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My daughter is 5 and is always excited if I turn it on for her. She seemed fairly mesmerized by it from the first time she saw it, in fact.
I actually remember the first time I saw it...I was about 8 and at a friend's house. She said "this is my favorite show!". I watched, and was instantly hooked.
So what is it about this show? It's truly awful by even the least stringent artistic standards. It's completely unrealistic and not particularly funny. Why do kids like it so much?
I think it's the bright colours and the likeable characters. Also, kids have no taste. When I was a kid I liked dreck like Small Wonder.
I'm not sure, my wife loved it as a kid, I did not but I watched it. My kids show no interest and yet my daughter loved the dreck known as I Dream of Jeanie and also Bewitched which was not really a very good show. At least Gilligan's Island made sense, it was just a live action cartoon.
Both of my kids really enjoy Addams Family, Dick Van Dyke & Get Smart, but those of course are great shows.
I don't know; I hated that show when I was a kid, but my little brother watched it all the time. Maybe it's just that kids' taste hasn't really developed yet, and they like just about anything. I know there is stuff I loved as a child that makes me roll my eyes now... (Like I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched :) )
Offhand, I'd say one reason is that there are so many characters, and they have such archetypal personalities (you could put the word "syndrome" at the end of any of their names, and people would instantly know what kind of personality defect you were referring to in each instance), that any kid watching has at least one character they can relate to.
Interesting...I think you're onto something there, OCS. My daughter isn't old enough to pick up on the archetypes thing yet, but she DOES love shows with lots of kids in them. She's been watching The Sound of Music, for instance, and drawing pictures of the various scenes. She's no artist, but each drawing features 7 little happy faces. :)
I don't think it's just that kids don't care what they watch. My daughter actually isn't a big TV watcher, and there are other bad shows she's seen that she doesn't have any interest in. But turn on the BB, and she won't stir from her spot for the whole half hour.
I disagree on the whole "kids have no taste" concept. That assumes that kids are just robots who only want to watch a moving image on a screen. Why not watch One Life To Live or the Home Shopping Channel if they just want to "watch TV"? Truth is, there can be a million things on TV and kids will pick the Bradys more often than not.
I think it's because the show is wholesome (not just that kids' parents are OK with their children watching the show, but also the Brady parents themselves are warm and nice without being buffoons). The show features kids, and kids like watching other kids on TV. The stories are universal; although the Bradys are as whitebread as you can get, almost any family can relate to the "family issues" that happen on the show. The show is simple, with no big words or plot twists to confuse kids and usually has a "message"... and kids like shows where bullies or troublemakers get their due. And, as mentioned, the colors and sets are bright and engaging. I think the fact that it's in color is important. I know a LOT of people who refuse to watch black and white movies regardless of their age or greatness; had the Brady Bunch been filmed in B&W, I don't think it would be nearly as popular as it is today. And lastly, it's just always been around. The show has been on some channel somewhere for 40 years, and like peanut and jelly it's an old friend to a lot of people, even kids.
One thing I liked about the show as a kid was it showed a big family. I was one of six, and my brother was my main playmate, so the show felt more like my life than a show with an only child or showing city life.
I had the hots for Marcia (and later, Jan).