate it. Typical is a Time story, “Baby Einsteins: Not So Bright After All,” which explains that a research team from the University of Washington “found that with every hour per day spent watching baby DVDs and videos, infants learned six to eight fewer new vocabulary words than babies who never watched the videos. These products had the strongest detrimental effect on babies 8 to 16 months old, the age at which language skills are starting to form.”14 The article also cites a 1999 recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics “that no child under two years old watch any television.” Beyond the ‘expert analysis’, there is an element of common sense that tells average people that babies should not be spending time watching television.

Even if pediatric research is expanding our understanding of how babies’ brains work and how they perceive the world, it remains difficult for most people to discern how and when babies learn. Of course, babies naturally are learning new things day by day, but throughout their ‘babyhood’ they lack the means of articulating language (even though there are efforts to teach a simple form of sign language to babies) that would allow precise communication. In a day to day context, the effects of televisual media on stimulating the brain or enhancing creativity at some later point really cannot be discerned by parents (and cannot be separated from other environmental factors), and it is unlikely that they could tell whether the DVD products or television programming they show to their babies actually has a positive result—or a negative one, for that matter. So, for the public at large, the advantages of using baby media are not immediately clear.

Another complicating factor is that many of the abilities and types of knowledge that babies acquire between birth and two years are relatively intangible. The learned information of a baby is not as easy to identify as, say, the learned information of a preschooler who can repeat the name of a color or the parts and order of the alphabet. Research in these areas was far from complete in the mid-1990s when baby videos began to appear; in fact, it is still very much in development.

Language acquisition is just one area of ongoing work. Writing for the National Science Foundation (in the US) in 2005, Nicole Mahoney states, while “our understanding of language acquisition is incomplete, this pursuit is well worth the effort . . . We still don’t understand how a child learns its first language, why some children have language disorders, or how children and adults learn a second language.”15 She continues, saying that an understanding of the process of language acquisition will help “explain fundamental features of learning and the human brain.” However, such insight will not necessarily reveal the way that televisual media best address learning processes. How do we know when a media product effectively ‘teaches’ perceptual skills or stimulates creativity? What is the structural strategy for relating such knowledge? What sort of visuals or colors should be used? Audience studies constitute a significant category of ongoing film and television analysis, and we do not yet fully understand the ways in which these media appeal to or affect the behavior of adults—so it is not surprising that our understanding of babies as ‘audiences’ is far from certain.

Because babies grow relatively rapidly between the age of birth and two years, they do not remain at any one ‘learning plateau’ for a very long period of time. For media producers, the problem here is that a baby would quickly out-grow any product created for very age-specific learning, assuming that it is possible for a product to address learning goals effectively (which, as I have just suggested, is in doubt). As a result, products must be either appealing enough and/or inexpensively priced enough that consumers will buy several different ones, and feel comfortable using each for only, say, three months, replacing them as a baby ages. Otherwise, a product must somehow be merchandised as having ‘cross age’ appeal (that is, being of use to not only a 6 month old but also a 24 month old, for example), so the consumer sees it as a longer-term investment.

From a producer’s point of view, another big challenge in producing baby related media is the inability of the target audience (that is, babies) to be part of the active consumer process. Babies cannot recall products or make requests for them. As a result, baby products must necessarily be partially geared toward individuals other than their primary audience: parents. These people must believe that the products are legitimate and useful, and to some extent this must be achieved by addressing adults through the language they understand, appealing to the desires of a grown person, which obviously are not the same as those of a baby.

Specific to the start-up of a baby related television channel, there is yet another significant problem for the producer: a lack of material. It takes a lot of production to fill a 24-hour time slot. Of course, pre-existing work can be used to a certain extent, but if the network relies on it too heavily, the costs of licensing the product will be high and the consumer probably will question why it is important to subscribe to the channel (why not just buy the DVDs and avoid the monthly fee?). When the new medium of television began to be widely distributed in the US during the 1950s, it faced similar problems, relying on old ‘film libraries’ from Hollywood studios to a large extent, in order to fill their schedules with ‘quality’ programming. Baby television must find ways to fill its 24 hours of slots economically and quickly, without the appearance of too much repetition, or that repetition must in some way be justified to the parent. Of course, as time passes and initial investments start to get repaid, plus other investors join in, original series can be created to fill out the lineup, developing a ‘brand’ image as well as merchandising opportunities through DVD series of its own and licensed ancillary products.

