Noozles: Fuzzy Was A Noozle; Wowser: It's A Dog's Life

People sometimes ask me if I actually watch all the videos I review. The answer is "yes, I do." Most of the time it's not a lot of fun but, after all, it is my job. The latest two entries from Just for Kids Home Video, however, have caused me to amend my answer to "yes, I do, with the exception of Wowser and Noozles." There are plenty of titles out there which can accomplish the relatively modest achievement of simple boredom; Wowser and Noozles, however, crossed the boredom line and entered the realm of pure torture. I survived about 35 minutes of each before self-preservation kicked in and I went for the "eject" button. The two cartoon compilations share a couple things in common: first, they both feature bland narration delivered at warp speed; and second, neither series took more than three brain cells (max) to write. Wowser is about a dog who lives with an absent-minded professor named Dinghy. Dinghy invents various contraptions for which Wowser invariably becomes the "guinea pig." When not inventing, Dinghy is apparently a lecher--eyeing young women who happen by. What's strange is that Wowser, the dog, shares the same (human) lecherous instincts. Beyond these subdued hints at bestiality, however, Wowser is mostly just tiresome to watch. The Noozles are a pair of Koala bears (which can currently be found in their plush physical forms at many garage sales) who live with a girl named Sandy. These Care Bear spinoffs (which is kind of like being an Edsel spinoff) help Sandy in the opener land a part in her school play of "Cinderella." Besides demonstrating little knowledge of this classic fairy tale, the story--which involves the Noozles and Sandy visiting the real Cinderella--is mainly punctuated by obnoxious giggles and a lot of high speed whiny voices. Except as an excellent reason to take aspirin, neither Wowser nor the Noozles have any reason for existence. Not recommended. (Available from most distributors.)