CONTRIBUTIONS

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - With his pudgy body, frumpy dress and
soothing voice, Chao Tse-chiang comes across as a
combination of "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Mister Rogers" on his
hit children's TV program.

Blowing kisses and waving his arms, the cross-dressing Chao
- known as Fruit Granny - sings the farewell song to his
"Fruit Ice Cream" show:

"I wish your smile will be as sweet as fruit and your mood
as delicious as ice cream."

Before his show begins, Chao smudges red lipstick on his
lips and slips into a bulky red dress. With a sleepy little
farmhouse set, the half-hour show consists of Chao singing,
reading stories and cavorting with a dozen or so puppets,
including sheep, a bear and friendly witches.

 
The puppets and other characters make the show look a bit
like "Sesame Street" - which, like other American kiddie
shows such as "Clifford the Big Red Dog," is dubbed or
subtitled and shown widely on Taiwanese cable television.
But "Fruit Ice Cream" is not about math or learning to
read.

Rather, the show focuses on simple traditional family
values, something greatly treasured but gradually fading in
industrialized Taiwan, where nuclear families with two
working parents are replacing traditional clans with
grandparents living together with grandchildren.

"Many kids are in the care of nannies after school and go
to bed with their parents pushing the VCR button to play a
story on video," said Chao, whose pink apron is sewed with
the pattern of a home. "So we try to let children feel the
warmth of a home, the coziness of ordinary life."

In one recent show, Fruit Granny tries to cheer up her
grandchildren, two puppets with heads shaped like bananas.
They were going on a picnic when a small car accident
forced them to cancel.

"Let's put our food on the table, and we can have a picnic
at home," Fruit tells the kids. "Everybody comes across an
unpleasant event once in a while, but we can get together,
laugh it off and be happy again."

Nancy Tyan, a professor of National Taipei Teachers
College, said "Fruit Ice Cream" contains lessons long
ignored in an educational system that emphasizes grades and
neglects children's independent thinking.

"Taiwanese parents often tell their kids: You do your job
by studying hard and I'll take care of the rest for you,"
Tyan said.

"With 'Fruit Ice Cream,' children are taught to do their
own chores, get along with others and develop their
potential," she said.

Two years ago, Chao, who's also the host of a talk radio
program for children, suggested that the state-owned
noncommercial channel produce a program featuring a loving
grandma.

Chao said the role of his cross-dressing granny was partly
inspired by the movie "Mrs. Doubtfire," featuring Robin
Williams as a divorced father who dresses up like a nanny
to spend more time with his children.

Children know Fruit Granny is played by a man, but they
fondly call Chao Granny or Brother Chiang when visiting him
in the studio.

Chao, who grew up in a big family in a small town, shares
his own experience with kids who typically have only one or
no siblings and don't get to see their working parents
until late in the day.

The 36-year-old comedian worries that children now have too
much stress. He recalled that some of his greatest
childhood concerns were about whether he would catch enough
crickets. But children nowadays fret about whether their
parents will get divorced or lose their jobs.

"I even slow down the pace of my speech to help them
relax," he said, a la Fred Rogers.

The role of a grandparent gives the program a more relaxed
atmosphere, Chao said.

"Parents often play the role of a punisher, scolding their
children for not studying or not eating meals properly. But
the grandparent is more like their friend."