World World - hands down the best kids cartoon on television.

     It is easy to look back at your own childhood and remember how children's programing was better back then and usually this is the case. Word World is an exception to the rule however. The concept of the show is both simple and brilliant, everything in Word World is created by letters coming together to build words. So when you see a pig in Word World, it's not the simple drawn pig you would come to expect but a pig drawn within the letters that spell pig.

   Another part of the shows greatness is by building their show around this concept they are provided more creative freedom and less obvert educational moments. Unlike a Dora, Blues Clues, or Super Why which have awkward pauses where they try and interact with the viewer (often with children's silence on the other end), Word World keeps a fluid story line. Plots usually revolve around a minor crisis in Word World where the characters have to figure out what word they need to build to solve the problem.

   The first season of Word World seemed to revolve around 7 characters: Ant, Pig, Dog, Sheep, Bear, Frog, and Duck, but you can tell the creators have made a conscious decision to include a greater array of characters in the second season. This was a wise move, as the design of the characters themselves is an educational instrument. You are not simply adding another character when putting a shark, a monkey, a crab, or an elephant on the show, but you are introducing children to the actual spelling of those words.

   There are a few ways to enjoy Word World. The free option is to check out your local PBS stations listings for the show here. Secondly the show does have some of its episodes available here at Amazon.com. Third if you are adamant about your children not watching any TV at all, their toys can accomplish many of the educational delights the show itself provides and can be purchased here from Amazon.com.

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