I love my son, and as a general statement, I love all things Disney, or this is how I used to feel.
I took classes in college that focused on sexism, racism and other issues people are sensitive about in Disney movies, etc, so I am not unaware that people feel this is a theme for Disney.
However, I watch an abnormal amount of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (well not to those who are parents of toddlers), and am trying to figure out how some of these episodes make sense to the creators.
I get the "learning" aspect of it. Counting, alphabet, problem solving, but what they are really teaching, is that someone else will have all the answers for you, and that things will be done for you (speaking of the "Handy Helpers" and "Tootles" here.)
For those that do not watch this show, here is a crash course:
Mickey's clubhouse is comprised of several known Disney friends: Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Daisy Duck, Pluto, Pete, Chip and Dale, and Clarabelle Cow. Each day they have an issue that needs solving, like all other shows on tv. The friends hang out in a club house that has "Handy Helpers" which are mechanical hands placed all over the club house that do everything for all the friends. There is also a "Mouseka-Do-er" which is a mechanism that tells the audience what 4 tools or "Mouse-ka-tools" they will have to help the friends with their situation to use at various times when things get too difficult. "Tootles" is a Mickey mouse head (without the face, until recent episodes where they did give Tootles a face and a voice of his own, but that is getting ahead of ourselves) that, when called upon, comes to the aid of the friends, housing the tools the Mouseka-Do-er" gave for the day. Once the friends use all of the "Mouse-ka-tools", there is celebration in the form of the "Hot-Dog Dance" and the episode is over.
So, where I have an issue is, most of the situations the friends get into are ridiculous and could be solved simply by doing things for themselves, and not relying on "Handy Helpers" or "Tootles" to do everything for them. I watched an episode where the friends could not get into the Clubhouse because the "Handy Helpers" were broken and wouldn't let them in. This episode had Mickey in a panic as to what he was going to do so his friends could get into the house, and Pluto pointed out that he could just turn the door knob and let his friends in. The episode referenced, too many times, that the "Handy Helpers" are the ones who usually do the day to day tasks. The episodes also use ridiculous methods to solve their problems, and tools that would not be used by anyone in the way that they are being used in the show. So back to my original question, how do these episodes make sense to the creators? It seems to be a new level of imagination that was only discovered by those who use drugs could come up with, because these must of been issues they had while high. As much as I might want an apple from a tree, I do not have a flying head going around bringing me giraffes that I can climb up to get the apple before, the giraffe helping me, decides to eat them all.
Now, I do understand that it is a tv show for kids, but seriously?!? Creators can make shows that teach the audience to count and learn the alphabet in ways that make sense, and take up issues that kids can relate to in their lives.
Now, my son loves it far too much for me to stop playing it, so as far as taking it off my tv, I am not that concerned, just concerned enough to blog about it...right?! I feel that because I am subjected to it on a day to day basis, I can do nothing but take up issue in why this show came to be.
Adults should not watch kid shows, because we are simply not in their demographic. I know kids enjoy it, and do learn something which should be what counts. Just going back and re-watching shows I watched as a kid is frightening.
This is not a huge deal, just something that does cross my mind every day while watching this crazy-ass show But if this is what I have in my life to be concerned about, I must not have too many worries these days :)
Some of this is rambling and may contain incoherent thoughts of a mother, but welcome to my life :)
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