BBC MUZZY Italian Language Course, Level 1 (5 VHS videotapes [NTSC], 1 CD-ROM [PC/Mac], 2 audio cassette tapes, Video Script Book, and Quick Start Guide) (Muzzy: The BBC Language Course for Children, Italian)

The BBC Muzzy foreign language system is the most popular foreign language teaching kit for children in the United States and Western Europe. Muzzy is a giant, furry alien, who lands in Gondoland, a kingdom which contains a king, a queen, Princess Sylvia, Bob the gardener, and Corvax, the king's right-hand man. The premise behind the animated Muzzy foreign language program is simple: show a cartoon to children in their native language, and then show the same cartoon again in the foreign language the children's parents want the child to learn. Repetition is key. In between short, twenty minute sequences in the plotline, the Muzzy foreign language series shows vocabulary and grammar-building snippets, designed to reinforce concepts and language for time, movement, money, manners, and daily life settings. As the plot line develops, Muzzy meets Bob. Bob befriends the alien. Bob is in love with Sylvia, who son declares her love for Bob as well. However, Corvax is in love with Sylvia, setting up comic situations that allow for intrigue, capture children's attention, and broaden the range of words and phrases the children can be exposed to in the foreign language they are learning. The Muzzy foreign language kits are available in English, German, French, Spanish, and Italian. In addition to the videos, the kit includes audio lessons (2 audio cassettes), a "Quick Guide" card for parents, a video script book, and the PC/Mac CD-ROM "Muzzy at the Seaside."