Line #42 Main/ExcitedKidsShowHost


1	There seems to be an unwritten rule that all kids show hosts, except for [[Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood Mr. Rogers]] who is an archetype unto himself, must act excitable and zany, if not downright bonkers. Kids do seem to genuinely enjoy this sort of thing, but it can seem irritating to many adults. There actually seem to be different approaches to this:
2
3	# ''The Under Sixes Host'': Zany but kind-sounding, though this may come off as somewhat condescending sounding to some adults; many an EdutainmentShow host is like this.
4	# ''The Over Sixes Host'': Wacky, zany and, in most cases, less "condescending" sounding. More likely to engage in pranks and tease (but not too harshly) the kids on their shows.
5	# ''Informative Over Sixes Host'': In shows that are meant to be more Infotainment than Edutainment the hosts aren't really all that zany or wacky. However they do still sound upbeat and excited most of the time, can also sound a bit condescending from time to time but a little less so than the Under Sixes Host as the concepts they explain can actually be somewhat complex.
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7	Related to the MisplacedKindergartenTeacher (and may be one themselves). For their disturbing jerk of a cousin, see DepravedKidsShowHost.
8	----
9	!!Examples:
10
11	[[foldercontrol]]
12
13	!!!'''Straight examples:'''
14	[[folder:Under Sixes Host]]
15	* Any of the Creator/CBeebies presenters. This can also expand to [=CBeebies=] shows too, like Justin Fletcher's alter ego Mr. Tumble from Something Special and the titular character from Mister Maker.
16	* The Sprout presenters as well. Both Creator/CBeebies and Creator/PBSKidsSprout feature presenters who are friendly and entertain children, and also feature birthday cards for children aged up to seven years old.
17	* ''Series/TheSunnySideUpShow'', although the hosts don’t talk down to viewers.
18	* Miles from ''Series/TheLetsGoShow''
19	* ''WesternAnimation/BluesClues'', although neither Steve nor Joe actually come across as condescending.
20	** Josh of ''WesternAnimation/BluesCluesAndYou'' is a straight example.
21	* ''[[Series/BarneyAndFriends Barney]]'' as well.
22	* From ''Series/SesameStreet'':
23	** Murray, who functioned as a presenter in his own right in Seasons 40-45.
24	** In a more fictional example, we have Elmo for the ''Elmo's World'' and ''Elmo the Musical'' segments. Well, being three-years-old, it's no surprise.
25	** Big Bird was also this in the ''Journey to Ernie'' segments.
26	* Music/TheWiggles, who sometimes slightly border on type 2.
27	** Along with their wannabes, the Hooley-Dooleys.
28	** [[PunctuatedForEmphasis So. Many. Wiggles-alikes.]] Scotland has The Singing Kettle, although they predated the Wiggles by about ten years.
29	** Series/HiFive is another Australian one.
30	* DJ Lance Rock of ''Series/YoGabbaGabba''.
31	* Kayne Peters of TVNZ 6's Kidzone. And to some extent Suzy Cato.
32	* Jodie, Kathrine and Okutai of the New Zealand children's show ''TheGoShow''.
33	* The Series/ImaginationMovers.
34	* Ariane Carletti, co-host of French SaturdayMorningKidsShow, ''Club Dorothée'', was the excitable child-like one in the team, very much the boisterous "petite soeur" to presenter Dorothée.
35	* The old International Playhouse Disney format featured presenters that border towards this type. for example on the UK feed, Big Dave and Little Alex, and to a degree Jason from ''Circle Time''. Sara-Louise (and later, Olivia) from ''Art Play'' bordered more on the type 3 range.
36	* The Cat in the Hat from ''Series/TheWubbulousWorldOfDrSeuss'' in its second season, and ''WesternAnimation/TheCatInTheHatKnowsALotAboutThat''.
37	* Face (also from ''WesternAnimation/FacesMusicParty'') and Piper O'Possum from Creator/NickJr.
38	* The hosts of both Creator/Channel5's Milkshake and Creator/CBCKids. They are rather upbeat and adventurous.
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:Over Sixes Host]]
42	* Creator/ZoeBall, like her father Johnny, was a presenter of childrens' shows for the Creator/{{BBC}} and others.
43	* ''Series/BillNyeTheScienceGuy.'' Although it should be noted that he is a favourite of science class students all the way to at least high school AP classes, and probably in college as well. He probably falls between Type 1 and Type 2 actually.
