9 Obvious Life Hacks Children's TV Taught Us

9 Obvious Life Hacks Children's TV Taught Us
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NEW YORK, NY - MAY 28: General view of atmosphere at the 12th annual Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 28, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images)
Robin Marchant via Getty Images

Children’s TV has taught us some important life lessons.

Our favourite programmes may not always have been as direct as the Adventures of He-Man, where the characters literally broke down the fourth wall at the end of the show and told you what you were meant to have learned ( FYI it was usually about not talking to strangers / Skeletor).

But, from crossing the road safely to handling work deadlines and dealing with your first crush, our favourite children's characters have always been on hand to pass on their important, if obvious, wisdom to help us build our life, work and social skills.

Let's face it, if you're not going to learn some of these things in childhood, you're heading for some awkward times in adulthood.

Children's TV is usually designed to educate as well as entertain, but it's important to note that some of the tricks we are exposed to are:

a) Unachievable - finding a talking cat to help you figure out whether a boy likes you like Sabrina the Teenage Witch or going to sleep and meeting up with your friends in your dreams like the gang in Midnight Patrol could probably only be achieved through participation in classified military experiments.

b) Unadvisable - following the Cookie Monster's diet or making a life size bubblegum replica of the boy you fancy, like Helga in hey Arnold! may result in issues later in life.

And c) inapplicable - It's really only necessary to learn how to get a pizza delivered to an underground sewer if you are a Ninja Turtle.

However, there are still plenty of simple hacks that we can learn from and, hopefully by now, have already mastered.

So, lets revisit some obvious, and one or two ingenious, life hacks that children's TV has taught us over the years.

9 Obvious Life Hacks Children's TV Taught Us
Worried About Making Friends? Try Being Nice to People(01 of07)
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Could the Care Bears have spelled it out any more plainly? With names like Share Bear, Friend Bear and Love-a-lot Bear, it was clear pretty early on that these living embodiments of their dominant personal qualities were here to teach us (and Grumpy Bear) some serious lessons about getting along with each other. Friend bear also taught us the obvious yet important hack that the best way to make friends is to be yourself. (credit:American Greetings)
If You're Having Trouble Seeing, Glasses Can Help You(02 of07)
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The numerous times that Chuckie Finster loses his glasses during Rugrats and then searches around madly with those little pin-prick eyes are not just for comic effect. No it's making very clear and obvious the connection between glasses and good eyesight. See also: Mr Magoo (credit:Patrick Riviere via Getty Images)
Picking Up Litter Improves Your Environment(03 of07)
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Thanks to the Wombles, we learned not only that tidying up and collecting rubbish makes our immediate environment much nicer, but that we can recycle the stuff we collect to make things like wallpaper out of old newspaper and, what appears to be, a Shisha out of an old tube for Uncle Bulgaria. (credit:Wikimedia)
Taking Advice From Others Can Save You Time(04 of07)
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In Adventure Time, Finn needed to gather magic tears from Cyclops to heal himself but ran into trouble because he wouldn't take advice from other people. Just swap Cyclops' magical tears for a board meeting presentation and the lesson is totally applicable. (credit:Pendleton Ward / Cartoon Network)
A Well Placed Ladder Can Help You Sneak Into An Upstairs Room Without Going Through The Front Door(05 of07)
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Tired of going through the front door? Well, thanks to Sam in Clarissa Explains it All, we now know that there are other, more stealthy ways to enter a property. This trope is so popular in children's entertainment that characters who do this have even earned themselves the title of Window Entrance Heros. Prestigious. (credit:Nickelodeon)
If In Doubt, Cover Everything in PVA Glue(06 of07)
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In CITV's classic arts and crafts series Art Attack, you could probably count on one hand the number of projects that didn't need a thorough dousing in PVA glue. It can be used as an adhesive, a softener and a glaze, but not as lipgloss. (credit:ITV)
Cheating Is Not A Life Hack(07 of07)
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Remember that episode of Grange Hill where Pogo stole a bunch of exam papers and tried to sell them only to find out they were from last year? The lesson for the day: cheating is never a good short cut. And always read the date on things. (credit:BBC)