The Furchester Hotel - Open for Business

Coming to CBeebies at the end of this month is the exciting new series for children aged 3-6 years, The Furchester Hotel.  Starring Elmo and the Cookie Monster along with the Furchester family and a host of other lovable characters, the series is made in partnership with Sesame Workshop.

Back in May, we visited CBeebies Studios in Salford to find out about more about the show and to watch the filming of an episode of The Furchester Hotel.  

The show is set in The Furchester Hotel where a family of close-knit, chaotic monsters welcome their guests and bend over backwards to meet their every need.  Mum Funella, dad Fergus and their daughter Phoebe work alongside cousin Elmo, waiter and room service guy the Cookie Monster and the furry bell monster, Isabelle to ensure everything runs smoothly.  

But they do run into problems!  For example how do you disguise a pony who checks in for a quiet break? Where is the perfect place to put a very fussy plant? What happens when Super Rock appears and needs a new super hero cape? How can they stop Cookie Monster from eating the giant cookie guest Mr. Crumb? 

The Furchester family approach every problem with determination and resolve in order to keep their guests happy and devise a solution for every situation. Even when they think they have exhausted all the possibilities, their perseverance prevails because their family motto is, “A Furchester never gives up!”

We were able to watch an unfinished episode that featured some singing vegetables!  Freddy loved it and thought the characters were adorable and fun.  Then we went to see the show being filmed.  Seeing the puppeteers in action in the beautifully crafted sets was really incredible.

The very best part of the day was when the children got to meet the characters!  They swept in to the room and chatted, hugged and played with us all.  It was magical!

The puppeteers are real artistes who breathe life into the array of fantastic puppets, giving them all a personality and a voice.  Hearing the familiar sound of the Cookie Monster and Elmo as they chatted to Kizzy and Freddy left me a little starstruck!!

We had a great day at the CBeebies studios and got a real insight into The Furchester Hotel.  I love the message of inclusivity and optimism, the uplifting use of fun-filled music and the colourful characters and elaborate sets. We will definitely be looking out for it when it appears on our screens on September 26th at 5pm.

Once Upon a Monster

We have just invested in a new XBox 360 with Kinect.  We have a Wii and a PS3 with Move but the fact that you need a controller to play the interactive games spells disaster.  When wielded in the hands of a toddler, we live in fear of our TV getting a remote thrust through it!  Having a Kinect means our toddler Freddy can play by using his body, which is much easier for him...and safer for our TV!

We were sent Once Upon A Monster to try out.  Playing a Sesame Street game means you are instantly familiar with the characters.  Freddy loves Elmo and the Cookie Monster so we were onto a winner from the start in that respect.  He was transfixed from the introductory film!

The game is like jumping into a storybook adventure.  You play with Sesame Street characters along with friendly new monsters as you embark on an exciting journey of discovery, learning and fun.  You get to jump, dance, fly, sing and move with controller free action which makes the game accessible to even the youngest of players.  There are six enchanting chapters to explore teaching important life lessons along the way.

As you befriend and help out other characters, children learn about co-operation, empathy, friendship, sharing and teamwork.  It's all very subtle but young children respond to the intuitive prompts and thoroughly enjoy helping out their new on screen friends.  It is nice to see a game that encourages social and emotional development in such a fun way.  It also gets the kids up and moving as they engage in activities such as Monkey See Monkey Do, playing musical instruments, flying or negotiating obstacle courses.

The game can be played with one or two players and has a co-op drop in/out feature allowing a parent to step in to help at any time, if the child gets stuck on a game.  This is great to avoid frustration and keeps the gameplay flowing.

The disco dancing was my favourite level and it got us up and bopping with the monsters at their party.  It really is a hugely entertaining game for all the family.  You literally become part of a whimsical, living storybook where you interact with zany monsters and take part in a broad spectrum of fun activities.  What is not to love!!

9 year old Kizzy said it was really fun. It was challenging enough to keep her engaged.  She loved the animation, the humour and the laid back vibe of the game.  Freddy was happy to let Daddy help him out and was literally riveted to the screen as he watched Elmo and the other monsters.

Catching garbage with the Grouch!

Daddy helps Freddy.

I think this game has been really well designed to have mass appeal.  Children love it, parents do too. The mix of physical, social and emotional development is quite unique and definitely a good use of the technology available.  I hope more games like this will be developed that are so positive and educational for little ones.  I can't praise this enough as a game for the children, where parents can join in and share the adventure.

For more information check out the official website at http://www.onceuponamonstergame.com/