Good short film(s) on economics/currency for kids?

Cafe Society
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Just got this from my son’s second-grade teacher:

So since you’re so good at finding relevant and fun YouTube links, here’s an assignment for you… Our next unit is “How We Organize Ourselves.” If you come across any good links for economics/currency, send them my way. :slight_smile: I will be showing the kids a YouTube link from I Love Lucy (the candy factory belt scene); but please don’t share that with Thomas.

Any ideas?

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Scrooge McDuck on inflation

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Thank you! Anyone else?

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Well, I had a cursory look on YouTube and couldn’t find any snippets of this cartoon, but maybe someone else here can do a better job or at least will know what I’m talking about…

Back in high school I took Economics over the summer so I could squeeze in more electives during the year. Part of the course was watching this ridiculous cartoon about the evolution of trade systems from bartering through to a modern currency-based economy. It wasn’t aimed at high-school students really, it was quite simplistic, but it had a racy joke in it that we junior/senior kids noticed that I don’t think a second-grader would get (and neither did our ancient teacher).

Here are the details I remember:

The cartoon setting was an island, I want to say it was called Java, and it was ruled by a King and Queen (Big Daddy and Big Mama I think), and they always spoke in rhyming couplets while everyone else spoke naturally. The animation style seemed to be from the 60s or 70s (I watched it in 1995). There was a wood vendor named Peter and his favourite bartering partner was the large-breasted lady who sold melons (that was the racy joke, never overtly played for laughs). The island’s inhabitants and its economy start out primitive and progress through to using clam shells as currency, then tree leaves that represent clam shells, then finally they drop the “clam standard”. Supply and demand and other basic economics concepts were also covered in a simplistic fashion.

I wouldn’t say it was a great instructional video but as I said it was aimed below a high schooler’s comprehension level and maybe younger kids would get more out of it. Obviously there was something to it since I still remember it 15 years later! :slight_smile:

I just wish I could remember more details about it or figure out what key words to use. If you find it do let me know, I’d love to show it to my friends (who never believe me about Peter and the melon lady).