Guest Post by Gerard Harris.

Music from popular children’s TV shows, cartoons and films are amongst the most recognisable tunes we’ll ever commit to memory. Even now I can still sing the whole of “Circle of Life” from the Lion King, including all the African singing at the beginning, and I’ve only seen the film a few times. Soundtrack albums in themselves for big films like Toy Story find they’re way into the album charts regularly, so it’s no surprise that we all remember them so fondly.

However, it’s not just big budget animations that have contributed to the music that we love. TV shows and cartoons have got some of the best intro theme tunes around. Who can’t hum along to My Little Pony or Bob the Builder. Spongebob Squarepants, Rug Rats and Gummybears all had amazing theme tunes, which was a big part of what made them so great.

Then there’s the learning side of things. Sesame Street used music to teach us all how to count, ha-ha-ha, read and write. Whether it was the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… song or the “One of these things is doing it’s own thing” game, music was at the heart of the programme.

In 1977, The Muppets Show broke the mould by bringing out their own album. It featured songs from the first series of the show, with Kermit T. Frog, Miss Piggie, Gonzo and Rowlf. The album paved the way for the likes of the Randy Newman inspired songs on Toy Story to be released as a soundtrack LP.

All in all, the music from children’s TV shows, cartoons and films have made us all smile, laugh and cry (the music from the opening scene in Up, for example, is almost perfectly tuned to bring on the tears). I could name so many more that are instant classics, so here’s a quick list of a few more that I love, which you’re more than welcome to add to: He Man, Galaxy High, Beauty and the Beast, WALL-E, Thundercats, Saved by the Bell, The Jetsons, The Simpsons, The Flintstones, The Fresh Prince of Bell Air, Dora the Explorer, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Shrek… Honestly, I could go on forever.

Gerard Harris is the writer and editor of Tuppence Magazine entertainment news and reviews. The website has sections on music news, album reviews and live music reviews.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 27th, 2011 at 10:25 am and is filed under toys. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.