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The Sign: Bluey's Magnum Opus

This was originally scheduled to be a four-part review but I have something even bigger coming up and, ultimately, I found myself with more ideas for a sole post on what is now one of my favorite episodes of the series and wanted to do a much deeper dive into it.

Magnum opus. Defined as the greatest achievement of a particular person or work, while a magnum opus isn't always the best in quality, it more often than not represents an amazing feat in the series' history. And, the Bluey 28-minute special "The Sign," is no different. With praise and acclaim from both critics and casual viewers, and currently holding the highest rating of any Bluey episode on IMDb, it's safe to say that this episode is one of, if not the best that Bluey has ever had to offer.

Bluey's array into long-form content didn't start from this special, though. In 2020, a new play titled, appropriately, Bluey's Big Play, was released to audiences with positive reviews from all demographics. Needless to say, Bluey long-form content was desired more than ever, and The Sign only delivered in that aspect.

The Sign focuses on Bluey and Bingo learning about their family's plans to move out of Brisbane and into the city, where Bandit has received a new job. Bluey is heartbroken, while Bingo takes the news oddly well. At the same time, the Heelers are also preparing for Frisky and Radley's wedding, which will be hosted at the house before the big move. The Heeler girls, along with Muffin and Socks, derive a plan to get Frisky to move the big "FOR SALE," sign out of the driveway so nobody will buy the house, but plans are changed with Frisky ends up in an argument with Rad and calls the wedding off, leaving Chilli and the Heeler cousins on a road trip to find her, save the wedding, and (possibly), the house as well.

Despite being four times longer than the average episode, The Sign's pacing didn't feel slowed down compared to a regular episode; instead, enough plot has been packed inside of the special to account for the longer runtime. Not once did I feel like the special was dragging on or moving too fast. The pacing was perfect. The animation was great, and the lighting in certain scenes was amazing, especially during the dance party at the reception.

Bluey's growth as a character also stood out tremendously. This Reddit post sums everything up amazingly. Bluey is getting older; she can sit in the front seat, she can listen in to conversations she'd initially be ushered out of for being 'too young,' and she spends more time hanging out with Chili and Frisky during the search than with her sister and cousins. By now in the series, enough time has passed for Brandy to be noticeably pregnant and for Rad and Frisky to develop their relationship, so Bluey is at least 7.5 years old now. Seeing such noticeable growth in her character is a wonderful thing.

The small details in the special as well are amazing! Seeing Grandpa Bob again, Frisky's family, and Brandy finally getting pregnant! Honey gets her first speaking role since Season 2! Pretzel has two mums! Socks is speaking in full sentences and has her biggest role in possibly the whole series!

But, perhaps the best part of The Sign was it's use of the butterfly effect, a reaction in which something seemingly mundane has a much larger impact and leads to a chain reaction. Each event has a purpose, whether we see its need immediately or not. Muffin jams the coin in the wrong spot of the binoculars, but the coin is used by the sheepdogs to discover Winton's house for sale and decide to move there over to the Heelers' house instead, which ends up being the final straw in Bandit's decision to keep the home. The motif of the Ulysses butterfly, first seen in Slide, as a reference to good luck only fuels the butterfly effect in the special.

My favorite scene in this special would have to be the ending, featuring Lazarus Drug in the background. The sheer anger on Bandit's face as he throws the sign onto the grass. Chilli diving onto him and sobbing, her shoulders shaking with the weight of her emotions. The girls running towards their parents, elated on the revelation. The Heelers, enjoying a dinner of fish and chips, the house almost completely empty as we pan up to the sky and the end of the special. This scene struck a chord with me that I had only felt during Bluey's saddest moments, and I had to admit, I shed a few small, but significant tears.

Bluey's The Sign not only teaches us about the sheer impact of the decisions we make everyday, but it also shows us how, even when life takes us in directions that we can barely respect, everything will always work out in our favor. Life gives us enough bad things to anticipate, that maybe anticipating isn't the best thing after all. Maybe, we should just say, "We'll see," and hope for the ultimate best.

