‘Skinnamarink’ a Colorful Kick for Kids

The Canadian music trio who scored big with young viewers for eight seasons in Nickelodeon’s “Sharon, Lois & Bram’s Elephant Show” are back to entertain a new crop of preschoolers with “Skinnamarink TV,” a colorful romp that begins today on cable’s Learning Channel.

Loosely set at a TV station, the mix of playful sketches, jokes and music takes place in a series of mini-programs, as the cast--which includes costumed characters Ella elephant and C.C. Copycat, and a family of real mice--play all the parts in a wacky lineup of game shows, detective shows, soap opera, weather reports, cooking shows, commercials and more.

Silliness is a big element, and it’s a tribute to the trio’s long-tested talent for comfortably relating to young children--they’ve reached grandparent age now--that they deliver it so smoothly.

One ingredient that doesn’t do much for the mix is C.C. Copycat’s whiny mimicking of cast members’ dialogue. It becomes annoying in no time--to adult ears, anyway--and it’s no stretch to imagine that it will catch on with young viewers.

What’s wonderful and rare is the music. Sharon, Lois & Bram became one of the most successful recording groups in children’s music with their mellow, happy delivery of multiethnic folk songs, novelty songs, early jazz, swing, big band and Broadway classics and rock oldies, and here they continue that tradition.

Each show is a treasure trove of songs not likely to be heard elsewhere on kids’ TV, certainly not in such abundance. So, while there is some newer, just-for-children material, most of the musical selections go back a bit further: Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing,” for instance, and “Cooking Breakfast for the One I Love,” “At the Codfish Ball” and the old-time parlor song, “Alice Blue Gown.”

It’s a kick.

* “Skinnamarink TV” airs Mondays through Thursdays at 8:30 a.m. on the Learning Channel. The network has rated it TV-Y (suitable for children of all ages).