CG Animation in Children's TV

        I recently came across a number of articles on social media protesting the fact the toy giant Mattel has seen fit to change the appearance of much loved children's TV character Bob the Builder. Bob's makeover will see him transform from the familiar Mackinnon and Saunders puppet character into a barely recognisable younger and svelter chap. Although I have no great affection for the builder, as I never really watched, it is sad to see another in a string of characters receive an unnecessary CG upgrade.

        I am not suggesting that CG is inherently unsuitable for this demographic (Strange Hill High uses an effective compination of puppetry, stop motion and digital imagery, while Little Charley Bear and Mike the Knight are both appealing CG creations), nor am I clinging to my own childhood memories of these programmes. Update the storylines by all means and make them relevant to the current generation of children, but does that have to mean replacing the puppets with technology? It's a shame to bring established and successful characters into the computer age just because we can, especially if it means sacrificing some of their charm along the way. 

        What has been contributed to the likes of Thomas the Tank Engine, Postman Pat and Fireman Sam by this transition? There has been a considerable amount of backlash, and at least to my mind these programmes have lost some of their tactile appeal. In puppet form, these characters seemed to inhabit their own miniature but nonetheless real worlds, which children could replicate in the world of play. The computer generated versions seem a little more false, more sterile and featureless.

        Even more confusingly, it is not as though CG has become the go to medium for children's programmes. Looking at CBBC's listings, there are a number of shows (Rastamouse, Little Robots, Raa Raa the Noisy Lion and Shaun the Sheep) which continue to use stop motion animation, raising the question why change the classics? What is the reasoning behind such a move? Oddly, I could't find any reasoning or justification for Bob's transformation in any of the news articles I read.