'Si Unyil' to make television comeback

'Si Unyil' to make television comeback

JAKARTA (JP): Si Unyil, the popular children's program taken
off the air in 1991, plans to make a comeback in the near future.

"I don't know exactly what the program will be called, maybe
Si Unyil with a new style and an added flair," Minister of
Information Harmoko disclosed on Wednesday during a hearing with
the House of Representatives's Commission I which deals with
national security issues.

Harmoko did not reveal when the new Unyil would return but
said it "would be in the not too distant future."

Si Unyil was taken off the air in 1991 after a successful 10-
year run on TVRI, the state-owned television station. The
producers canceled the show because they felt that a new version
was needed to accommodate the expanding horizons of younger
children in this information age.

The puppet program depicts the daily life in an Indonesian
village and spawned such adored characters as Pak Raden and Pak
Ogah.

The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund
(UNICEF) has praised Si Unyil as a model for an inexpensive but
appropriate children's television program for developing
countries.

The new Si Unyil, however, may find the going rough.

The program enjoyed a huge following when TVRI was the only
television station around. Now there are five commercial networks
competing for viewers, putting out equally popular imported
children programs such as Dora Emon and Asterix on Sunday
morning, the traditional slot for Si Unyil.

The popularity of Si Unyil was evident at the House as
legislator Endang Zainal Abidin of the United Development Party
faction freely admitted, "it was the only Indonesian television
program that I used to watch."

He praised the program for its educational qualities and the
moral values it transmitted to the country's youths. (05/mds)