Strategies Developed by BabyTV
Facing these and other obstacles when it began operations, BabyTV came up with a unique, multi-faceted strategy that addressed the perceived needs of babies as well as the particular circumstances of marketing this product. This strategy can be summarized as follows:

• development around a model of subscription sales, rather than advertising. Advertisting to a baby is likely to be perceived as overly crass, but in any case it is not particularly effective due to the factors mentioned before (a baby cannot express preferences, or buy things). Products are sold through a website, which parents are directed to through messages inserted within the television programming.

• a mixture of live-action and animated programming. Live-action programming is useful in that it can be acquired easily and inexpensively. Stock film libraries provide ‘documentary’ images of animals that can be edited together thematically, providing a loose ‘story’ about animals in their natural environments. Some ‘third party’ licensed sequences of this sort (e.g., from Baby Genius) are used in short blocks as well. As for original programming, live-action material (including puppet shows and performances for groups of children) was relatively easy to create, being much quicker to produce than animation. However, animated characters are a good long-term investment, as they provide ideal merchandising opportunities (since the original characters are owned and can be licensed), and there is no need to pay residuals that might be owed to a live actor. Another benefit of using both animation and puppets is that they can be relatively easily ‘dubbed’ in different languages for distribution in various countries.16

• licensing of third-party sequences with name recognition. Aside from filling airtime relatively easily, as mentioned previously, such footage also builds viewership using the established brand names of such products as ‘Baby Genius’ and ‘Brainy Baby’ videos. The original works are typically in a long format (30 minutes and over), and the channel uses only parts of them (about five minutes) within its programming.

• division of the 24-hour period into daytime and nighttime programming blocks, one geared primarily to activity and learning, while the other is intended to sooth the baby and put it to sleep. This strategy helped identify the network as ‘uniquely structured’ for the needs of a baby and, importantly, the parent. While BabyTV stresses that its products should not function as a ‘babysitter’, the network suggests that ‘soothing’ products put on at night can help get a cranky child back to sleep. Thus there is some appeal to the parent, who can feel justified in turning on the television during the day for educational purposes and for some time in the evenings as well, to help the baby ‘relax’. Company publicity states,

Since parenting is not a 9-5 job, BabyTV’s service is available for you and your child 24 hours a day. During the day BabyTV features short programs interluded by clips of Favorite Children’s Songs. The daytime schedule is active, engaging and fun, and geared to promote interaction. At night, BabyTV broadcasts soft music and gently moving visuals designed to help soothe waking babies and create a calm atmosphere in the home.

It continues, “Surely we can all recall a recent night when our baby refused to go to sleep, or woke up for no apparent reason, crying and irritable. BabyTV’s nighttime broadcasts are designed for those times when both your baby and you may be in need of an external calming influence to help break the cycle of irritability.”17 In this way, it appeals to parents as a way to make their jobs easier, with less guilt about resorting to the television.

• the use of relatively short segments, typically five to ten minutes long, sometimes compiled into a longer multi-segmented sequence. According to company publicity, “Programs are short and varied, and are suited to your baby’s attention span and ability to concentrate. Programs are made up of short stories that reflect your child’s world and that are suited to his abilities.”18 A question here is exactly how long a baby’s attention span is, and whether it remains important to have identifiable ‘episodes’ of any given series, rather than, say, a constant stream of images and sounds that are uniquely appealing to what a baby sees. Can a very young baby discern the beginning and ending of any set of images? Why is a five minute length, for instance, better than a five second length? It is likely that the formula is to some extent in place to appeal to adult viewers, who can then ‘make sense’ out of what they see, as it is comprehensible to them, in their terms.

