ragtag and bobtail

The first time I heard this phrase used was yesterday. I had no idea what it meant, but thought it sounded sort of folksy-sweet. There's a lot of that here. The context alone clued me in that it wasn't meant sweetly, though.

ragtag and bobtail
noun
A group of persons regarded as the lowest class. Synonyms: dregs, lumpenproletariat, rabble, riffraff, trash. Slang: scum. Idioms: scum of the earth, tag and rag, the great unwashed.

I have no idea how that concept makes an appropriate children's TV program, though.