The Orthodox Union, in conjunction with Olom Hachesed and Torah Entertainment Productions, has just released The Tower of Babel, the first in the series of “Tinker Shop Tales” DVDs intended for children 3-9. The entire series is OU “kid approved,” as noted on the DVD cover.
The 35-minute animated DVD may be purchased on the Shop OU website www.shopou.org for $14.95.
The “Tales” are exciting adventures that take place in the back room of Mr. Teekoon’s Tinker Shop, which is filled with old appliances, computers and other gadgets. This is where Mr. Teekoon, whose name means to “repair” in Hebrew, works hard to restore them. The word “teekoon” in Jewish sources, usually spelled tikkun, refers to the individual’s responsibility to do Tikkun Olam — repairing of the world by doing good things.
At night when Mr. Teekoon’s shop is closed something magical happens — inanimate objects come to life.
The DVD tells the story of the Computer Tower of Babel in an era when all computers spoke the same language. Abraham, Sarah and the Kindness Crew stand-up to the malevolent mainframe computer Nimrod, whose goal, underscored by his wonderfully evil giggle, is to build the most powerful computer tower in the land – 2,000 megahertz with a 4,000 gigabyte hard drive. Once completed, he will join with other computers in one great network to launch an attack against God.
Not just another children’s video, “Tinker Shop Tales” is unique in its high-end animation on par with anything mainstream television has to offer. It arrives on the children’s entertainment scene at a time when the market for children’s spirituality – a primarily Christian endeavor, is soaring.
Tinker Shop Tales’ director and producer, Rick Magder, a former Hollywood filmmaker and now OU Director of Media and Broadcasting, has followed the rapidly emerging children’s spirituality market for a number of years.
“There is a huge demand for spiritual content that promotes family values, and most of it is produced by Christians,” Mr. Magder declared. “Jewish subject matter is almost non-existent. In fact, there is so little high-quality Jewish content available that Jews have resorted to purchasing Christian programs for their kids.”
“Today’s kids are used to a very high level of technology,” Mr. Magder said. “We have to deliver the right message in a format that is technologically competitive.”
The “Tales” are grounded in Torah and at the same carry a universal message that reaches people from all walks of life,” Mr. Magder said.
“The Tower of Babel” was written by Gary Magder, an accomplished feature film and television writer.
Families will enjoy the DVD’s bonus features, which include sing-a-long songs like One Big World; Stand Up and Tower Song, with Abe and the Kindness Crew. Tower of Babel’s original songs were composed by Phillip Namanworth, the singer-songwriter who has written for Sesame Street, Nickelodeon, movies, and TV.
For more information contact Barry Mase: maseb@ou.org or 212-613-8176.