44	** Bill Nye is excellent at taking complex scientific concepts, and making it so a 10-year-old can understand them. It comes with the territory.
45	* ''Series/DickAndDomInDaBungalow''
46	* The (literally) animated dog host of the Creator/PBSKids game show ''WesternAnimation/FetchWithRuffRuffman''.
47	* The presenters of ''TotallyDoctorWho''
48	* ''Series/BeakmansWorld'' -- Beakman falls between a Type 2 and 3, as [[DuelingShows opposed to]] Bill Nye.
49	* One of the oldest examples is Creator/SoupySales, a host from the 1950s and '60s.
50	* Paul Reubens as Pee-Wee Herman in ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse''
51	* Timmy Mallett on ''The Wide Awake Club'' and its summer holiday spin-off ''Wacaday''. In addition to being unable to talk in anything other than a manic shout, his gimmicks included hitting kids with a large foam-rubber mallet while wearing loud shirts and more than one baseball cap.
52	* Elliot, the host of ''Rollercoaster'' on the ABC in Australia.
53	* Every "PJ" (program jockey) Creator/{{YTV}} has used to present its afternoon and Saturday morning programming over the years.
54	* Unsurprisingly, [[Series/TopGearUK Richard Hammond]] is this type on ''Series/BlastLab''.
55	* Creator/AntAndDec on SMTV.
56	* James Sherry on Series/{{Amazing}}
57	* [[Series/GoodEats Alton Brown]] falls between types 2 and 3. It's notable in that ''Good Eats'' is generally regarded as a mostly ''adult'' program (being a cooking show.)
58	* Stivi Paskoski as Johnny Arcade on the 90's video game show ''Video Power''.
59	* Today's presenters of Creator/{{CBBC}} and ''Series/BluePeter'' are rather upbeat and adventurous; they create a fun atmosphere.
60	* Holly Willoughby is today best known as a sedate matronly host of breakfast and morning television for Creator/{{ITV}}. However, in an earlier incarnation as a very possibly Over-Excited Kids Show Host on a SaturdayMorningKidsShow, back in TheNineties, she was invited to tender her resignation after some over-enthusiastic dancing to the resident pop group, whilst wearing a low-cut skimpy top. The consequent WardrobeMalfunction enabled more ParentService than the [=ITV=] bosses were comfortable with, and went on, in live television time, for an appreciable time before Miss Willoughby noticed things were amiss. Neither, seemingly, did the cameramen.
61	* Almost any kids' game show host, ever, really.
62	* Brazilian TV legend Xuxa of ''Xou da Xuxa'', ''Xuxa Park'', and [[ArchivePanic many other shows worldwide]]. She often acts in a upbeat way and creates a fun atmosphere, often intensifying it with her musical numbers. The other networks [[FollowTheLeader followed suit]] and there are two still popular AlternateCompanyEquivalent cases in Angélica (who ironically went on to be hired by [[Creator/TVGlobo Xuxa's channel]]) and Eliana.
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	[[folder:Informative Over Sixes Host]]
66	* Current day Bill Nye, now a regular on the Discovery Channel.
67	* ''Series/{{Newsround}}'' "Text in and tell us whether you think David Cameron should be Prime Minister!" is a bit like Type 3.
68	* Though they fit into type 1, Nina from ''Nina and the Neurons'' and Maddie Moate from ''Maddie's Do You Know?'' on Creator/CBeebies present science shows - both informative and entertaining for children. These shows are presumably aimed at under-sixes, but older children and adults alike can learn something new from these shows, too.
69	* ''Series/BluePeter'' is sometimes similar.
70	* [=CBBC=] presenters tended towards this in the days before they got the budget for a proper set; you can't really ham it up in a tiny {{continuity announce\|ment}}r's booth nicknamed "the broom cupboard".
71	* ''Series/MrWizard''
72	* The hosts of the Spanish and Portuguese language versions of ''Series/ArtAttack''.
73	** And Neil Buchanan, who hosted the original version.
74	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * [=LeVar=] Burton on ''Series/ReadingRainbow''.
75	* Marc Summers of ''Series/{{Double Dare\|1986}}'' fame. Bonus points for having actual clinical OCD about cleanliness and he still forced himself to host the show.
