This product allows baby-boomers, the first generation raised on television, to relive a happy chilhdhood memory, while giving young people accustomed to the slick sophistication of iPhone and X-Box an opportunity to experience at first hand what MicroSoft founder Bill Gates has praised as "a dynamic experiment in interactive television."
Winky Dink aired from 1953 to 1957. In preparation for the broadcast, young viewers would rub a thin plastic screen onto their television screen (where it would stick by static electricity); then, at one point in every episode, the boys and girls would be asked to help use their special crayon to trace or draw a shape which would subsequently become part of the action.
The mechanism may be clumsy and primitive by today's standards, but by means of it the child was enabled to play a part in resolving the plot. This unique opportunity for youngsters to help draw the cartoon and tell the story will prove as empowering and entertaining today as it was creative and innovative 60 years ago. And a lot of the incidental content within the storylines is surprisingly sophisticated and educational-- as e.g. a throw-away observation about why mountains viewed from a distance look more blue than those closer in, or a "Phantom of the Opera" themed episode that introduces some instruments of the orchestra.
This is a release of the entire series in modern DVD format. It is possible to purchase it [elsewhere on Amazon] packaged with a "magic screen", special crayon, and soft cloth to scrub off each picture so the young viewer is ready for the next adventure. Otherwise it is possible to just purchase this DVD and improvise the other relatively availability components yourself-- it is a big entertainment return on a very small investment. The theme song declared that "Winkie Dink and you / Always have a lot of fun together"...and odds are you most assuredly will.
