Batang Bibbo

all songs composed & arranged by Teresa Barrozo
lyrics by Augie Rivera

To supplement the educational and social needs of children, food firm giant CDO-Foodsphere Inc has partnered with GMA Network for its creative and highly ambitious educational preschool show, aptly titled as Batang Bibbo!

In a press conference, company president Jerome Ong said the show “marked the formal launch of their hunger for education" advocacy.

The thirty-minute weekly show aims to educate than to entertain, Ong said.

It would inspire preschoolers into “becoming physically fit, socially active, mentally alert, emotionally, and morally responsible," he added.

Joy Madrigal, the program manager of the show, said the concept of Batang Bibbo! is very timely since “most of the pre-school(ers in the country) could not (even) avail (proper) education."

The show will feature two puppets named Bi and Bo, in a magical learning land called “Bibolandia."

They will be joined by "Ate Anne," who would take them to the world of learning and discovery.

In an interview with GMNews.TV, CDO senior marketing manager Jonathan Bendicion said the show will differ from previous educational shows by focusing on the combination of two aspects: social skills and language development.

By language development, Bendicion said, the show would focus on teaching the preschoolers the proper use of Filipino language.

In this age of modern communication, the correct use of the language has become very “confusing," he added.

“(The language that we are going to use is) pure Filipino. Maraming mga foreign shows ngayon pero wala kang makita na pure Filipino yung ginagamit," Bendicion said.

“Everything that will be used here is going to be original," Auggie Rivera, the show’s story writer, added.

Rivera, who was also the writer in the defunct kiddie show Batibot, said Batang Bibbo! is not just about the typical combination of puppetry song and story telling. Rather, it equally targets the child’s moral aspect, like teaching them respect for “diversity."

Although specifically designed for children aged three to six years old, the show could be enjoyed by the parents as well, said Roxanne Barcelo, who will play the role of "Ate Anne."

For her part, Barcelo also encouraged the parents, especially the new ones, to join their kids in watching the series. She explained that by watching the show, they can get tips on how they could further nurture the needs of their children.

Batang Bibbo! will start airing over GMA 7 every Saturday starting November 8 from 8:30 to 9 a.m.

Every Saturday
8:30-9am
GMA7

Source: www.igma.tv

Not much to say. But before GMA'a Batang Bibbo, CDO (a food-company) promotes Sirit! which features the same actor and puppets. It aired on ABS-CBN every Saturday mornings last year.

Chillitees' Animated Music Video - Sama Na

I don't realize that there was an animated music video combined with a Pinoy band performance. The music video was entitled "Sama Na" performed by Chillitees in year 2006. Although the animation seemed used in Adobe Flash or any computer-animation tool, the scenes makes sense at all. Great video.

Video Information
Animation: Elmer Ona & Ben Riego of WATUSI Productions.
Character designs: Paolo Lim, Elmer Ona & Ben Riego.
Written, directed and edited: Dan Gil
Cinematography and additional direction:Elmer Ona & Ben Riego.

















By the way, don't forget the Sama Na music video here.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: 1987 version

Here's another classic yet a still cool cartoon that began it's popularity. I assume the title is called "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" but before the 2003 version of it, there's the 80's version. I'll try to take notes on this one.

Before the height of popularity, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or TMNT for short began as comic series in 1984. Originally created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The content of the comics were black and white strips. The four turtle characters wearing masks with different weapons each and act as cold-blooded reptiles with incredible martial art skills. Some characters and storyline were parodied and referenced from Marvel Comic's titles like Cerebus, Ronin, and Daredevil. Because there are no publishing companies to offer Eastman and Laird's work, both creators build their own studio known as Mirage Studios and published their first issue entitled Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

In the mainstream in the first issue, merchandising jumped into mainstream. In 1986, TMNT's merchandise began as action figures and expand to the market. Then in 1987, the first TMNT cartoon was born.

Clockwise: Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo and Donatello.