• a lack of regular programming slots, to encourage viewers to tune in and also tune out at any point of the day, rather than at pre-selected times matching with a particular series. The idea here is to discourage long-term watching (allowing the baby to sit in front of the TV for more than ten or twenty minutes), and also to allow the viewer to feel welcome at any given time, rather than only at the start of a half hour program, for instance. This format allows for a more flexible programming schedule, where episodes can be put in and removed without the long term commitment of building an hourly grid or in any way committing to show something at a given time. With a minimum of programming available at startup, this structure also allowed for easy repetition of shows, without being too obvious. On the down side, irregular programming complicates the idea of viewer loyalty or ‘ratings’, as individuals do not tune in to watch a particular show at a given time, and so the appeal of any one program is not easily measured.

• using repetition in concepts and actual programming (showing the same segments), which is facilitated by the use of series ‘templates’ in developing individual episodes. By stating that repetition is an important part of the learning strategy, the network can easily explain why its shows recur very frequently. Rather than just filling airtime, the repeated work ‘reinforces’ the lesson being imparted. Company publicity states,

Young children like and need to repeat activities over and over again. What may seem monotonous to us parents, for the young child means an encounter with something familiar . . . For the young child repetition is learning—with every view, more information is absorbed, promoting comprehension and allowing the child to process another layer of meaning. Watching programs also allows your child to anticipate events. This ability fosters a sense of confidence and control which in turn makes mastering the information so enjoyable.19

In other ways, too, repetition is a convenient, useful strategy. A key structuring element in original animated programs produced by PIL is the use of a ‘template’ that controls narrative development, as certain images, actions, results, and sounds are used over and over. The use of templates speeds production and works well with an educational strategy based on the merits of repetition.

• emphasizing the development of ‘multilayered’ content that is supposed to appeal to children at different levels of development (e.g., the same episode can be enjoyed by a 6-month old and a 24-month old, in different ways). Company publicity states, “Each of the programs you will see on BabyTV contains a benefit and an entertainment value for the young as well as the older viewer. Rather than featuring a schedule with program-themes according to age group, a child of any age can enjoy each of the BabyTV programs.”20 This aspect of development is key, as the creators want to keep subscribers enrolled for at least a two-year period. In this way, television for babies differs radically from DVDs for babies, as DVD producers want their products to be useful for a relatively short time, to encourage consumers to later buy another production appropriate to the ‘next stage’ in their child’s development. A claim for ‘multilayering’ is somewhat questionable, as all media are multi-layered; every audience member understands and responds to them differently, not just because of age or level of cognitive development, but any number of factors as they get older (gender, race, socio-economic factors, and so forth).

• use of baby-like characters, both human and animal, to increase identification within episodes. Determining the extent to which children under the age of two are particularly attracted to baby humans or animals is outside the scope of this research.21 However, it could be that BabyTV’s use of baby human and animal characters is as much an appeal to parents.

• development of an animated logo character that is baby-like in its appearance and abilities, used to segue between unrelated episodes of various series. In order to create coherence (again, an appeal to the adult viewer), a distinctive, repeating butterfly character is used with the programs, linking various episodes, and creating a strong ‘brand identity’ that can be used to associate the network with various ancillary products. The butterfly character seems to be a particularly appropriate one, given its anatomy and ways of moving. Like a baby, it does not have particularly strong legs, so it does not usually walk around, but rather is moved through the air (by others, in the case of a baby).

• inclusion of non-narrative work emphasizing visual stimulation. Whereas it is difficult to find non-narrative work on most television channels, it is relatively abundant on BabyTV, especially in nighttime programming. The idea is to create visual attraction through images that change relatively quickly. Some nighttime segments are not only non-narrative but also abstract in form; an example is a series of kaleidoscopic images or oil in colored water sequences that play within a series called “Dreams.” These programs, which represent surprising occurrences of visual music-type productions, create merchandising challenges insofar as they cannot be marketed particularly well (they have no identifiable characters, for example, and it would be hard to sell them as a series). However, they are very inexpensive to create, and they conform to expectations of what ‘relaxing’ nighttime content should be, as they are slow moving, repetitive, and meditative in nature.

