Oobi (2000–2005) User Reviews

Oobi: A Fun and Creative Show for Younger Viewers, But Lacks Depth and Complexity for Older Children

[hdoerr-02108 · 6/10 · 17 January 2024]

As a child, I recall watching Oobi on TV with my siblings. It was an exciting show that featured hand puppets as the main characters. However, although the concept was unique, the show didn't capture my attention as much as other children's shows did. The episodes were short and straightforward, perfect for younger viewers, but they lacked the depth and complexity that older children might enjoy. The show had some fun moments that sometimes made it entertaining to watch. I rate this Nick Jr. Show a 6 out of 10 for its creativity and charm, but it fell short of keeping my attention for long periods.

interesting

[sarahmatic · 10/10 · 27 November 2006]

It was really interesting to read so many different reviews of Oobi. It does sort of bother me that so many go so far as to say the show is a waste of time because their four year old hates it. Perhaps this is because its designed for young toddlers? And the gloss language? Again, directed towards toddlers, who don't ALL speak in clear perfect sentences. We should remember that all of our kids progress at different levels and respond to different things. It doesn't make things horrible or a waste of time, it means its not right for you or your child. (and, hey, if its right for you, its really just an added bonus since very few of the kids programming out there is tolerable for adults) To the person who responded about her child's PDD, I am so psyched that you found something that works! My boyfriends daughter's ability to remember simple lyrics (as opposed to before where she just would make US sing) is a pretty rad development, which tells me that even if it bores older kids and adults, its still making a difference for us.

Quite a fascinating show...

[yenca615 · 23 October 2004]

We first stumbled onto Oobi right after the season started. Little did we know that our then 1 1/2 year old would fall in love with it. Needless to say the show is very cute and even holds the attention of my husband and I. We find ourselves laughing at the characters with the little things they do that are just hysterical. Who would have known that a "hand" could make someone laugh as hard as Oobi does. My son absolutely loves it. But not only does it serve as just a cute show, it also teaches kids basic principals of life. Overall I would definitely recommend this show to anyone with kids. (Or without for that matter) This show is definitely for keeps!!

My daughters loves Oobi

[blueeyedsusann · 10/10 · 5 November 2007]

My two year old daughter does not have a speech delay and she loves Oobi. She has been speaking in complete sentences since she was 12 months old. She would watch Oobi several times a week and my daughter did not develop any speech problems as a result of watching Oobi. In fact, she has better vocabulary and diction than the rest of the children in her daycare class. It is a shame that a parent would blame a TV show for their child's speech impairment. Television should not be teaching our children to speak properly, we should be charge of that. This show is mainly for the entertainment of small children. This show is cute and has a good moral message for children.

Not so sure about this show

[charade_tm · 3/10 · 2 July 2006]

This has got to be the oddest show that Noggin has to offer. While the concept is certainly unique, I really can't see much benefit for preschoolers. My biggest complaint about Oobi is that none of the characters speak in complete sentences. My daughter has a language processing disorder. We have worked very hard to get her to speak in sentences. Every time she watches Oobi she reverts back to 2 word sentences. Oobi may be fine for a non verbal child, but not for a child who is overcoming a speech disorder or for a child who has average speech. I would be interested in hearing a speech patholigist's take on this show.

Oobi rocks!!!!

[Kathijo-928-476180 · 10/10 · 20 December 2010]

Oobi simple. Oobi good. Oobi make Kathi smile. Kathi have 37 candles on Cake. Kathi have IQ of 147. Kathi love Oobi. Kathi watch Oobi middle of night (morning).-------- Get over yourselves (those who post negativity) I love to wake up and find kids watching Oobi when they used to be watching Family Guy. Oobi is for every one. The 'expressions' on the, um, actors, is amazing. I am going to be Oobi for next halloween!!!!!! It is really cute and the speech is simple and very straight forward, plus it is interactive. I never interacted with Dora, but even alone I count to 3 with Oobi. I love the reviews about those with speech or development problems (I didn't learn my 'r's till MUCH later then my friends) but this show is for everyone! even an old fart like me. No mean to Oobi.

