Max and Ruby and Toopy and Binou

[Minou]

We've only subscribed to Treehouse for the last eight months or so, and I really have to wonder about some of the programming.

Max and Ruby seem parentless. Sure, Ruby is prissy and bossy, but as a seven-year-old girl, she does pretty well at taking care of Max. The thing is, Max is always trying to be the spoiler by misbehaving or interfering, and in the end he is always shown to be "right" because things somehow turn out because of what he's been doing. I'm starting to notice DS imitating him.

I really can't follow the storylines of the Toopy and Binou episodes, and I'm not quite sure what message the show intends to leave its audience with. I think it's okay if a cartoon was designed to portray a gay character in a positive, realistic way (even for a preschool audience) but the cliched references to glitter, "fabulous you", rainbows, the Princess Toopy (cross dressing?) and,the comment "Binou, you dropped the soap again!" (I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that one last week) don't seem too productive. I looked it up online, and it seems that the show's creators deny meaning anything by all this.

Can someone explain why these are good shows to watch?

[nadiabreckon]

Personally, I take Toopy & Binou as letting children know that it's Ok to have an imagination! Those 2 are always imagining themselves in crazy, funny situations and nothing bad ever happens, so when children develop their vivid imaginations, then they know it's Ok! IMHO...

Max & Ruby, we watch this on Netflix...DS absolutely loves it, and I've always wondered where their parents were also (I think there's actually a facebook group dedicated to finding their parents)...https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Wh...s/186251614115 I find them a lot less annoying then Caillou! That little bugger is getting on my nerves, yet DS loves watching him too! I can't wait until this phase is over and we can move on to cartoons that are a lot less weird!

[Zonny]

You think that Toopy is gay, and that a reference to dropping the soap reinforces that? I never even thought of the sexual orientation of any of these creatures. It's a mouse and a cat!

I'm not a fan of Max and Ruby or Toopy and Binou, but DS does enjoy them. The one I particularly despise is, "In the Night Garden." I think the creators of that one did a little too much acid in their day. We never did let DS watch it. I don't like Caillou either, so he doesn't even get to see that one to form an opinion.

[Minou]

[QUOTE=Zonny;4462406]You think that Toopy is gay, and that a reference to dropping the soap reinforces that? I never even thought of the sexual orientation of any of these creatures. It's a mouse and a cat!

Ummm.... Zonny... if you don't think so, google "dropped the soap". ;-) While Toopy and Binou are a mouse and a cat in the show, it's not uncommon for animal characters to represent people. Think of Orwell's Animal Farm! And it's not just that one comment. I remember how, in first year university, our rhetoric class talked about the ubiquity topos as an approach to literary criticism. It's about finding repeated patterns in a work or group of works that reveal a bigger picture. In Toopy and Binou, these references to various cliches are everywhere. I just don't understand why they need to pepper the show with these cliches, especially since kids aren't going to get them, and, even if they did, the references are not serving any helpful purpose.

Funny that you're blocking Caillou! He seems a little too young for four! I agree that In the Night Garden seems drug induced, and I have to wonder how creators of shows figure out that something that strange would be appealing to children! Notice that Iggle Piggle doesn't wear a lifejacket as he's drifting off in his boat? Even one of those travel segments on Treehouse where the two blonde kids were in Iceland featured the children in a boat off of the coast looking at puffins and not wearing lifejackets!

The Cat in the Hat might be the creepiest. The cat offers to take the children somewhere in his car, and says that "Your mother will not mind if you do!" The kids only ask one mother for permission to go each time, but the mothers think these trips are imaginary. Off go the children with the cat.

My husband is most bothered by the Four-Square segments featuring the "Russian" acrobats. The women wear a little skirt over their tights, but the men let it all bulge out. He wonders why they don't at least put them in some shorts!

[Zonny]

No need for me to use Google to form my opinion on anything. I'm familiar with the soap phrase, as well as personification. I guess I just don't think of sexuality while watching a cartoon. Some folks think that Ernie and Bert are a gay couple too, but I must be in a different mindspace, I don't attach any of this to the characters.

Calliou has been blocked since DS first saw TV, since I just don't like it. He's nearly six and probably wouldn't watch it now anyhow, just as he wouldn't watch Night Garden. I've never noticed much about Iggle Piggle as the whole show just creeped me out and I changed the channel!