76	* Linda Ellerbee of ''Series/NickNewsWithLindaEllerbee''. She was chosen because she wasn't as overenthusiastic as the other auditioners.
77	* Henry from ''Series/AmazingAnimals''.
78	* The Kratt brothers from ''Series/KrattsCreatures'', ''Series/{{Zoboomafoo}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/WildKratts''.
79	* Peter and Dasha from the 1997 informative video ''Film/TheKidsGuideToTheInternet''. They like to tell you and their friends about the Internet.
80	* Amy Mainzer from the interstitial segments of ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo''. She can be quite energetic at times, but normally talks in a calm manner and never talks down to kids. She teaches a lot of neat science facts, and even teens and adults can learn from her segments.
81	* Dr. Scott the paleontologist from the interstitial segments of ''WesternAnimation/DinosaurTrain''. He treats the viewers with respect, is relaxed, and teaches cool facts about dinosaurs.
82	[[/folder]]
83
84	!!!'''Parodies:'''
85	[[folder:Films]]
86	* Highlighted in Music/WeirdAlYankovic's movie ''Film/{{UHF}}''. George attempts to be a Type 2 host early on in the film and fails miserably. Then, in a moment of desperation, he lets {{Cloudcuckoolander}} janitor Stanley Spudowski host the kids' show... and the ratings immediately skyrocket.
87	* Creator/JohnnyDepp's take on Willy Wonka in Tim Burton's ''Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' is partially a spoof of how ''unnerving'' these hosts can be.
88	* ''Film/DeathToSmoochy'' features cut-throat DepravedKidsShowHost Rainbow Randolph trying to get revenge on the guy who replaced him, the much more sincere and sweet-hearted Sheldon Mopes, AKA Smoochy the Rhino.
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Literature]]
92	* UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan is a Type 1 in ''Literature/AWorldOfLaughterAWorldOfTears'', where he has a brief stint as the host of ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' in TheFifties. Trust us when we say ItMakesSenseInContext.
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
96	* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'':
97	** The presenter(s) come across as presenting a kids show for adults/stoners. Clean living and polite human host? Check. Puppet supporting cast? Check. Bits and pieces between the film/actual content? Check. Mild villains? Check.
98	** Mike Nelson parodies Type 2 in Segment 3 of "[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S08E11PartsTheClonusHorror Parts: The Clonus Horror]]", specifically spoofing Latin/South American kiddie shows like ''Xuxa''. He also plays a much more low-key host at the start of the skit.
99	* Chuckles the Clown, on ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow''.
100	* ''Series/DeadRingers'' parodies this in one early episode where they replace ''Series/DickAndDomInDaBungalow'' with (art critic and well-known snob) ''Brian Sewell in the Stately Home'' and he retains some of the Zaniness but with fine art references and caviar. "Brian Sewell" used caviar in the same way Dick and Dom used [[CoveredInGunge Creamy Muck Muck]] although he used only finest silver teaspoons to fling it at people.
101	* Wayne's brother Randall in ''Series/HoneyIShrunkTheKids'' was the host of a show called ''Randy Rude the Science Dude'', which, obvious parody title notwithstanding, was more akin to ''Series/BeakmansWorld'' than anything. Wayne somewhat resented him for presenting science in such a lowbrow fashion.
102	* ''Series/{{Bones}}'' had Bunsen Jude the Science Dude, who comes to the lab to invite Brennan to appear on his show. He winds up helping and is very competent, but takes time to explain everything he does, peppers his speech with mnemonic rhymes, and constantly declares things to be "Amazing!"
103	* Not an intentional parody, but Charlotte Ritchie is routinely mocked for inadvertently coming across as one of these on her series of ''Series/{{Taskmaster}}''.
104	[[/folder]]
105
106	[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
107	* Parodied mercilessly in ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' with Binky the Clown. Unlike Krusty, Binky seemed to simply, like most things in Garfield's world, genuinely ''enjoy'' being annoying and grating to anyone - especially Garfield, when the two of them had reason to interact.
108	** The Buddy Bears - not only being a vicious {{The Complainer is Always Wrong}} spoof tends to talk down to other characters like a Type 1 host.
109	[[/folder]]
110
111	[[folder:Stand-Up Comedy]]
112	* One of Creator/AndyKaufman's stage personas was Type 1, in which he treated his adult audience as if they were children ("offstage", he was revealed to HatesTheJobLovesTheLimelight). Andy hosted a children's show in Boston while he was in college, so he had that experience to build upon.