Terrible for Adults, Boring for Kids

[westsongsung · 2/10 · 4 October 2006]

Oobi is very difficult for adults to watch -- the affected language is annoying at first, and gets even worse as time goes on.

What's more, my kids both found the show extremely uninteresting when they watched it at 2 years, and they are not the type who get bored by slow-moving, Mr. Rogers paced shows (and neither am I -- I think they can be great).

I don't think the goofy decision to speak in baby-talk is harmful for kids or teaches them bad habits. However, it makes the show a lot less interesting for them -- I've found that kids like language best when it's expressive and well-spoken.

A good show.

[straywish · 10/10 · 28 August 2007]

My 2 1/2 year old twins love Oobi. I actually have to tape it using our DVR so that they can watch it anytime they want. It is the only show that they actually sit and watch. When the ending credits begin to roll they both start saying "I watch more Oobi" and "More Oobi please." I think the simple language is calming because they can understand and interact with the show. They don't seem to do this with Dora or Deigo. I am also amazed with the puppetry, when I watch it, I almost believe that the hands are real and are really talking. I just wish it was available on DVD. I have also read that this show is good for those children with autism.

The big question.......Why?

[lmbaker2005 · 1/10 · 23 August 2006]

I am sorry, but I find Oobi the absolute worst form of entertainment I have ever witnessed. It embarrasses me to think that there are actually people out there that would degrade themselves so much by playing a part in this show. No wonder they do not show their faces. It is a total waste of money and airtime. My four your old even hates it. It is so stupid and upsetting. How in the world this has become a "hit" show is beyond me. A vegetable would even hate this show. Whenever I so much a hear this show come on, I want to inflict bodily harm on some poor innocent soul. It is HORRIBLE!!!!! Again, I am sorry, but I just do not get it. Why would someone want to waste their time and kill brain cells in the process, watching something so stupid? I would rather go to the dentist for root canal than have to watch that show. What happened to wanting a challenge? Oobi sure throws that out the window!!!

Great for some kids with speech delays

[becamico · 2 April 2006]

I hesitated to let my sons watch Oobi for the longest time because of the basic speech involved. However, my oldest son has Pervastive Developmental Disorder (broad spectrum autism) and a speech delay. Watching Oobi has expanded his vocabulary tenfold. He can recite entire scenes now, and is learning to put words together. It works for him because it takes out articles, contractions and superfluous words and gets down to the basic words needed to convey meaning. The "extra" words were bogging down his understanding. So, while I agree that the speech in Oobi isn't good for toddlers who are talking at or above age level, for those struggling to learn, it could be a valuable tool!

In addition, the show is DARLING! Even the adults in my house love to watch it! You actually forget while you're watching it that they're just HANDS with plastic eyeballs! The episode when the kids put on a production of Little Red Riding Hood is SO entertaining. It's even taught my kids to start singing!

Great Show

[secondverse27 · 10/10 · 15 January 2007]

I have an Autistic six year old son that has been in love with Oobi since its inception. The fact that my son uses his hands and often stares at his hands, I supposes, brings a familiarity to him through this puppet show. Now his younger sister watches with the same awe and seems to relate to her brother using his hands a lot more often. Besides that the show is very responsible in the way that the characters interact with each other and the situations the characters are often in. My daughter's favorite character hands down is Ooma and Kako. I love GrandPu's crush on Inka, Oobi's piano teacher, great touch for the parents. I love Oobi and can't wait until more episodes grace our small screens. Thanx

Beauty in simplicity

[realspace · 8/10 · 13 December 2007]

When I first saw this show it was a interstitial on Noggin. I thought it was kind of stupid, But our son, who is handicapped and has very limited speech because of a brain injury at birth, was taken by it at once. Then it got it's own half-hour, and I watched it with him. The entire show breaks down story telling to the basics without talking down to kids. The characters are as described: just a hand with eyes attached. But they also wear costumes at times. The amount of emotion and "acting" that is presented is simply amazing. The puppeteers are extremely talented to be able to bring these characters to life in a way that you accept after a very short time. Unlike a lot of kids TV this show is very watchable and includes some inside jokes for parents at times (things like all the "parents" at a play having to turn off their cell phones before the performance). The writers of the show made a conscious decision to make the language simple too. No adverbs or conjunctions. My son can follow the story and understand the concepts being presented and when I have used the same basic language with him apart from the show and relating to our everyday life, he responds. Being able to communicate with him in such an unfettered way for the first time in his life means everything to me. It is not a typical puppet show, but it has won the heart of our atypical son...and his parents too.

