Network: PBS
Running Time: 30 minutes
Episode Name: Hercules Unleashed
Targeted Age Group/General Show Overview: While this show no longer airs on television (except for the rare late night PBS appearance), it is available on VHS and DVD and is a beloved classic for many families. Wishbone, is the beloved pet of Joe Talbot, and narrator of this classic PBS show. Each episode begins in the “real world,” where Joe and his friends Samantha and David come to some type of dilemma. This dilemma always reminds Wishbone of the time a character in a classic tale encountered the same type of problem, segueing us into the realm of classic literature fantasy. Wishbone, portraying the main character of the tale, takes viewers to times and places afar, and always manages to save the day in both the classic and real worlds in which he resides. The day is saved, a lesson is learned, and a piece of literature has embedded itself in the minds of young readers. Great for the 8-10 crowd.
Plot: In this episode, everyone is searching for just the right gift, but must overcome some pretty hefty obstacles in order to find it. Sam knows just what to get her father for his 40th birthday-a picture of him and Joe’s dad on a fishing trip years ago! Unfortunately, it’s SOMEWHERE in a stack of many, many files. Wishbone has lost his own juicy birthday-bone to a mean Doberman. These complications remind him of the time Hercules went on a quest for the Golden Apples, but must first find the garden, and get past the beautiful Hesperides and angry hundred-headed dragon who guard the tree. Will everyone conquer their hurdles and find their gifts in time?
Personal Thoughts: Just because the Illiad was originally written in Ancient Greek, doesn’t mean readers today must read it as such. In the same way, just because classics are written in language too advanced for most tweens, doesn’t mean they should be excluded from them. Wishbone remedies this problem by showing how applicable and approachable these books still are today in ways that are appealing to kids and tweens! Plus, who doesn’t love a Jack Russell Terrier dressed up as Robin Hood?!
Educational Tie Ins/Learning Activity: This is a great show for schools and libraries to use to introduce classic literature in approachable ways. After watching Wishbone, a group of students/readers could work together to portray one of their own favorite stories to others.
