Rastamouse: Funky Children’s Tv Series
Rastamouse is an animated children’s TV series about an all-mouse reggae band known as ‘Rastamouse and Da Easy Crew’ who solve crimes in their spare time.The adventures of the world’s first reggae-detectives are fast becoming a cult phenomenon, as popular with adults as they are with children.
Rastamouse first appeared in 2005 in the children’s book Rastamouse and the Crucial Plan by Genevieve Webster and Michael De Souza.He returned in Rastamouse and Da Bag-a Bling (2005) and Rastamouse and the Double-Crossin’ Diva (2006).Webster has stated that, ‘Whenever I picked up a book that was for black kids it was, more often than not, very worthy with gentle watercolour illustrations and nobody seemed to be having much fun.’ Each book is written in rhyme with a Jamaican accent, and even features some Jamaican Patois.The character was adapted for television and debuted on 31 January 2011 on CBeebies, a BBC channel for children under six years of age.
The animation is achieved with stop motion puppets, filmed against hand-drawn backgrounds.The puppets were made by Mackinnon and Saunders, who have also created puppets for Bob the Builder, another highly-successful children’s show, and Tim Burton’s film Corpse Bride.
Rastamouse and Da Easy Crew hang out at the Nuff Song recording studio in Mouseland.Rastamouse himself wears a traditional Rasta ‘tam’ or woolly hat, as well as dreadlocks.The stories usually begin with President Wensley Dale calling Rastamouse on his radio whenever ‘tings is ruff’.Rastamouse is assisted by his friend Scratchy, who wears a 50s style balloon skirt and a bow on her head.Other characters include Bandulu the Cook and Bagga-T, a hip-hop-styled mouse who runs the orphanage.
The ethos of the show is that people can solve problems through understanding, love and respect.Rastamouse advocates redemption not retribution, and this is expressed in his chilled-out motto ‘make a bad ting good’.
Rastamouse is voiced by the Radio 1 presenter Reggie Yates.Like the Hindi-titled series Tikkabilla, Rastamouse is intended to reflect the diversity of modern, multicultural Britain.Sadly, some have criticised the show’s Jamaican-inflected dialogue, no doubt baffled by their children declaring ‘me tink me know who de t’ieving mouse may be’.However, Michael De Souza argues that Rastamouse’s patois simply reflects children’s experience today: ‘Children aren’t speaking the Queen’s English in the street.I talk to kids in schools and they talk in many different dialects.Rastamouse speaks in a way they can relate to.’
With the aid of parents, students and reggae-obsessives, Rastamouse is rapidly becoming the biggest childrens’ television hit since the Teletubbies.