The first TMNT cartoon series began in 5-part miniseries and thus becoming a regular Saturday morning cartoon. The four mutated ninja turtles played as pizza-obsessed heroes with their different personality. They're also first appeared with their color-coded masks each plus their belts. The four turtles are guided with their mutated rat and martial arts sensei named Splinter. The turtles task is to save the city from enemies and alien invaders. Their toughest nemesis is named "The Shredder" or simply called Shredder.

The show doesn't contain darker tone from the original comics because the show aims to be suitable for children. The plot began when Splinter, before being a rat was a human named Hamato Yoshi. He was banished by Foot Clan in Japan lead of Oroku Saki and forced to live in sewers in New York City. Then one day, Yoshi found four turtles which they were accidentally drop by a young boy. Yoshi returned one day that the turtles were covered with green ooze known as mutagen and thus the turtles began to form into humanoids. While Hamato Yoshi, become a humanoid rat because of exposure to sewer rats and named himself Splinter. In some versions, Splinter raised the four turtles and treat them as his children. Splinter named the four turtles after his favorite Renaissance artists - Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello and taught them the art of ninjitsu. The four ninja turtles were born to protect the city against the invaders and meanwhile Oroku Saki left Japan to find Yoshi and become Shredder.

There are many characters from the comics appeared in the cartoons like the Foot Soldiers, April O' Neil and Casey Jones. There are also characters who were featured in cartoons only. While the story was heavily diverged from the original concept of comics. At first, the animated series wasn't considered canon in the Mirage Studios universe. Later on, because the cartoon showed it's wide-spread incarnation and helped increase the merchandise and phenomenal status it turned out into a pop-culture even today. Many people considered the cartoon as a canon and become the part of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe. Merchandises like soundtracks, cereals, skateboards, video games, Archie comics, magazines and pizza coupons are spawned successfully. Even a concert tour were held. There are catchphrases such as "Turtle power!" and "Cowabunga!" are used by many people especially fans.

What can I say about TMNT 1987 version? Well, aside from kid-friendly environment I pretty considered them as one of the greatest classic cartoons I watched aside from Transformers. When it comes to all TMNT cartoons and anime (yes, there were two anime versions of it) the 80's rocked the spot which means the first TMNT. With lots of casts and twisted storyline, I guess that TMNT helped explain their original counterparts and branched to the other TMNT successors. What might discourage me is that in later seasons around 1994, the environment became darker which kinda scary and removed numerous characters. Deep down, I don't mind about what doesn't seem right and besides 1987's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is really great and pretty nostalgic.

Currently, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles airs on Studio 23 every 8:00-8:30 AM Saturdays. Before that schedule, ABS-CBN aired that also together with the new season around mid-90's along with X-Men. In 2006 or 2007, the show moved to Studio 23 which aired every weekday nights before it moved to Saturday mornings. The opening theme here is catchy which seems that you'll almost sing the lyrics all day. Like any cartoons I've seen, I have no idea who composed or sang the TMNT opening song.

"Guardian" Del Monte Pineapple Commercial

This latest Del Monte Pineapple commercial really impress me a lot and I don't have any negative comments to say. A one-minute digital animation presented in this commercial was released last December during the time when the movie Dayo released. This TV commercial is directed by Gorio Vicuna.

Somewhere in a faraway kingdom, it was a peaceful kingdom which contains a lot of Del Monte Pineapple cans as their treasure until one night a group of bad guys took the treasure. The kingdom become a gloomy place and the King called the three children Tinay, Lucas and Lito. The kids were ordered to retrieve the kingdom's treasure from the bad guys.

I guess the commercial helps people especially kids to engage eating pineapple like Del Monte Pineapple plus the animation style.

Jobert the Animated Series (2009)

Jobert is a 13-episode Philippine animation with English subtitles. Based on a (unfamiliar) comic series published by Miracle Publishing Corporation. It was chosen to be made into another "Pinoy anime" by Miracle Animation Studios Inc. and Top Peg Animation. Watch out for it because Jobert will appear in Philippine television in the first quarter this year. I wonder what network station will promote this series?