I thought the same thing when I was first introduced to modern kids shows. But here's the thing - some of these things are actually researched by child psychologists and created according to the findings of that research. And not at all to be manipulative, but to be more educating and entertaining, particularly for really young kids. Our 3 year old used to love In the Night Garden. When I first saw it it blew my mind it was so bizarre. I thought it must be Japanese
(it's British) But no, it was designed by child psychologists to appeal to 1-2 year olds and provide comfort and peace before bedtime. It works - our daughter used to love this show when she was younger, and it would indeed calm her down, even though she rarely watches TV before bedtime.