• inclusion of elements intended to appeal to parents, such as parent/child activities and segments directly addressing them, in part to guide them to the BabyTV website, where products are sold. Parents are invited to ‘participate’ with the baby through segments constructed to be ‘interactive’.22 For example, an activity series “Hands Up!” depicts parents and babies involved in various exercises, suggesting that at-home viewers should participate in a similar way. Company publicity says, “BabyTV encourages parents to take part in and enjoy the learning process with their children. By viewing together with your child you will discover many ideas for joint learning and fun, and have plenty of time to interact with your child throughout each episode.”23 At the website, categories are listed to describe the ‘value’ of each show. Themes have included ‘Songs and Rhymes’, ‘First Concepts’, ‘Imagination and Creativity’, ‘Nature and Animals’, ‘Music & Art’, ‘Guessing Games’, ‘Activities’, ‘Building Friendships’, and ‘Bedtime’. The solid basis of such programs is supported through references to ‘experts’ who were consulted. Company publicity states, “BabyTV’s programs . . . have been specially developed in collaboration with child experts for infants and toddlers. BabyTV’s programs are geared to address the developmental milestones that your baby encounters in his first years—those that will be the basis for future learning.”24 A range of parent ‘testimonials’ published on the network’s website explain how children love the programs, though few refer to learning. One states, “My child Nathalie is 2 years old; she enjoys watching all Baby programmes from early morning till she goes to bed.” Another parent writes, “Don’t know what we would do without you because this is the only channel that keeps her quiet and calm, Thank you so much.”25

PIL Animation
The Tel-Aviv studio PIL Animation has produced a number of original animated series for BabyTV. When Sharon Gazit founded the studio in 1998 with his first business partner Ido Vaginsky, the animation industry in Israel was virtually non-existent. Today the studio represents one of most accomplished in Israel, and its success comes in part from its work producing series for babies.26

From an early age, Gazit developed a love of animation. However, it was difficult for him to try it out, since he did not have access to animation cameras, and when he went to college, it was not possible to study this subject—at the time, animation production was not seen as a viable career choice. Gazit decided to study architecture, and he earned a degree in this field. However, it didn’t take long for him to discover that he did not like the work. It was risky, but he abandoned it in order to open an animation studio with Vaginsky.

Gazit explains that he and his partner had little knowledge of how to create animated images as they put together their first sample reel, but they knew they wanted to create a studio that was commercially viable, providing high quality production that valued the art of animation as much as the business. Eventually, Vaginsky left to open a Web design studio, but Gazit carried on and the company continued to grow. He is now the studio’s creative director and also co-CEO with his brother, Ofer Gazit. Aside from his work at the studio, Sharon Gazit teaches in the Animation Department of Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem and also at the Minshar School of Arts.

PIL specializes in, among other things, concepts for animated television series, including productions for babies; it also designs work for cellular and interactive contexts, and it produces advertising, music videos, and other media.27 Most of its work is in Flash and other 2D computer animation, but they also use Maya. The studio maintains a core staff, but also works with freelance artists. All work is done in-house, with the exception of audio recording, which is usually directed by Sharon Gazit.

Work for BabyTV has constituted a substantial part of the studio’s total animation production. The relationship began when the studio aggressively vied for series needed by the new channel, and managed to sell several concepts. Almost all the series concepts have been created at PIL and pitched to BabyTV, and then developed by the two working together. Rarely has it been the case that BabyTV has approached PIL with an already-developed concept.
The principles that helps PIL create good work for the network efficiently are “be simple, be repetitive, and create a well defined world.” Eventually these principles developed into the practice of using a ‘template’ to speed production—what Gazit calls an “animation machine.” In its discussions with BabyTV, PIL proposed that a template be created for a given show to control (variously) the actions, visual design, and even aural elements.

Each series is developed using a template to form what Gazit refers to as separate ‘chapters’, or episodes. The first episode, or initial chapter of a series, is created carefully—designed by one of the top ranked artists at the studio, taking anywhere from three months to more than a year to be worked out from concept through development and approvals to finished product. With this episode as a guide, the resulting template is used to create the other episodes; because so much is worked out ahead of time, production moves more quickly and can be controlled by artists who are relatively lower ranked in the studio, leaving the top artists to move on to other tasks.