113	* "The Uncle Freddie Show", on Bob Newhart's ''Behind the Button-Down Mind'' album.
114	* Creator/GeorgeCarlin and Jack Burns parodied '60s style kiddie shows (which were mostly Type 1) with the "hip" kiddie show, Cap'n Jack and Jolly George.
115	* Creator/PaulReubens's Pee-wee Herman character began as a parody of old live-action kids show hosts, but by the time ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse'' debuted he had begun playing the character straight.
116	[[/folder]]
117
118	[[folder:Webcomic]]
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120	* [[Webcomic/BillNyeTheRussianSpy]] can be this sometimes, especially when talking about Russia.
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122	[[folder:Web Original]]
123	* Hilariously parodied in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHNrQDmP2_Y#movie_player this]] "educational" Barats and Bereta video.
124	-->''"Let's barrage ourselves with colours until someone passes out!"''
125	* Brutally skewered in the short film ''[[http://vimeo.com/11573607 It's Oppo!]]''. It starts out like this but then gets flat-out terrifying.
126	* The Professor from ''WebVideo/PuppetHistory'' is a cute, upbeat blue muppet who portrays a real enthusiasm for teaching his subject of choice through a combination puppet skit show and game show laden with friendly trappings, such as awarding his "students" points in the form of jellybeans. However, those students are adults, and the Professor himself is a decidedly adult-adapted take on a ''Series/SesameStreet''-like character, often exhibiting a temperamental personality that his guests aren't immune to and not shying away from cursing, brushing up against sexual topics, or portraying gruesome historical events in graphic detail, frequently with ''pitch'' BlackComedy.
127	* Uncle Jay of the aptly-named political podcast UncleJayExplainsTheNews appears to have based his entire shtick off of [=90s=] children's {{Edutainment}} shows while aiming the podcast at teenagers. While he usually acts like a Type Two, the teasing consists mainly of teenager-aimed jabs that would likely fly over the heads of children.
128	[[/folder]]
129
130	[[folder:Western Animation]]
131	* This was the exact reason they promoted Bart to co-anchor of "[[XtremeKoolLetterz Kidz Newz]]" to Lisa's chagrin on that episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' -- he had "zazz" (exact wording, too).
132	** Likewise, Krusty the Clown is one of these in his TV persona but his real personality is that of a drinking, gambling, money grubber who seems to actually find most kids annoying.
133	--->'''Krusty''': LOUD!? ''THAT'S OUR SECRET WORD FOR THE DAY!''
134	* Baloney from ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'', who [[{{Determinator}} remained upbeat]] WHILE BEING REPEATEDLY ANVIL'D. It got to the point in that episode where the Warners themselves got incredibly creeped out.
135	[[/folder]]
136
137	!!!'''Exceptions:'''
138	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
139	* Creator/FredRogers from ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood''. Of course, he was going for "kindly guy on the block who reminds me of my uncle" rather than "cool random person who reminds me of my older cousin."
140	* Raven from ''Series/{{Raven}}'' wouldn't be described as zany...overly intense perhaps, but not zany.
141	* Canadian TV seems to favour quieter, more laid-back kid-show hosts: Series/MrDressup, Series/TheFriendlyGiant, Fred Penner, etc. Note that Fred Rogers' first non-local show was Canadian, specifically on the Creator/{{CBC}}, and the better known PBS show used the same basic format.
142	* Greg Lee on ''Series/WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSandiego'' tended to be much more laid back and snarky than most other kids' show hosts.
143	* One of the pioneers, ''Series/CaptainKangaroo'', was ''very'' low-key.
144	* Another pioneer, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIqoqUwg1fY Sandy Becker]], was ''deceptively'' low-key. Well, for the most part, then he'd do something like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89ZyPw1NUDg Hambone]]...
145	[[/folder]]
146
147	[[folder:Western Animation]]
148	* ''WesternAnimation/MooseAndZee'': The titular duo are both Under Sixes hosts, but Moose has a calmer temperament compared to [[Creator/NickJr Face and Piper O'Possum]]. Zee, on the other hand, [[CuteMute doesn't speak at all]], and she's meant to be an AudienceSurrogate for the preschool audience.
149	[[/folder]]

Context Main / ExcitedKidsShowHost