horrible show

[lpnarnialover09 · 1/10 · 15 April 2012]

Just because a show is aimed toward preschoolers and toddlers does not mean the show's characters have to be stupid and talk like they're in preschool or a toddler in fact Oobie , Kaku and the Grandfather should not talk like cavemen since they are old enough to use proper speech . I know people say " Oh it's a kids show for kids" but no other kids show has their characters talk in broken English the way these characters do it's not funny or cute and will make kids think it's okay to talk like this especially since every character does it,if they just had the little sister talk this way it would be slightly understandable since she is maybe toddler age,but having the grown ups and older characters talk this way too is going overboard and is not educational at all for children

Really cute, fun, entertaining, and educational show

[Catherine_Grace_Zeh · 9/10 · 8 May 2006]

Wow! This is a really cute, fun, entertaining, and educational show. I said that because I watch this on Noggin with my 16-month-old nephew from time to time. It's hard to say which show on Noggin is the best. Still it's really cute, fun, entertaining, and educational. In addition, watching the hands do skits is really fun. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that the people at Noggin really know how to reach a toddler's developing mind. Now, in conclusion, if you have children, nieces, or nephews, I strongly recommend this really cute, fun,entertaining, and educational show. I guarantee you that they will enjoy it.

Boring and Uncreative

[michaellaffey868 · 3/10 · 3 August 2015]

I'm 19 years old and pretty much I remember watching this show back when I was in the 1st grade.

I will be honest here, its really not that much of a good show. In fact when my sister was 5 years old she only watched it once with me and guess what? She didn't like it either! I was very shocked when I was a kid because she really loves everything when it comes to Television. (Anything from Lazytown to Barney, From Sesame Street to Max & Ruby, From Pappyland to Mister Rogers, From Dora to Little Bill, From Wonder Pets to Teen Titans)

What we really hate about the show is that the way Oobi and his friends and family talks. Its like "Oobi play Five Nights Freddy's you play Five Nights Freddy's you play Five Nights Freddy's!" and "Uma dance Harlem Shake you dance Harlem Shake you dance Harlem Shake!" like really....

What is the reason here Oobi and the gang have to talk like that? It loses our children's ability to talk right! Heck, even my parents hate the way they talk! They even agree that it can affect our children the way to speak (Whether they have autism or not).

Believe it or not I once had to deal with a classmate back in 2nd grade who copies the way Oobi talks. Believe me the teacher and the classmates hated that! Guess what? The teacher believed that the student was copying Oobi's language!

Another thing my little sister pointed out about how much she hates the show is that they are just using hands with googly eyes and they don't even wear any clothes. Yep my little sister actually yelled out "THEY'RE NAKED!!!". I know its somewhat awkward but its true.

Most of these episodes feel like they were done in only 1 day. The characters looks are really basic and very bland, most of the music is basic too. (Mostly the music in this show is usually used a banjo)

I only watched this show a few times, then I had it!

Maybe if Oobi talked properly and if the characters had more interesting looks and if the episodes had more better and more interesting story lines than maybe this show wouldn't have been so bad.

Overall I probably wouldn't let my future kids watch this show. Its really boring, uninteresting, uncreative, and really bland.

