I caught this warped educational short on TCM a few weeks back. Detailing bicycle safety, the short follows ten kids as they ride their bicycles to the park for a picnic. These aren't ordinary kids, however, as they're wearing bizarre monkey masks and spring-like tails. During their little trip, the kids begin dropping like flies when they ignore proper bicycle safety rules. The cheerful music and Edward Everett Horton's jovial narration are in stark contrast to what we witness on screen as the kids are brutalized by steamrollers, trucks and open manholes. Each incident is accompanied by cartoon flashes and sound effects, not to mention the horrified expressions of the kids as their eyes bulge out of their sockets and right through the masks.
I can imagine this thing scaring the hell out of impressionable kids back in the 60's. I wouldn't be surprised if it put some of them off of biking for good. The delightful tone makes the short seem even more sinister in nature than it would have otherwise. It seems to be taking glee in watching these kids pay dearly for their irresponsibility. I can't see the director or anyone else involved intending it to turn out this way, but I'm glad that it did. What could have been another boring ol' safety video instead turned into something bordering on sadism. It's damned entertaining too, particularly if you're someone who has an affinity for the terminally weird. I fall into that category.