Use of computerized images allows for relatively easy repetition of visual design elements. One of the common visual characteristics of PIL work is the use of a ‘limbo’ pattern. This sort of abstract design appears on an otherwise plain background to liven up the space, while keeping attention on the characters; typically their limbos are created using repeated geometric forms, such as circles or lines. It is also common to see what I call ‘tone on tone’ monochromatic coloring (light purple on a slightly darker purple, for example) used to give dimension to objects. In some series, two quite similar flesh tones are used to create contour and dimension in faces; this design approach is found in “Baby Giants” and “Wooly.”

When PIL opened its doors in the late 1990s, Flash was not yet sophisticated enough to achieve the look that Gazit desired. Over the years, it changed quite a bit, and today the software is the primary method by which the BabyTV series are made. Gazit explains,

In the late ‘90s, Flash animation did not exist at all. Animators didn’t use it then because it was cheap and problematic. The first versions were very primitive, and at first we didn’t use Flash for any projects. Eventually, we tried it out, and we found a way to create good animation with feeling for acting, character, and so on. From time to time we developed methods that did not yet exist.

He now finds that Flash offers his artists a certain freedom that assists them in their work, and keeps them feeling positive about their projects. He says, “In traditional work, it has to be very precise. You spend a lot of money, and it must be detailed. In Flash, you can work with animators more like they are actors. You can go in and look at what they’ve done, and their work can be changed a bit here and there. With traditional, you have to imagine everything from an early stage. With Flash, everything becomes a bit more light.”

Although Flash is used extensively, PIL also creates animation using other techniques. PIL pitched “Tully,” which features a little snail who explores his environment from a baby’s point of view, to BabyTV as a stop-motion series, and a puppet figure of the character remains at the studio today. However, Gazit determined that the technique was not conducive to a rapid production schedule, and it was abandoned for Maya. Subsequently, one other Maya series also was produced for BabyTV, “Draco,” which is about a baby dragon; it reflects the studio’s relatively more complex use of the software, achieved with increased experience over time.

PIL’s animation is subject to approval by BabyTV, moving through all the steps of the normal production pipeline from conception to final work, including storyboards and animatics. It is sometimes difficult for the people involved with the production to agree about the ways babies think and the ways that animation expresses ideas. Gazit says, “All the people involved with the production are adults, and what we want is not necessarily what babies like. They are using consultants, psychologists and so on. But it is not so simple. It is not enough to understand babies. You also have to understand the medium of animation, and communication.”

He says that knowing the ‘best way’ to create animation for babies is not a science, but rather something that is learned over time, by trying out new things, and seeing what works. He contends that, in some ways, “the educator’s opinion is about as good as my opinion. I’m sure that the educator knows a lot more about the ‘babies world’ than I do, but again it is something else to use this knowledge to create or criticize a movie. The translation of scientific or psychological theory into the cinematic language is the problem.” The science of understanding babies and their relationship to media is evolving while production is ongoing, but Gazit says this is “a very natural way of evolution for the baby branch of media. You try it by doing it, and getting feedback. You have to be open to getting rejection and for being self-critical. I know my audience, but not 100%.” Most important, he feels, is to remember to see things through a child’s eyes. He recalls “a conversation between the studio and us, asking ‘what does a baby think is boring?’ One thing is we know that you have to be very slow. You have to think about that all the time. Babies like repetition. I see this in my own child. They feel more secure in places that they know. Everything is big and unknown to them. When they see the same program over and over, that makes them feel good. The repetition is of course economical, but it also makes kids feel good.”

Although PIL is creating a lot of materials for babies, the studio balances its activities with a wide range of productions for teenagers and adults. He continues, “We like to do babies, but our more serious productions are for adults and teenagers. For the babies, we had to create mass production, using a pipeline that would allow us to make a lot of work quickly. For adults, it is more complicated. The story, animation, production values, and so forth are more complex.”