A Sweet TV Show Perfect For Preschoolers

[zsofikam · 10/10 · 20 November 2015]

Here's a story about me and this show: In high school I met my friend Janis. Janis, myself, and a few other friends were talking about the shows we watched when we were younger. We found that we had many shows in common, Blue's Clues and Bear In The Big Blue House to name a few. I was the one who brought up Oobi and Janis mentioned that she had seen the show as well. Even though I wasn't a toddler when this show aired, I enjoyed it every bit as much as I would if I was a member of the target audience. The show's characters Oobi, his sister Uma, his friend Kako, and his grandfather Grampu are little more than talking hands with googly eyes, but it's the show's simplicity that makes it succeed. Does it succeed? It most certainly does. Oobi is a celebration of simplicity, curiosity, and discovery that includes reveling in a rain puddle, refusing the bath, and everything in between. There are also more complex themes such as fear, shyness, anxiety, relating to others, and making friends. Oobi speaks in basic object/ action sentences similar to a child learning to talk. I've heard some people complain about this but small children are going to talk like that anyway and about 99.9% of them will grow out of it. Besides, you would be missing a lot of positive, educational, and inspirational factors. Easy to follow with few characters, simple words, short segments, and lovely messages, it's a great first show. Plus, you could refer to the show when discussing new experiences, ie: Remember how Oobi went to the doctor? We're going to see the doctor today too." A gem!

Oobi not such a good influence

[mitchell4555 · 1/10 · 25 January 2007]

Oobi teaches poor language skills to a child of any age, especially if the child is just learning to talk. The hand movements and language used are detrimental to any child. I strongly advise ANY parent or caregiver to never let your child watch this program. It has taken over 1 year to get my 3 year old child to stop talking about Oobi and doing the hand movements...we now have her in therapy/special education learning to correct some of the problems. Children are sponges, and this type of programming will only hinder the speech process for your child. I wish this show would be taken off the air. Please feel free to contact me for further information.

Great for kids AND adults...

[samhaine13 · 27 April 2006]

My one year old son loves this show. And I have found it very entertaining myself. Especially the Grandpu character, Oobi and Ooma's apparent guardian. Grandpu always endures what the kids have to offer no matter what, whether it's bathtime or a "Grandpu day" meal made of Grape Jelly, Tuna and Hot Sauce.

There are definitely jokes there that a child would not get, but an adult would snicker at, in fact I laugh out loud several times. One example, Oobi was helping with an infant, smelled something foul and blamed Grandpu. Of course, the baby had a dirty diaper. Great fun all around for the entire family. Catch it on Noggin when you can, you won't be disappointed. I, too, was against it at first.

Wish it was still on

[commissionergoldstar · 10/10 · 7 November 2015]

Puppet shows have been becoming rarer and rarer since the late 2000s. Oobi was one of two puppetry-themed shows that Nick Jr. played reruns of after the channel replaced Noggin (the other being Jack's Big Music Show, which I never really liked). Being a puppetry fanatic, I loved to record Oobi on my DVR back in 2012. Sometime in later years, Nick Jr. abruptly removed all kinds of older shows from its schedule, leaving parents everywhere baffled. I was one of those people, but I didn't mind that Gullah Gullah Island and Franklin were gone; I just wanted Oobi back! It's just such a well-done show. They have some of the best puppeteers in the business performing characters (there's Tim Lagasse as Oobi, Noel MacNeal as Kako and even Kevin Clash as an additional puppeteer). Many scenes involving Grampu seem to be made solely for older viewers (Grampu's crush on Inka and the dialogue about St. Louis/Paris). I wish Nick Jr. would bring back some of its old shows, no matter what time of day they're played.

Ooooo- bi

[raqmoore · 10/10 · 11 July 2019]

My son loved this show as toddler. I have to admit that I loved it too. The very first time I saw it on Noggin, his dad and I looked at each other and busted out laughing. It seemed so absurd that something as simple as a fist with eyes stuck on could ever be entertaining to our son. But, seeing as our kid was easily entertained - he would easily spend 30- 40 minutes chasing a sheet of paper blown by a fan with absolute joy, I kept it on. He would light up with a slight crease between his eyes in concentration. At this point, he was a little behind on his speech. He had speech patterns and the cadence down but wouldn't actually form words and we (read: I) were starting to worry. Oobi, well mostly Ooma, gave him something to imitate. He didn't magically begin to talk but he mimiced the patterns and picked up words. I'd keep the show on even after he'd fall asleep because it was entertaining but also because I wanted to learn anything I could to encourage his communication skills.

