Dawn Images

Got energetic little ones you can’t keep up with? Don’t worry, The Bobbles is coming to your rescue! This quartet is sure to match your toddler’s enthusiasm and keep them engaged while teaching them a thing or two about the world around them.

On Saturday, I entered the MAD school in Karachi’s Zamzama with only one piece of information in my head — I was going to watch a musical called The Bobbles. Now, for someone who hates musicals — yes, that sounds as horrendous as hating puppies or ice cream (which I don’t, just to clarify) — I was not particularly excited about this. Imagine my surprise when I walk in and half the audience is half my height, seated on the floor at the front of my room. A musical for children? Okay, that’s exactly what a 20-something adult should be doing with their lives on a weekend.

It gets weirder though — I’m going to cut to the chase here and admit something crazy — I actually enjoyed it. The songs in particular — upbeat and catchy — had my attention 100 per cent. To do that to a musical-hater is pretty impressive, I’d say, but my focus was on the rest of the audience. I’ve been to a play or two but this, by far, was one that had its audience most engaged. The little ones were screaming in glee, guessing what’s coming next, giggling — I caught even some adults unable to hold back at some parts.

What I loved most was that the 45 minutes we spent with The Bobbles were not only filled with tremendous energy — not going to lie, I actually questioned if these people are real human beings the way they tirelessly jumped around smiling, dancing, singing — they were also educational. From teaching its audience about what endorphins are, the importance of keeping the world around them clean, how the phases of the moon work and taking positive action when overcome with anger instead of throwing a tantrum, I think it is a wonderful initiative for children.

To the little ones’ delight, creator and director Nida Butt took to the stage at the end to announce that this was not a one-time show — The Bobbles are here to stay. After a short Muharram break, they will return with more shows — and even some specials for Halloween, Christmas and Eid. She also told Images that the music was all original, written by Hamza Jafri and they will be releasing one of the songs, ‘Rickshaw’, this week.

The Bobbles will be back to light up your children’s weekends starting August 12 — I strongly suggest you make your kid’s day and take them to experience The Bobbles for themselves.