Originally Aired: March 31st, 1973
Written by: Bob Dorough
Performed by: Bob Dorough
Shel's Review
Music: π΅π΅π΅
Animation: πΊ πΊ πΊ πΊ πΊ
Pedagogy: π
Accuracy: π―π―π―π―π―
Yikes Factor: π¬
Bob brings us an incredibly high concept season finale here with our twelve times tables. Boy is it spiky. I think the song is fun but could've been better. I really like the music when he's actually multiplying by twelves but it feels like a completely separate song from the rest of it like he just takes a break to sing a completely different song with no good bridge or segue. The animation is really fun. I love the character design and the pinball table and all the fun visual effects and the weird stylized square footprints. I love how the stripes on the alien are actually just transparency to the starry style behind them. Pedagogically this is possibly the worst one. In attempting to kind-of explain the concept of base-12 to us (in second grade??? really??? is this what y'all were learning in school at the same time as multiplying by three?) he really confuses and loses track of the point of the song being to learn how to multiply by twelve. As a kid this song left me feeling like multiplying by twelve must be really complicated and hard. He spends so much time singing about how much easier life would be for hypothetical aliens and not on anything useful like strategies for multiplying by 12. As far as I can tell, the math checks out here, just not the pedagogy.
June's Review
Music π΅π΅π΅π΅π΅
This song is the sequel to figure 8. The song is just whatever, mostly, but that intro riff? That fucking intro riff? My fucking god. It is genuinely one of my favorite riffs ever. And if you don't believe me, why not ask MOTHER. FUCKING. MF. DOOM This riff is fucking AWESOME, it is the best sample in schoolhouse rock and maybe my favorite little musical bit. This on it's own elevates it to 5/5, even though the rest of the song is... pretty good i guess.
Animation πΊ πΊ πΊ πΊ πΊ
I really love the animation here? The way the funky little guy is portrayed, the way he like. Manifests Piano, the pinball machine? It's all just super fun to watch. I don't really have anything bad to say!
Pedagogy ππππ
So uh, yes, I was the person who was really excited to ponder the idea of counting in different bases in the second grade... I found the idea in here awesome. Also like, it does teach twelve times tables pretty well! but mostly yeah I'm that fucker who was like OOO YEAH THAT'S INTERESTING" fdhjksdfkdf. Can't be that mad about it.
Accuracy and Yikes π―π―π―π―π―/π¬
Why are you combining accuracy and yikes, June? Well you see, I don't think anything in this song aged so badly that it's wrong, but instead it aged in a way that going "It's TWELVETOES" means I have to glare at our audience.
Up Next: A Special Multiplication Round-Up Math Special! And then!! Grammar Rock!!
