Question for Playhouse Disney Parents

[Ian]

I can't stand the new Tigger and Pooh show. It is way to far detached from the rest of the Pooh stories. Super Sleuths seems so lame to me. They could have just come up with new characters

Eh ... you sort of have to remember the context of the new show. Christopher Robin is grown up and now Darby (his little sister) is playing with Christopher's stuffed animals. She's the one who has conjured up the Super Sleuths idea and that's how she plays with Pooh and the gang. The execution of the idea, though, feels low budget and is sort of lame. The songs are just terrible ... "Now it's time to think, think, think???" Gee, how hard did you have to work to come up with that one?

I just realized another thing about Playhouse Disney. It ends much earlier than it used to.

When DD9 was the "right" age to watch, I thought it lasted until lunchtime. She had it on this morning, and it ended at 10:00.

Those are just the summer hours. During school it's back to running until noon.

[sportsguy2315]

I think we should petition to get a channel just like Noggin only Disney shows.

I agree; but I wish Disney would also do what Disney Channel used to be: Fun for the whole family. Also, while you're at it, bring back the cartoons I grew up with (i.e. Recess, Doug, and Weekenders). It would be appreciated

[HallandNash]

I have to respectfully disagree with you folks. My daughter is 3 and we both love the current Playhouse Disney lineup. We've been watching it for probably a year or year and a half or so and I don't have any knowledge of any of the older shows mentioned here. I can say that she LOVES Clubhouse, Tigger & Pooh, Little Einsteins, and Oso. We also like the Handy Manny songs that come on in between shows. I think they're all top notch shows.

I've got these all set up to DVR so we watch them whenever we want. Honestly I haven't worried about when any show (other than a Red Sox game) is scheduled to be on for years.

[Ian]

Well that's good that your DD enjoys the new shows, but it's kind of tough for you to really evaluate what she's missing out on if you've never seen any of the older ones.

Maybe go out and see if you can pick up some of the DVD's that are out there ... I think you'll find the older shows to be as much to her liking, if not more so, than the current ones.

[Disney Doll]

Even though I don't have a kid in the target age group, I agree that they should have a Noggin-type Disney channel. Toon Disney has been converted to appeal to older kids, and they're not putting much into the programming for the little ones anymore.

I agree! There's not much for little ones anymore. I hate that the only show DS asks for is Wow, Wow, Wubbzy, a non-Disney show that I find irritating. Disney needs to step up their game to compete with Noggin.

[BrerGnat]

Eh...we don't miss those old shows either. My boys are 5 and 3.5. They LOVE MMC, Oso, and Little Einsteins. In fact, my older son was around when the "older" shows were on and he NEVER got into them...at ALL. And, to be frank, I thought they were all pretty lame too, with the exception of JoJo's Circus and Higglytown Heroes (which were the only two my son would TOLERATE). I had a secret fascination with Higglytown heroes, because I always tried to guess who the special "guest star voice" hero was.

I hated Bear in the Big Blue House (I sort of have an aversion to television programming that features people dressed up in giant animal costumes...a la Barney, but I digress). Charlie and Lola was boring and never captured my kid's attention at all. And, all those shows with people singing and dancing in crazy costumes, like Doodlebops and Wiggles...my kids never got into those either. So, really, I don't feel any remorse for those shows being gone.

Now, my kids LOVE the Imagination Movers. In fact, we're seeing them in concert when they come to L.A. in December. BUT, they only love their music. They don't like the show on Playhouse Disney.

I agree that the Tigger and Pooh show is pretty horrible. My kids won't watch it. And, Handy Manny as well. No interest in that one.

I think they need more shows like Oso, which, to be honest is PERFECT for the preschool set. It features short cartoons and utilizes concepts that actually helps kids of those ages learn (observation, sequencing, problem solving). My kids have actually learned a lot from that show, in terms of following steps and doing things in order. We do a lot of things "like Oso"---"Step 1: Clean up your toys. Step 2: Take your bath Step 3: Go to bed." It's amazing how compliant they have both become when we start a process by just saying out loud "Step 1"... BIG fan of Oso here...hope that show doesn't get cancelled. But we have them all on our DVR in case it does.

[Ian]

I loathe Special Agent Oso. I think it's the worst show they've aired outside of the Doodlebops.

To me it's just so stupid it actually manages to insult the intelligence of pre-schoolers. Not to mention that Oso is sort of a bumbling fool.

[Robert's Dad]

They have a new show that looks British, I miss Bear too!

[Ian]

They have a new show that looks British, I miss Bear too!

I always thought Bunnytown had a British feel to it, too.

That show was maybe the shortest lived of all these shows! It was on for a couple months and that was it. I actually thought it was sort of cute, too. I was kind of surprised to see it go so fast.

