Biggles the Bigger Bee

With all the talk about Blue Like Jazz the movie, I’ve failed to mention a children’s show I’m producing here in Portland. We’ve recorded nine episodes so far and it’s going well. 

The show is called Biggles the Bigger Bee. I’m Biggles and each week I put kids from the ages 5 to 7 through various competitions in which they are rewarded based on their ability to find certain products in grocery stores and malls. The coolest thing about the show is it is completely commercial free because in each episode the children are trying to find products that have been pre-determined by our in-house ad agency.

But it’s more than just a commercial, of course. I’m trying to somehow marry consumerism with love. The last episode we recorded, for example, was called “Make Mommy Happy” and it focussed on make-up, romance novels and simple carbohydrates. The kids ran around the mall (think “the amazing race” style) and bought products, using a Capitol One Visa, to a central place in the mall where they prepared gift baskets for their mothers complete with Mary Kay eye-liner, the latest novel from Stephanie Meyer and Toblerone chocolates. The team that won got stung by Biggles which means they win and move on to the next round. They also get a prize assortment of breakfast cereals and a letter from their parents (I read it to them in front of both the winners and losers) about how proud they make their family.

I’d be lying if I said filming this show has been easy. It was warm the day we filmed the Christmas episode. (We filmed it last September, though it won’t air until this coming Christmas) We were working with all these kids and they had to wear sweaters and scarves as we pretended to wait in line for hours outside Best Buy (The episode is called “A Christmas Family Outing.”) Once in the store the kids had to run and grab five different products ranging from a Playstation Three to a DVD of the action movie Bolt (I know, wasn’t out yet, but it will be out before Christmas) and then place them in order based on which gifts indicate their parents love them the most. The group that got the order right (pre-determined by our ad department) got stung by Mr. Biggles. (It’s kind of cute because the kids who get stung get the Biggle-giggles and fall down and get showered by gift cards from various retailers.)

Anyway, the show will air on Fox so check your local listings. More info here.