SHOWS FOR YOUNGSTERS AND THEIR PARENTS TOO : It’s high ‘Pie Noon’ in ‘Wonderland’ after a bully enters town

“Bullies are mean and hateful people,” declares comedian Gilbert Gottfried, who plays one in this week’s Adventures in Wonderland.

The “Pie Noon” episode of “Wonderland”--in which Gottfried guests as Mike McNasty--is a takeoff of the Gary Cooper-Grace Kelly Western classic “High Noon,” where Cooper stands alone and faces a gang of gunfighters.

The show “depicts how bullies, no matter how mean, are basically cowards,” Gottfried says. In this version, the March Hare (Reece Holland) runs scared at the prospect of the arrival of McNasty, a pie-throwing bully from Hare’s high school days. The frightened Hare tries to rally his friends around, but when they refuse to become his posse the Hare realizes he must face McNasty alone. McNasty forces the Hare into a showdown, during which the rabbit’s pals join in to give the bully a taste of his own medicine.

Among Hare’s buddies is Willie Nelson making a guest appearance as a singing troubador. With shades of “Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin’ ” he serenades the Wonderland gang with the “Ballad of Pie Noon.”

Gottfried, who even manages to inject some humor into the proceedings, also sings. “I do a song about being a bully called ‘I’m a Bully.’ For me to play a bully doesn’t take too much imagination. I think they wanted to get someone the kid audience would hate and they instantly thought of me,” he says with a smile. “It’s also basically further proof that I am obnoxious in whatever they put me in.”

In a rare moment of seriousness, Gottfried notes that “bullies are a real issue for kids. How to handle them is dealt with in this show. This guy, this talking rabbit, stands up to him. It’s a difficult subject nowadays, especially if your particular bully is carrying a .45! But this show handles the topic very well.”

The “Pie Noon” episode of “Adventures in Wonderland” airs at 7:30 a.m. and repeats at 6:30 p.m. on the Disney Channel. (The show also will air during the Disney Channel’s free preview on March 7 at 4:30 p.m.). For ages 2 to 9.

MORE FAMILY SHOWS

Young Joe becomes the family’s sole breadwinner in 1932, when his father loses his job in The Paperboy (Sunday 7-8 a.m. Showtime). The unusually high pressure Joe endures tests his mettle. For ages 8 and up.

The new series Jim Henson’s The Secret Life of Toys (Saturday 8:30-9 a.m. Disney) is designed for preschoolers. The show follows the adventures of a small group of toy characters--Balthazar, a battered old teddy bear; Rugby, an adventurous tiger; Ditz, a clown with a big smile and a puzzled view of life; Mew, a brave little mouse; Hortense, a rocking horse, and Raisin, a little doll who’s the toughest of them all.

Set in a child’s nursery, the toys come to life when the children leave the room. The secret world is filled with adventure, comedy, music and surprise.

Producers say the show hopes to stimulate the imagination and to acknowledge the importance of fun and play, while setting examples of behavior that can be used to solve problems and conflicts. For ages 2 to 4.

On “The Sweet Deal” episode of For Better or Worse (Saturday 11:30 a.m.-noon Disney), the Patterson family prepares for April’s first birthday party, but her older brother, surly teen Michael, wants nothing to do with “kid stuff.”

He and a friend have just bought a secondhand car together, hoping it will attract girls. But the gas guzzler, constantly in need of repairs, doesn’t attract anyone but mechanics.

When Michael ends up at April’s party holding the baby, girls gather around him talking about how cute she is, and Michael realizes that he’s found the perfect “babe magnet.” For ages 2 to 10.