[anisa]

the funniest part about toopy and binoo it is that binoo is toopy's toy stuffy cat, and he himself is a mouse! and binoo the stuffie has his own stuffie, patchie patch, lord knows what the heck patchie patch is supposed to be. blows my mind! lol

even kids notice that max and ruby have no parents, it's funny.

as for the cat in the hat's line about the parents.... straight out of the book that is decades old.

the 4square dancers are great, and so is the rest of the show. the 'buldges' are just fine. kids don't notice them, and it's not like we would expect them to cover up the girls' tata's, so why the men's buldges? they are all barely noticable.

i think these are 2 great shows that show a lot of imagination

[kashkoush]

Minou i agree with every single word u wrote, esp the four square one, very disturbing for young viewers! i enjoyed ur criticism alot

[Minou]

I don't recall the kids going anywhere in a vehicle with the Cat and the Hat in the original books... I don't think we have a copy of the first book in the house, but weren't the kids just trying to do damage control in the first one? Anyone know if the thingamajigger appears in the books from the fifties?

[bmpsmommy]

I don't like Max & Ruby for lack of parental supervision. Yes, Ruby does a good job, however, I still think that *7* is a little young to be taking care of a younger sibling.

Toopy & Binou were good for imagination. I never thought of any of the phrases as implying or inferring anything. The kids enjoyed it, and it seemed harmless.

In the night garden - totally agree. It was annoying. I could never really understand what they were trying to teach kids. And the characters were a bit odd looking.

And no Caillou in our house either. He seemed to be a little too whiny and it was rubbing off on our son.

[orv]

I questioned all of the points brought up by the OP. I think with toopy and binou, it's because toopy's voice is played by a male, but he talks about being a beautiful princess, and wears lipstick, and tutus etc. None of this bothers me, DD loves it. Its not portraying any BAD messages in my opinion. I laugh at it. It's almost like they did it on purpose to make parents go... "wtf?"

[Minou]

I questioned all of the points brought up by the OP. I think with toopy and binou, it's because toopy's voice is played by a male, but he talks about being a beautiful princess, and wears lipstick, and tutus etc. None of this bothers me, DD loves it. Its not portraying any BAD messages in my opinion. I laugh at it. It's almost like they did it on purpose to make parents go... "wtf?"

I agree that all of the references are intentional! They're so intentional, and so geared to make parents go "wtf" that I wonder how they can do it.

[Darth Penguin]

My husband is most bothered by the Four-Square segments featuring the "Russian" acrobats. The women wear a little skirt over their tights, but the men let it all bulge out. He wonders why they don't at least put them in some shorts!

If you look carefully, the men are wearing dance belts.That's the bulge which you are seeing.

[Darth Penguin]

I really can't follow the storylines of the Toopy and Binou episodes, and I'm not quite sure what message the show intends to leave its audience with. I think it's okay if a cartoon was designed to portray a gay character in a positive, realistic way (even for a preschool audience) but the cliched references to glitter, "fabulous you", rainbows, the Princess Toopy (cross dressing?) and,the comment "Binou, you dropped the soap again!" (I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that one last week) don't seem too productive. I looked it up online, and it seems that the show's creators deny meaning anything by all this.

My major problem is that there's so few of these episodes, less than 10 in fact and yet nearly every-one focuses on them. All the other episodes are rarely focuses on.

And yet when Uniqua dresses up as a pilot or a spaceman or a knight, she's regarded as a positive role-model.Double standard much???

[Darth Penguin]

Max and Ruby seem parentless. Sure, Ruby is prissy and bossy, but as a seven-year-old girl, she does pretty well at taking care of Max. The thing is, Max is always trying to be the spoiler by misbehaving or interfering, and in the end he is always shown to be "right" because things somehow turn out because of what he's been doing. I'm starting to notice DS imitating him.

There's a lot of shows without parents being present for a large part of the show. Dora rarely shows hers, Diego is just as bad. The Backyardigans have yet to show a parent apart from Martian mom. Big Comfy Couch has Grandmother and various aunts and uncles. Max and Ruby has a grandmother and various other adults present. And ther's a family portrait in the living room of M&R with 2 adults.

Since children's shows tend to be child-centric. The child is the focus and having adults around can stop the flow.

[anisa]

you know i would much rather my kids watch these shows than shows like spongebob, which in my opinion are just outright rude and disrespectful.

heck, i never even turned on family channel with all the preteen comedy/dramatics because i think they are inappropriate.

treehouse is so tame. as for non-existant parents in these shows. does anyone ever remember seeing any parents on sesame street? nope