Hello Baby

For the 1976 Swedish film, see Hello Baby (film).
Hello Baby
Genre Variety, Reality
Developed by KBS World
Country of origin South Korea
Original language(s) Korean
No. of seasons 7
No. of episodes 95 (as of June 4, 2013)
Production
Location(s) South Korea
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time approx. 40 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel KBS
Original run June 23, 2009 – June 4, 2013
Chronology
Related shows We Got Married
Family Outing

Hello Baby is a South Korean reality show where celebrities experience parenthood by raising children ages 5 and under. The main purpose is to see whether or not the celebrities make "good" parents.

The show already has 7 seasons, and has featured the groups, Girls' Generation, SHINee, T-ara, Sistar, MBLAQ, B1A4 and Boyfriend. With the exception of Girls' Generation's season which ran for 22 episodes, the seasons that followed all have 12 episodes each. It airs every Tuesday on KBS Joy.[1]

Format

Each season, an idol group is given an infant or toddler to take care of, allowing them to experience parenthood to an extent.[2] In the first season, Girls' Generation became 'mothers' to a nine-month-old boy. This was also the case for the boy band, SHINee, in the second season, though the child is four years old. In the third season, the girl group T-ara had to take care of three toddlers.

The past three seasons, each group had to take care of the babies on their own, with some male celebrities acting as guest 'dads' in the first season. In the fourth season, Sistar became mothers to a baby boy, with Super Junior's Leeteuk as the father.

While all of the show's seasons have different concepts, they are still similar in ways such as the 'parents' being given missions and activities to do for the day with the children.

Seasons

Season 1: Girls' Generation's Hello Baby

Hello Baby's first season premiered on June 23, 2009. With 9 members, Girls' Generation became mothers to a nine-month old boy named Cho Kyungsan.[3] In the first episode, the members are given pointers about child care before they meet the baby. Each episode, guest fathers come on the show to help. At the end of the day, the dads pick 'best mom' who is given certain privileges and a 'worst mom' who is given some punishment, usually clean-up duties. They also occasionally play games and other activities. Girls' Generation's season was well-received, and its 5th episode ranked first among cable channels in its time slot.[4] The show won 'Best Picture for Variety' at the 4th Korean Cable TV Awards in 2009. It ended with a total of 22 episodes on November 17, 2009.

Season 2: Shinee's Hello Baby

Main article: Shinee's Hello Baby

The second season started on January 19, 2010, and it features the boy band, SHINee, who have to take care of a 3-year-old toddler named Jung Yoo-geun. Like its previous season, the members have to deal with daily problems with having a child, such as preparing his meals, calming him down when he cries and doing other activities such as playing with him or teaching him new words. Because the members are not always with the child, they frequently sent him videos when they are away. In the final episode, Yoo-geun is given a time capsule by his 'fathers' which he would open when he turns 21.[5] The season ended on April 6, 2010, with 12 episodes and a special episode.[6][7]

Season 3: T-ara's Hello Baby

Main article: T-ara's Hello Baby

Season 5: MBLAQ's Hello Baby

Main article: MBLAQ's Hello Baby

[8]

Season 6: B1A4's Hello Baby

Main article: B1A4's Hello Baby

[9]

Season 7: Boyfriend's Hello Baby

References

  1. Ho, Stewart (3 January 2013). "Boyfriend’s ‘Hello Baby’ Series to Premiere on January 4". enewsWorld (CJ E&M). Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  2. "MBLAQ Confirmed for "Hello, Baby" Season 5". Soompi. January 5, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  3. "[포토엔]소녀시대의 헬로베이비, 아기와 함께 비누방울 놀이". Newsen (in Korean). June 30, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  4. "KBS JOY <소녀시대의 헬로 베이비>, 최고 시청률 기록". The Star (in Korean). July 23, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  5. "SHINee tears up on Hello Baby season finale". Allkpop. April 12, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  6. "샤이니 육아리얼리티 ‘헬로베이비’ 눈물 속 종영". Newsen (in Korean). April 5, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  7. "'샤이니의 헬로베이비', 엉뚱발랄 촬영장 뒷이야기 공개". The Star (in Korean). April 12, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  8. Ho, Stewart (29 March 2012). "MBLAQ’s G.O. Becomes a Chef for Hello Baby". enewsWorld (CJ E&M). Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  9. Kim, Erika (24 July 2012). "B1A4 Members Become Fathers for Hello Baby". Mnet News. CJ E&M. Retrieved 20 November 2012.