Gazit says the Israeli animation community has changed greatly since the time he opened his studio. He explains,

Now there are a lot of studios, and the education system is much better than when I started. There are now hundreds of animators getting into the industry. I knew everyone when I began, but now—no way. There are many well-qualified, interesting creators now. When I started, my parents thought I was crazy. Now it’s a profession, you can study it and it’s okay. If you want to make money, don’t study animation, but there are a lot of productions going on here.

Conclusion
Though it might have sounded unlikely just ten years ago, television for babies is a growing field. The BabyTV network and its competitors are marketed worldwide to viewers who embrace the idea of programming for the very young. This study has provided details about a pioneering network and the animation studio it worked with closely in producing its original series. Much more work remains in terms of audience studies, beginning with an understanding of how babies process and enjoy their surroundings, and the impact of televisual imagery upon them. Sharon Gazit feels that the industry will move forward based on experimentation and revison, after determining what seems to work best. When the intended viewer cannot express an opinion, there remains a great deal of speculation on the part of everyone, from content providers to programmers to parents who purchase the material and choose to show it to their infants. The result is a viewing context that is particularly complex, raising many issues about perceptions of children and the role of media in our lives, as well as the evolving development of animation as form of communication.

PIL Original Series for Baby TV

Below is a description of several of the first original series produced by PIL Animation Ltd. for BabyTV. Included is the month of first airdate, when known, and information about each series. The ‘Synopsis’ is a description of the content. The ‘Attribute’ is the lesson provided. The ‘Tip’ is advice to parents to enhance the interactive component of the experience. All descriptions are from the BabyTV website, www.babytvchannel.com. Images can be found there or at the PIL website, www.pilanimation.com.

Jammers (ca 2005)
Synopsis: A quartet of musical instruments learn about new musical cultures by journeying to foreign countries, meeting new instruments, and hearing delightful new sounds.
Attribute: An introduction to musical instruments and to the sounds of different cultures. Through an entertaining experience the Jammers expose your baby to a variety of sounds and styles of music.
Tip: Extend your child’s experience by introducing him to musical instruments at home, pointing them out in books or on the internet, or even taking him to concerts.

Who’s It? What’s It? (ca 2005)
Synopsis: An entertaining guessing game led by a family of finger puppets. The audience is encouraged to guess who or what is hiding behind the curtain by identifying familiar audio and visual characteristics.
Attribute: Toddlers are encourage to learn to ask a question and answer it by combining a few clues.
Tip: Play a guessing game with your child. Ask them – who has 2 wings and 1 beak? Add more characteristics (she has feathers…lays eggs…) and encourage your child to ask you riddles in return.

Baby Giants (March 2005)
Synopsis: A magical series in which a baby travels with one of his mobile animal toys on an exciting adventure.
Attribute: Babies and toddlers tend to relate to animals, especially baby animals. They will enjoy following their baby animal toy’s journey that begins with a familiar activity and ventures into the magical world of the imagination.
Tip: Create a story for your child with one of his favorite animal toys as the main character.

Bouncy Balls (March 2005)
Synopsis: Four baby balls, each with its own size and form, play together in an imaginary world of geometric shapes and learn about the physical attributes of objects.
Attribute: The Bouncy Balls show cooperation as they each use their different qualities to overcome obstacles they encounter.
Tip: Introduce your child to the properties of round objects by playing with different types of balls (different sizes, elasticity, materials). Let your child throw the balls to see how they bounce differently. Point out geometric shapes to your child.

Colours and Shapes (August 2005)
Synopsis: A playful introduction to counting and to colours through visuals and connections between objects.
Attribute: This series puts an emphasis on visuals, bold colours and basic shapes to evoke an active viewing.
Tip: When viewing with your child point out objects on the screen and say their names. Later, point out these objects when you encounter them at home or outside. Ask your child questions to enhance comprehension such as – where do you see blue? (on the t-shirt for example) Or what is red? (the strawberry) Etc.

Tulli (August 2005)
Synopsis: Tulli is a curious snail who ventures throughout the house identifying objects which he sees from a baby’s point of view.
Attribute: Together with Tulli we observe objects from different perspectives and use trial and error to discover what the object is and to learn its name.
Tip: Encourage your toddler to guess along with Tulli.

