My kids have been without fancy cable TV for most of their lives, but this summer they’ve discovered the merits of the Sprout channel. It has clean programming without violence or sassy language and they can watch it without much editing or channel flipping from me. But Dirt Girl World has got to be one of the weirdest programs that’s been on during our limited TV time.

When we watch it I regularly experience the heebbiejeebies. The animation is baffling to me — it is part regular film, part animation, part puppet or something kooky. I can’t take my eyes off it, but not because I think it is so great. It is mostly because I keep trying to figure out which parts are real and which are drawn and how did they do that??

And then there is the matter of the Australian accent. The main character, called, appropriately, Dirt Girl, has a mystifying accent that no one else on the show shares. It’s just her. And when I try to copy it my kids all yell for me to stop immediately. It even drives them to anger! They’ve rushed me at least twice, trying to silence me! Why, how could you deprive your dear mother of the enjoyment of trying to copy a dificult Australian accent?? When I try it without the help of a recent episode of Dirt Girl, it usually lapses into a terrible Irish/Cockney hybrid that wouldn’t order my a Guiness in any pub worth it’s … Guiness.

Take a look and see what you think!
http://www.dirtgirlworld.com/

P.S. This woman does an amazing samping of accents. She does a couple Australian accents around 1 min 18 seconds. You’ll think you can do it too…until you try!