guillermogage
Camper
Littlest Pet Shop is overall pretty entertaining and a good fanbase to be socially invested in.
Posts: 102
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Post by guillermogage on Jun 1, 2013 19:11:31 GMT -5
So, having two young nieces and two young nephews, and spending time with little kids regularly since early 2007, I often get forced to watch whatever's on Nick Jr., Disney Junior, or PBS Sprout.
So I kind of have developed the tendencies of a critic and analyzer for this stuff, quite beyond the simple making fun of Dora's fourth-wall fake interactivity that has been joked about aplenty.
More particularly, I wonder if anyone on this forum has seen episodes of:
Backyardigans, Wonder Pets!, Team Umizoomi, Max and Ruby, Nihao Kai-Lan, Olivia, Peter Rabbit, Fresh Beat Band, Lalaloopsy.
Handy Manny, Sofia the First, Octonauts, Henry Hugglemonster,
Caillou, Berenstain Bears.
As you can see, I've listed some older shows that are more associated with the previous decade.
In particular, I didn't mention Bubble Guppies, Doc McStuffins, and Special Agent Oso, my mortal enemies of contemporary preschool animation/shows. But let's discuss them all! Or whatever ones you know about.
If you just want to get all nostalgia about Blue's Clues or something, then I guess you can do that as well.
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Post by Russell on Jun 1, 2013 21:36:18 GMT -5
I LOVED FRANKLIN AS A KID! Max and Ruby anyone? Rollie Pollie Ollie (yeah I doubt this one) Wonder pets! Is it weird I found a old dvd of Bearnstin bears and watched it?
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Post by Vint Eastwood on Jun 1, 2013 22:49:52 GMT -5
I remember Eureeka's Castle and Maya the Bee on the old Nick Jr. Also, I remember when I was in 4th grade, all of my friends watched Blue's Clues! I just wonder if we had all been born 5-10 years later, would those same friends be bronies and petshoppers?
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Sealed Bear
Side Character
Wuff. Arf. Bark. Woof. Ruff.
Posts: 59
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Post by Sealed Bear on Jun 2, 2013 0:34:44 GMT -5
I have only watched one episode of this and I already love it. |
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Post by Ha ha ha! on Jun 2, 2013 9:20:00 GMT -5
I used to watch and like many of preschool shows until I was eight but I don't really care or watch any of those.
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guillermogage
Camper
Littlest Pet Shop is overall pretty entertaining and a good fanbase to be socially invested in.
Posts: 102
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Post by guillermogage on Jun 2, 2013 13:46:55 GMT -5
Has anyone else seen Franklin's Turtle Tales? Not the new one, but the older ones? Yes, that was in the same crop of Nick Jr. shows that included Blue's Clues, Maurice Sendak's Little Bear, and Papa Beaver's Story Time. I wonder if anybody specifically wants to rant and criticize some of these shows while praising others. For example, I detest Bubble Guppies due to the show's art style being very manufactured and cheap, for the repeated jingles, and because the show frequently forgets that it takes place underwater. It is an even bigger offender than non-preschool fare like SpongeBob SquarePants, which occasionally didn't make sense underwater and at least self-referenced it. There are deserts underwater in the show, and all sorts of other stuff. It just seems like they make the kids mermaids because it is "cute", they just slap the mermaid theme on there without thinking it thru. It also really half-asses about actually teaching kids anything significant about the themed time periods and cultures, which many other shows, even annoying stuff like Dora and Diego, will at least do. It is basically a lame version of The Backyardigans, which is way more cerebral, enriching, and full of song-and-dance numbers and creative situations. Doc McStuffins is a year-old show from Disney Junior that has a gimmick about a kid doctor who fixes toys, but the toys are very often stupid or have "boo-boos" that, while (barely) having a medical equivalent, aren't even real problems that are difficult to diagnose, making the number of ideas for episodes have to really stretch. Like when a fire truck toy runs out of water, they force it into being this big mystery, when really it should just be a routine case of figuring out where to refill the thing with garden hose or tap water in a matter of seconds. It also gets creepy when they suddenly anthropomorphize things like soccer balls, that didn't originally have a face even when they where being played with in the show's world itself. Special Agent Oso is some creepy show with faux-interactivity that is about a "bear" with a really ugly yellow and teal color scheme, who teaches little horribly animated, unnatural lip flapping children the seemingly fair concept of good manners and civility, which is ruined by him having some tacked-on gimmick of being a secret agent, complete with a hideous animu girl head on his wristwatch display that narrates stuff like the Three Healthy Steps. When he helps the kids accomplish something, he gets a "digi-medal" themed around the activity that he helped the kids do civilly. Yes, it is called a digi-medal, because that prefix is apparently okay to introduce to young children in this decade. Digimon? Pokey Man? Henry Hugglemonster on the other hand succeeds where other bright, plasticy, clay-like CG preschool shows fail. It is genuinely funny, has decent songs, and great character dynamics and increasingly creative and specific storylines and morals. The animation and cute little things the monsters do are well-crafted, the monsters and world are well designed. And you know how some cartoons, for background objects, background buildings, and trees, have flat abstract art for the background? This is common in Littlest Pet Shop, and some CG shows, particularly preschool 3D-rendered CG animation, will still have these cardboard-stand trees and whatnot even tho they are more noticeable in that rendered environment. Well, there are a few flat lollipop-style trees on this show, and there is at least one instance of a giant dough ball being bounced off of it like a taut flyswatter as a funny sight gag. That's just one example of how brilliant Henry Hugglemonster is. The total package of quality in HHM strongly reminds me of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. |
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Post by Russell on Jun 2, 2013 16:22:41 GMT -5
Also, unlike Spongebob the creator of Bubble Guppies wasn't an actual person who studied underwater life (This I just think based on some of the things.) If I personally made it I would add things like the fact ocean floor isn't flat like what these shows cover. Perhaps add the mid atlantic ridges? Those are cool!