Wooly (December 2005)
Synopsis: Wooly is a sweet boy who solves challenges by using his originality and imagination. An inspiring program presented in storybook format.
Attribute: In each story we encounter a challenge or problem that is solved with a creative solution. The rhyming narration creates a rhythm that encourages listening and reinforces the enjoyment of language.
Tip: Challenge your child by playing problem solving games. Put a pillow in front of your child while he’s crawling and show him how he can crawl past his obstacle – he can climb over the pillow, he can crawl around the pillow, he can move the pillow etc.

This research was conducted partly while I was working for Hunton & Williams LLP in August 2007, and was presented at the Society for Animation Studies annual conference in 2008. I would like to thank Livia Beasley, Sharon Gazit, and Ofer Gazit for their help in checking the content of this paper.
1 For a negative critical view, see for example, Alissa Quart, “Extreme Parenting: Does the Baby Genius Edutainment Complex enrich your child’s mind — or stifle it?,” Atlantic Monthly, July/August 2006, online at Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/news/extremeparenting.htm
2 Its origins were on QUBE, a limited distribution subscription service, under the name of Pinwheel. Pinwheel was established in 1977, and evolved into the Nickelodeon Network in 1979.
3 For an article about PBS Kids’ launch, see Internet Broadcasting Systems, “PBS Launches Preschool Channel New Network To Compete With Nick Jr., Noggin,” 4069tv.com (2 Sept. 1999), online at http://www.4029tv.com/entertainment/138760/detail.html.
4 Elizabeth Jensen, “A Coming of Age at Nickelodeon: Noggin and the N Will Get Their Own Channels,” New York Times (13 Aug. 2007), online at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/13/business/media/13nickelodeon.html.
5 This is not to say that parents purchased these DVDs only for their educational potential (they entertained the children and gave parents a break as well), but rather that the educational component often served as a strong ‘justification’ for their purchase.
6 Thanks to Jeremy Schwartz for his feedback on this point. His observation is similar to my idea that limited animation approaches have been embraced in recent years because this generation of producers and creators have grown up watching television and, to some extent, animation online. Thus, Disney’s full animation is no longer the ‘one true standard’ against which quality can be assessed. Expectations and beliefs shift over time due to exposure to different models.
7 “Our Story/History,” Baby Einstein, online at http://www.babyeinstein.com/en/our_story/history/.
8 “About Us,” So Smart, online at http://www.sosmart.com/prodinfo.html.
9 Balaban says he had been an actor earlier in his career. Keith Darcé, “Q&A: Larry Balaban, Pacific Entertainment,” San Diego Union-Tribune (Aug. 21, 2008), online at http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070923/news_lz1mi23qa.html .
10 “About Us,” So Smart. Livia Beasley, who worked in development at Baby First TV (the US baby network), says she has witnessed this mom and pop approach. She says it can be challenging to deal with creators who have learned ‘from scratch’, but on the other hands they often bring “fresh eyes” to production. Beasley works in writing, producing, and development in the television industry, and is president of Women in Children’s Media.
11 For information on BabyTV’s marketing, see “Press Releases,” BabyTV, online at http://www.babytvchannel.com/view_article.aspx?l=1&i=61&si=44.
12 Baby First TV’s website is http://www.babyfirsttv.com/.
13 Luli’s website is at http://www.luli.tv/en.htm. The publicized histories of the founding of both Baby First TV and Luli are relatively corporate in character, based on market research, development by content providers, and other business-related circumstances. There is no clear reason why the first baby-oriented television channels all emerged from Israeli origins. In 2006, BabyTV filed a lawsuit against Baby First TV, citing that it had infringed on its format, programming, trademarkets and marketing efforts. Jesse Hiestand, “Lawsuit Accuses Baby First TV of Stealing Format,” All Business (30 June 2006), online at http://www.allbusiness.com/services/legal-services/4464434-1.html.
