BoingBoing posted this video of Weta Workshop's new kid's show that uses the steam punk aesthetic.  If you don't know, the Weta Workshop is an effects studio in New Zealand that is famous for the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and other Peter Jackson projects.  Indy Mogul did a Steam Punk Ray Gun episode a few months ago that actually got the attention of Weta and they posted it on their blog.  

The show is too young for Indy Mogulers, but the spaceships designed by Weta in the steam punk style are really interesting. Weta proves that even if you are working on a project that isn't meant to be artistic or for a mature audience, you can still infuse creative elements and an inovative style to the work.  The pre-schoolers who watch the show don't know anything about the steam punk genre, but the designs give the show a unique visual style that anyone can enjoy and probably help make the work rewarding for the designers. 

As a filmmaker, you don't have to dumb down your vision even if your audience can't read.