The Animal Games
August 15, 2004
I watched the funniest, most creative, and educational TV programme on BBC the other night - "The Animal Games".
It was the olympics of the animal world and instead of nations competing against one another, it was mammals, birds, insects, and herbtiles. When a bird performed well for example, there was a shot of the crowd - all these parrots and macaws and other exotic birds cheering and flapping their athlete on.
Delivered in the deadpan style of BBC sport shows, with two commentators talking up the performers that included Bush Baby the kangaroo, the Rhino Beetle (competing in weight lifting), the fruit fly maggot (archery), golden eagles, elephants, jaguars, sockeyed salmon.
The programme featured real footage of the creatures in action. First we saw how they performed at their chosen sport as themselves, then we saw them perform scaled to human size! Elephants and sharks didn't fare so well in human size, but wow - you'd want to see the Fruit Fly Maggot go!
It was so funny. The tongue in cheek commentary, the mirroring of the dramas that could happen in an olympics - such as Bush Baby the Kangaroo knocking the bar off the high jump - with his tail!! There were no drugs though.
It was also very educational. I think I've probably got more enjoyment out of that show than I will from the (dope-ridden) olympics! Well done BBC. Well done to the producers, directors, animators, and of course commentators.
Seth Godin is always on the look-out for purple cows - things that are done in an innovative way, the purple cow way. This was indeed a purple cow even though cows didn't feature!