DONT WATCH OoBI

[holdcampbell · 1/10 · 7 August 2023]

I stumbled upon OOBI one night in da crib. The hand reached out of the screen and took my favorite stuffed animal, pikul. I was devastated, at a loss of words. I needed REVENGE. I visited OOBILAND to asert my dominance n save my fluffy friend. Without my beloved pickle, i am worthless. BOOM! Je marche dans le television. Greeted with five angry hands, I fought valiantly to save my only and best friend. Karate chop to its finger. Uppercut to the pinky. OOBI was finally D E A D, but I was too late. They had served pikul to the whole OOBI community. All of OOBILAND had a taste of pikul, but I was pickleless. I've never been happy again. Would NOT recommend!

A great change of pace...

[kyleglammer · 10/10 · 18 November 2019]

I subscribed to Nickelodeon's "Noggin" app for a month to see if it was a worthwhile streaming service for my 4yo son. I was extremely disappointed in the games and "interactive" components, which are the exact same things he can play on the Nick Jr. web site for free. The one positive thing about the app, though, was Oobi. Nickelodeon is on all the time in our house, so I know that this show hasn't been played in years. I wish it still was, because it's the simplest, purest, and most appealing show I have ever seen from them. The rest of their pre-school shows (especially now) are nothing but thinly disguised toy commercials. Oobi is the polar opposite: zero marketing, all heart. And some top-notch "acting" too, from a bunch of talking hands. When he watches Paw Patrol, my 4yo just wants me to buy more of the same toys for him. When he watches Oobi, he wants to play pretend with his own oobis. Quite a nice change of pace...

One of the greatest puppet shows in recent memory.

[theconjurers · 10/10 · 15 January 2020]

If you're anything like me and think post-Elmo Sesame Street is a disgrace to the Street's former greatness, you may be wary of ANY puppet show with Kevin Clash's name on it. But trust me, Oobi is like a showcase of the techniques that make puppetry great. It was created by people who ate, slept, and breathed Sesame Street (Josh Sellig, also known as the Wonder Pets guy, was the creator). The bizarre characters on Oobi are all hands dressed up like people. They do hand gestures to show emotions, like scratching the side of the palm to show confusion. The sheer simplicity of the concept gives the puppets this contagious, goofy energy that I've only seen created otherwise by the Muppets of Jim Henson's glory days. It would have been so easy for the actors (all of them legendary Muppeteers) to just wing this show and do it without effort but they really put their hearts into the characters, making them so believable and lifelike. My favorite has to be Kako. The quality of the puppetry will make you forget you're watching people's hands! I mean, isn't that the point of any show with puppets?

Wonderful puppetry on a heart-warming show

[peace9-1 · 8 March 2006]

I've been watching Oobi with my daughter since before it was a full-length series -- it used to be just little filler bits between the shows on Noggin. It has been wonderful to see the program grow as they are able to longer and more involved stories.

The puppetry on this show is just wonderful. I'm constantly amazed at how they manage to get so much expression out of a puppet that is nothing more than a hand with a pair of eyes on top. In one episode, when Uma has a cold, you hear her sniffling, and there's a subtle movement of the puppet that lets you SEE her sniffling as well. There's a subtlety to these characters that just is not possible with regular puppets, Muppets, or marionettes.

My only problem with the show is the voices of Oobi and Kako. According to Noggin's website, Oobi is 4 years old, and Kako is his best friend, so presumably he is also about 4. But the voices don't sound like 4-year-olds, especially Kako's.

But that is a small issue compared to the wonderful interaction of the characters. When Oobi teaches Uma to say "neighborhood", or visits Kako's house and learns to eat okra, or goes fishing with Grampu, you see a sweet, intelligent child. No wise-cracks, no disrespect, just honest relationships in a loving family.

Kids love it

[sbgograduate · 9/10 · 9 July 2019]

We really like watching this show together. My husband will also pretend to be Oobi to get our daughter to finish dinner, get ready for bed etc. It's great!