14 Alice Park, “Baby Einsteins: Not So Smart After All,” Time (6 Aug. 2007), online at http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1650352,00.html. The article they refer to is Frederick J. Zimmerman, Dimitri A. Christakis, and Andrew N. Meltzoff, “Associations between Media Viewing and Language Development in Children Under Age 2 Years,” The Journal of Pediatrics 151:4 (Oct 2007), 364-68. An abstract of the work and links to the full text can be found at www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(07)00447-7/abstract. When the President of the University of Washington published a press release related to the findings, he received a letter from the office of Robert Igor at Disney, demanding that it be retracted, due to statements related to the “Baby Einstein” series. Igor writes, “In short, the University’s press release was grossly unfair, extremely damaging, and, to be blunt, just plain wrong in every conceivable sense.” Find the letter at “The full text of Walt Disney Co.’s letter demanding a retraction from the UW,” Seattlepi.com (14 Aug 2007), online at http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/327427_letter14ww.html.
15 Nicole Mahoney, “Language and Linguistics: A Special Report,” National Science Foundation (18 July 2005), online at http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/linguistics/learn.jsp. A related study by Jenny Saffran can be found at the Infant Learning Laboratory, University of Wisconsin, Madison, online at http://waisman.wisc.edu/infantlearning/index.html. See also Michelle Trudeau, “Study Illuminates How Babies Learn to Speak,” NPR (23 Aug 2006), online at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5578636.
16 Livia Beasley made the observation about ADR (automatic dialogue replacement), or dubbing the work into different languages. For more on BabyTV strategies, see Nancy Lees, “Got it Need it: Baby TV is growing up so fast,” Kidscreen (1 Jan 2006), online at http://www.kidscreen.com/articles/magazine/20060101/babytv.html.
17 “A Safe Small World,” BabyTV, online at http://www.babytvchannel.com/view_article.aspx?l=1&i=58&si=46.
18 “FAQ: Meet BabyTV,” BabyTV, online at http://www.babytvchannel.com/view_article.aspx?l=8&i=72&si=60.
19 “FAQ: Meet BabyTV.”
20 “FAQ: Meet BabyTV.”
21 Research does show that babies are particularly attracted to faces. A research brief based on “Social Cognition,” by Uta Frith and Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, explains that “Babies are born with a basic but impressive capacity to recognise faces. Even at birth babies are attracted to faces and hence seems to ‘know’ what a face should look like. . . . and prefer to look at drawings of whole faces rather than at faces with scrambled features.” It continues, “Research on animals and people has shown there are regions in the brain that respond selectively to faces. The remarkable early ability of babies to recognise faces is probably controlled by different brain pathways than later, more sophisticated, face recognition. In babies, it is several months before these brain regions start to take over a baby’s ability to recognise faces.” The Research Brief is based on the Research Review “Social Cognition,” by Uta Frith and Sarah-Jayne Blakemore of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, for the Foresight Cognitive Systems Project, online at http://www.foresight.gov.uk/Cognitive%20Systems/fs_coga4_socialcognition.pdf.
22 Livia Beasley pointed out that the American network, Baby First TV used ‘pop up video’ within programming to advise parents how to interact with the baby as they watched a show together. Livia Beasley, telephone conversation with the author.
23 “FAQ: Meet BabyTV.”
24 “FAQ: Meet BabyTV.”
25 “Visitor’s Book: Parent Letters,” BabyTV, online at http://www.babytvchannel.com/view_article.aspx?l=8&i=29&si=19.
26 Information on PIL Animation was gathered in part through a phone interview with Sharon Gazit, 27 August 2008, conducted by the author, and through follow up emails, September 2008.
27 See “PIL Animation Massages New Music Video,” online at http://coldhardflash.com/2007/09/pil-animation-massages-new-music-video.html and “PIL Animation’s Skills Tested by Kidum,” http://coldhardflash.com/2007/11/pil-animations-skills-tested-by-kidum.html.

Maureen Furniss, Ph.D is on the animation faculty at California Institute of the Arts. Her books include Art in Motion: Animation Aesthetics (John Libbey, 1998/2007) and The Animation Bible: A Practical Guide to the Art of Animating, from Flipbooks to Flash (Abrams, 2008). She is currently president of the Society for Animation Studies. She is the founding editor of Animation Journal. © 2008 Maureen Furniss