Oswald the octopus is worth embracing.

Byline: Jeanne Spreier

As the world gets more hectic for both preschoolers and their parents, 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds need a place to relax. "Oswald," starring a friendly blue octopus, is simple, sweet, kind and appropriate.

With an interesting method of on-land mobility (Oswald walks on the tips of his eight legs), this cephalopod and his best friend, a speechless Dachshund-shaped dog named Weenie, go on two adventures during each 30-minute show.

In Monday evening's premiere on Nickelodeon, Oswald and Weenie look from their second-floor apartment window to see the ice cream truck on the street. By the time they reach the road, however, the truck is gone. The two friends follow the sound of bells around the neighborhood, looking for a frozen treat.

"Oswald" isn't without its touches of adult humor. One friend they meet is Madame Butterfly, a sly reference to Puccini's opera by the same name. Oswald and Weenie track down another bell sound but are disappointed yet again. "It's nothing but a big white elephant," Oswald moans, and adults can chuckle that yes, white elephants are disappointing.

Among the show's pleasing components are the little ditties Oswald sings to keep the theme fresh in young viewers' minds. In the ice cream episode, the song starts happily as the pair go off on their ice cream hunt. After being misled by bells of a cash register, a mother ringing her family to dinner with a triangle and bicycle bells, Oswald admits defeat.

His song turns sad: "No ice cream, no ice cream. We ran for the truck but ran out of luck. No ice cream." But the story has a happy ending: Oswald and Weenie find the ice cream truck, driven by a non-melting snowman, and help repair the truck's flat tire. For their efforts, they each get some ice cream.