Tough Crowd – A Brief History of Children’s Entertainment

Children’s Entertainment is a booming industry in both Australia and overseas. When flicking through television channels you may wonder where all of these new shows popped up from and why there are so many channels devoted to kids.

Throughout the history of theatre and entertainment children have often been ignored. It was only in the 1800s when pantomimes featuring fairy stories became a popular spectacle for children.

The early 1900s saw an increase of children’s entertainment and with the development of cinema and television producers began to target young audiences. Children were gradually discovered as a primary consumer of entertainment and entertainment related products.

Disney set a new standard of kids entertainment with the boom of 1990s children’s movies featuring modern music, exciting storylines and larger than life characters. These films were followed by family musicals that wowed Broadway and the world.

At a time when Broadway had faded in the mainstream media, Disney took over with kid friendly musicals that put Broadway back in the spotlight. Families flocked to take their kids to see ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘The Lion King’ and shows like ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ and ‘Mary Poppins’ were quick to  follow suit.

While the new wave of children’s movies and musicals were taking the world by storm, kids supergroups were taking over Australia. Groups including ‘The Wiggles’ and ‘High Five’ created catchy melodies and captured the imagination of children across the globe.

With this influx of captivating children’s entertainment in the mainstream media, local entertainment companies have had to follow suit and provide quality live entertainment for children.

It is no longer acceptable for a children’s entertainer to twist a few balloons and do a few magic tricks, today’s entertainers have to compete with video games and Hollywood special events to capture the attention of children in the digital age.

At Superstar Parties we understand that children are a hard audience to impress and deserve quality entertainment that is second to none. That’s why all of our performers are talented industry professionals.

So when you’re planning your next kids party or event remember, kids are a tough crowd with high expectations, so you need to bring in the best. Don’t just get your great aunt to dress up as a fairy or go for the cheapest entertainment you can find. Don’t settle for anything less than a Superstar! Your kids will thank you.