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Post by Ha ha ha! on Jun 2, 2013 17:12:06 GMT -5
Has anyone else seen Franklin's Turtle Tales? Not the new one, but the older ones? Yes, that was in the same crop of Nick Jr. shows that included Blue's Clues, Maurice Sendak's Little Bear, and Papa Beaver's Story Time. I wonder if anybody specifically wants to rant and criticize some of these shows while praising others. For example, I detest Bubble Guppies due to the show's art style being very manufactured and cheap, for the repeated jingles, and because the show frequently forgets that it takes place underwater. It is an even bigger offender than non-preschool fare like SpongeBob SquarePants, which occasionally didn't make sense underwater and at least self-referenced it. There are deserts underwater in the show, and all sorts of other stuff. It just seems like they make the kids mermaids because it is "cute", they just slap the mermaid theme on there without thinking it thru. It also really half-asses about actually teaching kids anything significant about the themed time periods and cultures, which many other shows, even annoying stuff like Dora and Diego, will at least do. It is basically a lame version of The Backyardigans, which is way more cerebral, enriching, and full of song-and-dance numbers and creative situations. Doc McStuffins is a year-old show from Disney Junior that has a gimmick about a kid doctor who fixes toys, but the toys are very often stupid or have "boo-boos" that, while (barely) having a medical equivalent, aren't even real problems that are difficult to diagnose, making the number of ideas for episodes have to really stretch. Like when a fire truck toy runs out of water, they force it into being this big mystery, when really it should just be a routine case of figuring out where to refill the thing with garden hose or tap water in a matter of seconds. It also gets creepy when they suddenly anthropomorphize things like soccer balls, that didn't originally have a face even when they where being played with in the show's world itself. Special Agent Oso is some creepy show with faux-interactivity that is about a "bear" with a really ugly yellow and teal color scheme, who teaches little horribly animated, unnatural lip flapping children the seemingly fair concept of good manners and civility, which is ruined by him having some tacked-on gimmick of being a secret agent, complete with a hideous animu girl head on his wristwatch display that narrates stuff like the Three Healthy Steps. When he helps the kids accomplish something, he gets a "digi-medal" themed around the activity that he helped the kids do civilly. Yes, it is called a digi-medal, because that prefix is apparently okay to introduce to young children in this decade. Digimon? Pokey Man? Henry Hugglemonster on the other hand succeeds where other bright, plasticy, clay-like CG preschool shows fail. It is genuinely funny, has decent songs, and great character dynamics and increasingly creative and specific storylines and morals. The animation and cute little things the monsters do are well-crafted, the monsters and world are well designed. And you know how some cartoons, for background objects, background buildings, and trees, have flat abstract art for the background? This is common in Littlest Pet Shop, and some CG shows, particularly preschool 3D-rendered CG animation, will still have these cardboard-stand trees and whatnot even tho they are more noticeable in that rendered environment. Well, there are a few flat lollipop-style trees on this show, and there is at least one instance of a giant dough ball being bounced off of it like a taut flyswatter as a funny sight gag. That's just one example of how brilliant Henry Hugglemonster is. The total package of quality in HHM strongly reminds me of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. That was very well said and thought out |
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Post by Russell on Jun 2, 2013 20:34:32 GMT -5
Lalaloopsy has a very unique and interesting art style. It's a 2D cartoon yet has a CGI appeal. I think it has a cute look to it, and like the toys which I am pretty unfamilar with, it keeps the sewn kind of look. Me, being a fan of sewn items enjoys this. I really like the textures on it and the way it looks layered.
With the animation, it could improve. I think it's good but some movements they do to me seems almost unnatural. Well they are sewn girls... I think the animals on the show could perhaps move more like a regular animal. The animation in general is pretty smooth.
I don't mind the story lines.
8.5/10
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Post by SunilNevla94 on Jun 2, 2013 22:45:28 GMT -5
Has anyone else seen Franklin's Turtle Tales? Not the new one, but the older ones? I. LOVED. FRANKLIN. The fact that they made it cg makes me incredibly sad. The original was so much better... |
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Post by Russell on Jun 3, 2013 1:46:15 GMT -5
I know right! They also seemed to remove some characters  |
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Post by SunilNevla94 on Jun 3, 2013 14:58:08 GMT -5
I know right! They also seemed to remove some characters They did?? Oh no! Who did they remove???  |
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Post by Ha ha ha! on Jun 3, 2013 19:26:59 GMT -5
From ages 3 to either 7 or 8 I watched many a preschool shows like Barney, Clifford, Cailou, Sesame Street, Franklin, Blues Clues, Little Bill stuff like that.
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Post by Russell on Jun 4, 2013 1:13:55 GMT -5
They kept snail.
They got rid of grannie for sure I belive, what's the name for beavers brother. I'll have to look up the rest.
edit- According to wiki badger is gone. Awww...
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Post by Russell on Jun 9, 2013 18:49:54 GMT -5
No, I haven't, lol. I don't really have planned to watch those shows. I guess I'll try it out.
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