News that a BBC children’s program on the CBeebies network changed the words to Humpty Dumpty has been met with widespread “are-you-kidding-me?”.
The change, broadcast on the CBeebies program Something Special last Friday, outraged Labour MP for Glasgow South Tom Harris who watched the show with his two young sons.
Harrissaid it was “pathetic” that the BBC had rewritten one of the most famous nursery rhymes so children would not be upset at Humpty’s fate. “For goodness sake. Obviously children will find it far too violent, distressing and horrific that Humpty should not be put together again,” he said.
A BBC spokesman said the changes were made for creative reasons. “We play nursery rhymes with their original lyrics all the time and the small change to Humpty Dumpty was done for no other reason than being creative and entertaining,” he said.
It is not the first time the BBC has tweaked a popular nursery rhyme to ensure a more sanitised ending. A recent CBeebies cookery show changed Little Miss Muffet so the little girl no longer runs away from the spider but instead becomes friends with the eight-legged creature.
The sound you just heard is me stuffing my fingers into my ears to drown out the sound of a million fingers tapping “THIS IS POLITICAL CORRECTNESS GONE MAD” on their computers.
Is it really a big deal? Is anyone banning Humpty from dying or suggesting the introduction of a law prohibiting the preparation of scrambled eggs? They are not.
It’s just a nursery rhyme, right?
Mostly, I agree that yes, it is a Nursery Rhyme and children parrot all sorts of words without really knowing, caring or thinking about what they mean. Eeeny Meeny Miny Moe is an example of that. How many parents forget that the words have now been changed from their original and find themselves stumbling to correct themselves? This particular example is a good thing and very different to Humpty of course.
But when you actually listen to the words of nursery rhymes, there are some pretty awful ideas and messages being propagated really. It’s all very violent. Lots of death and destruction.
Do you care? Does it matter? Will you ever be able to look at scrambled eggs in the same way again? Is it all a storm in an egg cup? Rant away…..
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I read this and was shocked, and going to comment how absurd it is to change the lyrics - but then realised I do the same thing! I sing "Rock-a-bye baby" with "and Mummy will catch you cradle and all" because I was terrified my infant sons would have nightmares about falling out of trees! lol
I find this so funny! But also strangely disturbing.
Surely not being able to put Humpty together again is a good introduction to the reality of life and death. We must accept it eventually, that death comes to us all. Why not start with Humpty?
Linda.