Minipops was a television series broadcast in 1983 on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. Designed primarily for younger viewers, it consisted of music performances on a brightly coloured set featuring preteen children singing then-contemporary pop music hits and older classics. The children were usually made to look like the original performers, including clothing and make-up. Controversy over children singing songs that often contained a subtext of adult content led to the show's cancellation after one series.
History
Minipops was the brainchild of Martin Wyatt, who created a new child group from London called the MiniPops and released an album in 1982 which reached the top 30 in the UK and Europe. This resulted in a French record label releasing a single from the album, "Stupid Cupid", which was sung by Martin Wyatt's young daughter Jo. The song reached number 1 in France, knocking "Ebony and Ivory" off the top spot. Head of Entertainment Cecil Korer at Channel 4 and record producer Mike Mansfield embraced the idea of producing a TV show around the MiniPops; Korer believed it would boost and broaden the group's audience appeal. On 4 July 1982, thousands of amateur child performers from across Britain descended on a London theatre for the audition in a search to find additional children to sing and star in the television show with the original five members of the group.
Criticism
Though the series was a success for Channel 4, little thought was given to the ethics of child performers singing songs originally written for older artists and dressing and dancing in a provocative style. Whilst embraced by children who loved the idea of ordinary children singing and dancing along with their favourite songs, the show sat uneasily with some adults; this was capped by a performance from Joanna Fisher, who covered the Sheena Easton song "9 to 5" in nightclothes and included the lyrics "night time is the right time, we make love". In response, the programme began attracting criticism from commentators in the British media who suggested that portraying children in this manner was somewhat sinister. The Daily Mail charged Minipops with partial responsibility for "the slaying of childhood", and was criticised in a 27February 1983 article in The Observer:
"Is it merely priggish to feel queasy at the sight of primary school minxes with rouged cheeks, eye make-up and full-gloss lipstick belting out songs like torch singers and waggling those places where they will eventually have places? The final act of last week's show featured a chubby blonde totlette, thigh-high to a paedophile, in a ra-ra skirt and high heels; her black knickers were extensively flashed as she bounced around singing the words 'See that guy all dressed in green/He's not a man, he's a loving machine.' Kiddie porn, a shop-window full of junior jailbait? And does the show thrust premature sexual awareness onto its wide-eyed performers?"
The child cast and the show's creators were somewhat shocked at the response, despite the ratings success. When Cecil Korer was replaced by Mike Bolland as head of entertainment for Channel 4, he cancelled plans for a second series.
Discography
Seven albums were produced and released in the UK, Europe and Canada.
In Canada We're the Mini Pops was successful, becoming the third-highest-selling album in Canada at the time. This prompted the Minipops to hold a three-week tour in 1983, enjoying controversy-free success. A number of singles were released across Europe.
On 11 October 2005, Channel 4 screened a follow-up programme called Whatever Happened to the Minipops?. This featured a history of the show, interviews with the former Minipops and crew and a reunion at the original theatre where the programme was filmed.
''The Day Today''
In 1994 the BBC comedy The Day Today parodied the Minipops. The satirical news programme advertised a fictional Attitudes Night on BBC2, which looked back at past television shows to illustrate how attitudes had changed. One such example was the programme "Kiddystare, Channel Four, 1983" in which nude toddlers romped for the pleasure of adults.
