Minipops

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 from 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 erupted over how appropriate the show's content was for children, as many of the selected songs contained sexual innuendo, and the young performers were made to wear adult costumes and make-up; this controversy led to the show's cancellation after one series.

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 from 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 erupted over how appropriate the show's content was for children, as many of the selected songs contained sexual innuendo, and the young performers were made to wear adult costumes and make-up; this controversy 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 1982¹ 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. Cecil Korer, then head of entertainment 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

Discography

Seven albums were produced and released in the UK, Europe and Canada.

Albums

Before the television show: The Mini Pops (1982) After the television show: We're the Mini Pops (1983) Christmas (1984) Let's Dance (1984) Wanna Have Fun (1985) Magic Juke Box (1986) Rocket to the Stars (1989) 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.

See also

Kids Incorporated Kidz Bop

References

External links

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378378259 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.