Mountains. Molehills. Mommy losing her mind.

I'm a letter writer. I don't mean personal letters; that's what Facebook and email and the phone are for. I mean letters to companies. You know those glowing letters companies proudly display to potential customers, carefully tucked into shiny sheet protectors? Those kind of letters. And also the kind that produce attempts to "rectify the situation" and sometimes include the phrase "my attorney."

I try to write at least as many positive as negative. I even wrote commendation letters for half-a-dozen of the nurses who took care of me when I had Rylee. So I'm not just some fussy old biddy complaining about poor service and my bunions. And the bar for one of these letters - positive or negative - is set moderately high.

This is the kind of thing that makes me indignant these days. And yes, I really did call the office.

auntninn's house
Arizona

Director in charge of DVD Programming
Nickelodeon
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036

Re: The Backyardigans, “Escape from the Tower”

Dear Sir or Madame:

First let me apologize for not addressing this letter more personally. I was unable to obtain the title and name of the correct person when calling your New York office.

I have a 23-month old daughter and she loves the Backyardigans. We own all the DVDs and let her watch the program chiefly because of its high quality music, dancing and storytelling. Her father and I enjoy watching with her, and this is in contrast to a number of other children’s programs available today.

When I saw the latest DVD release, “Escape from the Tower”, on Amazon I pre-ordered it anticipating adding another excellent DVD to her collection. When it arrived I was disgusted to find the DVD included only three Backyardigans episodes and one episode of The Fresh Beat Band. This was particularly irritating since the Fresh Beat Band wasn’t included as a bonus feature, but in place of the typical fourth Backyardigans episode. The only other Backyardigans DVDs with three episodes include one double-length episode.

I have no desire to watch - let alone purchase - episodes of The Fresh Beat Band. I felt like Nickelodeon was forcing me to purchase something I didn’t want to get something I did want. This was especially true since the included episodes of The Backyardigans have not aired on television. If you peruse the DVD reviews on Amazon you will find I am not the only person who feels this way.

I hope this DVD will represent a one-off from the typical Backyardigans four-episode DVD bundling. While I would consider purchasing a DVD that included four Backyardigans episodes and a bonus preview of another show, I will reconsider future Backyardigans DVD purchases if Nickelodeon continues the practice of replacing content I wish to purchase with content I do not.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
auntninn