Barney, Sesame Street and Arthur are just a few of the many television shows that children watch. Many children all over the world watch television, but the question is: is it really educational? Although there is no real evidence that the television shows children watch are educational, surveys indicate that they can help expand children's knowledge, increase their imagination and also introduce social behavior. Most shows that children watch on television expand their knowledge and teach some sort of lesson that prepares them for school. “There is evidence that watching television can facilitate the acquisition of general knowledge and improve cognitive skills” (Thakkar 2026). The shows can help teach the alphabet, numbers, reading and/or writing. Chris Gifford, co-creator and executive producer of Dora the Explorer, says that "the writers integrate education into every episode" and that "each episode incorporates the concept of 'multiple intelligences,' aiming to develop skills in seven areas keys, such as using maps to teach visual/spatial learning and shapes to teach mathematics” (Szabo 1). Additionally, a New York Times article states that "since Sesame Street's inception, various studies have shown that it helps preschoolers learn numbers and the alphabet, and thus helps prepare them for school” (Mifflin 1). Children watch encourage children to use their imagination. As children watch shows they love, they may grow to admire and love a certain character. By aspiring to be more like that character, they can do and act in certain ways that mimic the character's actions, and by pretending they are a character, they increase their imagination. Some shows are even interactive, which also increases imagination. Shows like Dora the Explorer and Blue's Clues pose certain questions that viewers need to answer. For example, asking simple questions like “where is the fox?” or "are you