Horrible Histories Shakespeare/Vikings songs

I don’t know if American kids have been introduced to the Scholastic book series Horrible Histories (written by Terry Deary, illustrated by Martin Brown) or if some U.S. public television station has been showing the CBBC/BBC One Horrible Histories series, but they definitely should, even if the series is understandably Euro-centric.

This William Shakespeare video should prove to anyone why I think the series is so great—in one song it contains more actual history than an entire night’s lineup on the History Channel and that history is mixed with humor, silly animations, great song parodies and most importantly, intelligent enough to keep the adults entertained. The series reminds of classic Warner Bros. cartoons, where most of the humor would go right over the heads of kids and yet years later would reveal itself in adulthood. (My fondest memory is 8 Ball Bunny where Bugs tries to take a homeless penguin to the South Pole is and constantly interrupted by a man who asks if Bugs can “spare a dime for a fellow American down on his luck.”)

Most kids won’t recognize the style of the video as being a nod to cool ’50s lounge singers, but it will keep the adults marvelously entertained, especially the final “doobie doos” at the end.

And kids definitely won’t recognize the Simon and Garfunkel influence of the Vikingland song, that again manages to get in some nice facts about place names, the Danelaw and nursery rhymes (such a nice shift to another song reference), and the final lines will bring a smile to anyone who survived the ’60s.