Itty Bitty Heart Beats Review/Giveaway

I was approached by a marketing agency to review a new children's series called The Itty Bitty Heart Beats. I have to admit, the giant heart heads kind of freaked me out at first, but after watching the series with my daughter, I realized that this is a good show with a good message. Here is my review of Itty Bitty Heart Beats, and details on the giveaway are found after the review.

About the Show

itty bitty Heartbeats™ is an award winning series of animated musical adventures for children ages 2 through 6. Each episode opens with a live-action situation, in which a real-life child faces a challenge. The series deals with issues such as sibling rivalry, stage fright, using good manners, and first day of school fears. The animated story in HeartLand parallels the challenge that the live-action boy or girl is facing. The itty bitty Heartbeats™ empower the child to make a positive choice from his/her heart. By seeing how the itty bitty Heartbeats™ solve their problems, the children in the real world learn to solve their own problems and learn “from the heart.” itty bitty Heartbeats™ is a Kids First Award Recipient.

The Creators

Shuki Levy is an award-winning composer, songwriter, recording and performing artist, Shuki Levy has garnered 15 gold and platinum records with sales in excess of 14 million records worldwide. He has scored over a dozen feature and television films; composed the music for over 130 television shows; and produced, written and directed multiple film and television projects. He has also composed over 100 memorable television theme songs, including "Inspector Gadget" (1983), "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" (1983),"Spider-Man" (1994), and "X-Men" (1992). Shuki's vision and imagination helped launch such kids' entertainment phenomena as "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" (1993). In addition, Shuki has written and directed several independent features, including Susie Q (1996) (TV), Round Trip to Heaven (1992), and Rusty: A Dog's Tale (1998) His most recent family film, Aussie and Ted's Great Adventure (2009), stars Dean Cain and Beverly D'Angelo.

Anita Mann has been honored by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences as one of America’s top five contemporary choreographers. She is also the recipient of five Emmy nominations, one Emmy Award and accolades from every corner of the industry. Her choreography credits include “The Muppets Go Hollywood” (her first Emmy Nomination), “The Great Muppet Caper”, “Sesame Street Live”, “The Mighty Morphin Power Ranger Tour”, “Snoopy’s World of Magic”, “Arthur” as well as countless other live, film and television shows. Anita Mann has danced with and choreographed for Elvis Presley, Lucille Ball, Michael Jackson, Cher and countless other stars while maintaining a four decade relationship with all the major networks.

The Characters

BabyHeart is adorable

GiggleHeart loves to laugh

CoolHeart is adventurous

WiseHeart shares his wisdom

KookyHeart is full of energy

SweetHeart is caring

My Thoughts
When I first saw the Itty Bitty Heart Beats, I didn't quite know what to make of the human-like characters with giant hearts for heads. But there is so much other "junk" on TV, that I thought I would give this a try in hopes that the program would surprise me. I did a little research on the creators, and found out that they have very respectable bodies of work. I watched the four episodes that are available for free online, and I have to say I was actually enjoying the show. I think the animation, singing and genuinely nice characters reminded me of the "good old days" when I used to watch Care Bears and the Smurfs. They were just very good hearted stories that usually taught some sort of lesson. The Heart Beats aim to do the very same thing. The music is incredibly catchy, and the moral lessons are broad enough that any child can learn from them. Just this morning, I found myself humming the tune in this video.

The real litmus test for me was letting my 18 month old daughter watch the series. She obviously loved the music as she danced all over the room while the Heart Beats sang their little hearts out, and the stories were engaging enough to hold her attention for their 15 minute duration. Test passed!

With so many choices out there for children's entertainment, it is good to see that some people still know how to create good, wholesome fun. There is a formula that has worked for many years - cute characters, fun songs, and good moral lessons - and Itty Bitty Heart Beats has them all. Once you get past the unusually large heads, you will see that Itty Bitty Heart Beats is a winner. I definitely recommend giving it a try.

GIVEAWAY PRIZE PACK - An Itty Bitty Heart Beats Prize Pack was provided for this giveaway and includes the following items:

2 Plush characters (CoolHeart and SweetHeart)

1 DVD featuring all four episodes

1 Coloring book with crayons

1 Heart shaped board book