And man I loved Koala Brothers. That's another show I can't believe disappeared like it did.

[BrerGnat]

I loathe Special Agent Oso. I think it's the worst show they've aired outside of the Doodlebops.

To me it's just so stupid it actually manages to insult the intelligence of pre-schoolers. Not to mention that Oso is sort of a bumbling fool.

Oso is supposed to be sort of an idiot, a la Pink Panther. It's supposed to be a spoof on James Bond and Pink Panther. It's funny if you look at it that way. The kids in the show step up and show Oso how to do things the RIGHT way. My son actually laughs at the silliness of it. He gets the humor...

Now, you wanna talk about a show that INSULTS the intelligence of preschoolers...try watching DORA the Explorer. Holy cow! I lose brain cells watching that show...I don't even let my kids watch that, for fear of dumbing them down.

[Ian]

Now, you wanna talk about a show that INSULTS the intelligence of preschoolers...try watching DORA the Explorer. Holy cow! I lose brain cells watching that show...I don't even let my kids watch that, for fear of dumbing them down.

Ugh ... I am so glad DD never got in to Dora the way some of her friends did!

[alphamommy]

Someone earlier in this thread mentioned how much they liked Higglytown Heroes. I have to say that, IMHO, HH was one of the creepiest kids shows I've ever watched!

There was one episode where the kids were playing hide and seek with the grandpa of one of them. It turned out that the boy had hidden inside his grandpa! I just found that a little too weird.

[Goofster]

I agree; but I wish Disney would also do what Disney Channel used to be: Fun for the whole family. Also, while you're at it, bring back the cartoons I grew up with (i.e. Recess, Doug, and Weekenders). It would be appreciated

Recess is on Disney XD right now. It was on Sunday in the afternoon...get it before its yanked again!

[Goofster]

I loathe Special Agent Oso. I think it's the worst show they've aired outside of the Doodlebops.

To me it's just so stupid it actually manages to insult the intelligence of pre-schoolers. Not to mention that Oso is sort of a bumbling fool.

I agree...my three kids have no interest in it. One of the episodes I caught was searching for missing syrup for pancakes I believe...seemed like a waste of a time. Overall, they watch a lot of Noggin...not so much Playhouse Disney anymore, which is sad because it used to have a lot of great programming on it - PB & J, Rollie Pollie Ollie, Bear, etc. Instead, our local video store has free kids movies and they're able to get those series on DVD. My daughter, who is 6, loves getting the Rollie Pollie Olie DVDs while my other son likes the Koala Brothers. Its surprising that Disney doesn't have a separate channel for all of this programming.

[BelleKP]

We still love all the programming on Playhouse Disney . . . DD5 really likes Oso (me, not so much ), MMCH, Tigger, Handy Manny, Little Eingsteins, Imagination Movers, et all. Now I don't know if our programming is a little different in Canada but we still get Bear, Bunnytwon, Higgletytown, Franny's Feet, etc.
Now the show that I can't stand . . . Gerald McBoing, Boing . . . I just don't get it at all.

[Ian]

Someone earlier in this thread mentioned how much they liked Higglytown Heroes. I have to say that, IMHO, HH was one of the creepiest kids shows I've ever watched!

There was one episode where the kids were playing hide and seek with the grandpa of one of them. It turned out that the boy had hidden inside his grandpa! I just found that a little too weird.

Well they were supposed to be Russian Nesting Dolls (a.k.a. Matryoshka Dolls), so if you consider the show in that context maybe it's not so odd?

I mean if you were a Matryoshka Doll hiding inside your grandpa might be a very normal thing to do!

[TheVBs]

DH and I were just talking about this!

Hands down Stanley was the best show ever. Bear too! We also loved Koala Brothers and PB&J. We've gotten Bear and Stanley on dvd for our youngest to see and she loves them. I really wish you could get more of the old shows on dvd.

She loves Little Einsteins, Charlie and Lola and Oso.

I do have to say, if I never see the Doodlebops again I'll count myself lucky. They were awful!

[Ian]

DH and I were just talking about this!

Hands down Stanley was the best show ever. Bear too! We also loved Koala Brothers and PB&J. We've gotten Bear and Stanley on dvd for our youngest to see and she loves them. I really wish you could get more of the old shows on dvd.

She loves Little Einsteins, Charlie and Lola and Oso.

I do have to say, if I never see the Doodlebops again I'll count myself lucky. They were awful!

[alphamommy]

Well they were supposed to be Russian Nesting Dolls (a.k.a. Matryoshka Dolls), so if you consider the show in that context maybe it's not so odd?

I mean if you were a Matryoshka Doll hiding inside your grandpa might be a very normal thing to do!

I know they were Russian Nesting Dolls. I still thought it was weird.

Then again, I'm not a Russian Nesting Doll!