Wheels on the Bus: Mango Helps the Moon Mouse

All Ages

Birth - 12 months

by Our Happy Child Productions

This entertaining story teaches key socialization skills of helping and sharing while the loveable Mango and Papaya go on another musical adventure - this time helping a Hungry Moon Mouse who has landed his spaceship on the earth. Special stops include a Reptile Show, a Bird Show, Whole Foods Market and Epoxie the Clown's Birthday Party.

Age: 2 Year-olds | Title: Wheels on the Bus: Mango Helps the Moon Mouse | Company: Our Happy Child Productions

Why we chose this video

Your little one can learn to share and help others alongside the loveable puppets, Mango the monkey and his friend, Papaya the parrot. This movie provides consistent stimulation for your little one to keep them entertained through mixed media including puppets, actors, and computer animation, and frequent sing-alongs. Mango and Papaya complain to the zoo director at the beginning of the movie that they are bored (sound familiar, parents?), so she challenges them to go out into the world and help someone with the expectation of nothing in return except a good feeling. Throughout the movie, there are multiple examples of characters helping one another, and Mango ultimately learns that it doesn't need to be a special 'sharing day' in order to share - everyday is a sharing day! Mango and his friends end up helping a stranded moon mouse find cheese and bring it back home to the moon. While at the market getting cheese, the group of friends teaches viewers about healthy eating. Coco, a young girl, sings, "Fresh fruits, no fatty foods, I even like tofu. There's lots of good treats, don't have to be sweet, so I find a numy yummy that feel sunny in my tummy, and I'm ready for a happy healthy day." The friends also spend some time helping Argon the dragon figure out what he likes to eat. They try many junk foods, like a hot dog, marshmallow, and potatoes chips, but he spits them all out insisting that dragons don't like those foods. Argon finally finds what he likes - no, loves! - apples! Seeing unhealthy foods be rejected, and healthy foods favored is a great influence for little viewers. Finally, your child will also see mini-lessons on how to recognize different animals, reptiles, and birds, ranging from familiar creatures like a scorpion or owl, to more exotic creatures like a blue-tongued skink or a Moluccan cockatoo.

Perhaps the most obvious interaction your child will have with the movie is the songs. They will likely at least clap, hum, or move to the beat, and probably sing along once they learn the words. "The Wheels on the Bus" song is repeated throughout the entire movie, each time with a new verse. For instance, the sounds of the children's marching band on the bus are fun to sing along to; "The tube on the bus goes wah wah wah" and "The band on the bus goes la la la." You can have some fun bonding time with your child by working together to create more verses for the "Wheels On The Bus Song" that apply more specifically to your family. Perhaps use your child's name in the song and sing about what he or she would do on the bus. Children love hearing their own name in a song. Many original songs are added throughout the movie as well, each with a catchy tune and sung by different characters. Argon's singing voice is surprisingly baritone and quite jazzy. He even does a little rap in the first song of the show. Expect your child to have questions about the many different lessons demonstrated and animals shown; their range of questions will show you what interests them the most.

I watched this DVD with my two-year-old friend, Sam. His favorite sections were the mini lessons teaching about birds and reptiles. He tried to touch the screen when the reptiles were shown, clearly intrigued by them. Each time a new bird appeared on the screen, he would point and say "bird!" However, when the scarlet macaw was shown, he perked up and yelled, "Papaya!" like the parrot puppet in the movie.

--Audra

About the video

Our Happy Child Productions is the creator of The Wheels on the Bus series, which is a collection of multi award-winning educational videos that teach early socialization skills such as sharing, helping, cooperation and good nutrition to young children. These musical adventures delight and entertain children while teaching important skills. Their focus is on helping to create "great kids" - kids who are polite, kind, and respectful; kids who are happy and secure.

Winner of many industry awards, including the prestigious Parent's Choice Silver Honor Award, The Wheels on the Bus children's video series features a colorful blend of live action, puppetry and animation to create fun and captivating musical adventures based on the world famous song. Each episode features visits to exciting destinations such as a zoo, a farm, an aquarium, a reptile show, a bird show, a birthday party, Whole Foods Market, and a dog parade.

Developed in consultation with Dr. Dorothy Singer, PhD, Co-director of the Yale University Family Television Research Center, the material is age appropriate and provides an intelligent way for young children to absorb important concepts. An expert on early childhood development, television effects on youth, and parent training in imaginative play, she has written more than 20 books and over 160 articles. Singer received the award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to the Media by the American Psychological Association in 2004. She received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2006.

Timothy Armstrong, Founder of Armstrong Moving Pictures, is an independent film producer with three young children, including busy 2-year old twins. When Tim's first child was born he saw the need for fun, entertaining, high-quality programming that taught young children valuable lessons about manners, respect and sharing, so he created the first DVD in the series, Mango and Papaya's Animal Adventure. He writes, directs, and produces The Wheels on the Bus Series.

Tiffany Foster is the CEO of Our Happy Child Productions. Tiffany has three young children with her husband Frank, and cares passionately about creating high quality, family-friendly programming for young children. Young children's brains are creating synaptic connections by the trillions (literally!) and rhythm, music and repetition help children learn through reinforcing the positive connections. Tiffany's background is in Marketing and Strategic Planning. Tiffany, originally from Sydney, earned her MBA from Harvard Business School in 1993 .

Roger Daltrey is a rock vocalist, songwriter, and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a successful musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of film, theatre and television roles. Daltrey is the voice of the bus driver, Argon the Dragon. The rock legend's voice is a perfect fit for the large green dragon and brings the beloved children's classic song, The Wheels on the Bus, to life with creative verses and several original songs written for this series. In 2003, Daltrey was honored by Time Magazine as a European Hero for his work with the Teenage Cancer Trust and other charities. "The Wheels on the Bus Video gave me the chance to do something different," says Daltrey, "It's a great way of introducing music to a whole new generation of kids - maybe even the grandchildren of teenagers that grew up listening to the WHO!"

Laura Hall is best known as the improvisational pianist on televisions Whose Line Is It Anyway? In addition to composing the music for The Wheels on the Bus Series, Laura has also written and produced two albums of original children's music.

Janie Escalle, debuted in her first Wheels on the Bus video when she was 7 years old. She has appeared live on stage in classic musicals such as Annie, Gypsy, Children of Eden, Goodbye Girl, Seussical as well as others in venues around San Diego. Janie attends five dance classes per week which includes Tap, Jazz, Ballet and Lyrical. She enjoys singing with the performing show choir at school and is proud to have been a part of the Wheels on the Bus series.