This is why I believe that The Sign is not only one of Bluey's best episodes, but its magnum opus, Joe Brumm and Ludo Studios' greatest achievement to date. Not many preschool shows can expand to thirty minutes while still keeping audiences of all demographics engaged. Not many pieces of media in general can be both realistic and fun like Bluey can. Not many shows can show to us, the audience, the little moments in life that leave to big lessons as well as Bluey is able to. The Sign not only encapsulates the show's mission but goes well beyond of the barriers that children's TV is forced to be in the best way possible.

#bluey #the sign #bluey the sign #bluey analysis #analysis #tumblydovereviews #disney junior #disney #abc kids

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The Rise of Teletubbies

You wake up in a hole, located inside of a hill in a vast valley. For breakfast, you have some Tubby custard and toast, prepared by your friend Noo-Noo the vacuum. And then, you frolic outside for a while until an intercom shouts, "Time for Teletubbies!" and you follow the voice's call, eager for the day to begin. You are a Teletubby.

It's the grand return of @tumblydovereviews, and what better way to bring this series back by researching one of the most infamous, yet long-running, children's shows of all time- Teletubbies.

Before this post, I just wanted to apologize to my non-existent followers on the giant, unexpected hiatus. My profile tells you that there will be new posts every week or two. Obviously, that's not the case. With schoolwork, sports, life in general, and a lack of general media consumption, I've been running out of ideas on what to post here. But one day, out of the blue, I just became victim to a giant burst of productivity stemming mainly from the upcoming release of the new Bluey special, and, blessed with my new skills of time management, this review blog is back! (Hopefully!)

Expect a long four-part analysis on Bluey and its three latest episodes coming soon, but for now, let's ease back into the groove of things by talking Teletubbies.

Around the early 90s, it was becoming increasingly apparent that technology's impact in society was much more noticeable, and children in particular were interacting with it in a way we hadn't seen before. Inspired by these changes, two showrunners, Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport, who had recently started the process of wrapping up another preschool show of theirs, Tots TV, created a pitch for the show that would later go on to be Teletubbies. While not much is known about the actual pitch as of writing this post, we do know that the BBC greenlit it on first try, loving Davenport and Wood's ideas.

Production was far from easy, even after the show had been commissioned. Filming for Teletubbies was an issue; the crew struggled to find a place that could appropriately depict the type of world they were aiming to film, and when they did find a plot of land, it was ravaged by wild animals and angry locals.

Another problem was in auditioning actors for the four main roles- Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa Laa, and Po. Not many actors were able to prevent themselves from becoming overly babyish and conveying the tone of the Teletubbies in a weird way, which made finding a proper actor even harder. A particular actor the creators were drawn to was Pui Fan Lee, who, despite lacing the ability to speak the Tubby language in an English dialect, still enamored the crew with her native Cantonese. In order to compromise, it was decided that Lee would be brought on as Po and the Teletubby would be bilingual.

The size of the Teletubbies was an issue as well. Because the Teletubbies were so tall (Tinky Winky stood at an whopping eight feet!) everything else around them needed to reflect their large size. A special breed of rabbits were bred to be used on the show, but the excessive reproduction led to heart issues, which led to numerous rabbit deaths on set, much to the sadness of Wood and the on-set animal trainers.

As part of their greenlight, the BBC requested that lice-action scenes featuring real-life kids were put into the series in some shape or form, However, the creators knew for sure that the size of the Teletubbles would easily scare the young kids they needed to film. So, it was decided that the Teletubbies would have the now-iconic television screens on their stomachs, so the children could film outside of set and simply give their footage to be projected to the audience via a Teletubby's tummy.

Despite these issues, production for Teletubbies went on, for the most part, as planned. And, on March 31st, 1997, Teletubbies would officially premiere on CBeebies with the episode, Ned's Bicycle.

Initial reception on Teletubbies was mixed; some critics dismissed the show as harmless for kids, if not a bit nonsensical for parents and older children. Others were less concerned about the Teletubbies' antics and anxious about their unique way of talking. The Teletubbies communicate through a fictional language, sounding like baby babble or gibberish, and some parents feared that instead of stimulating a child's development like the program claimed it would, the series would stunt it.

The odd world of the Teletubbies just so happened to be what drew viewers into the show in the first place, especially students in college and university. In fact, some students have come out and called the show "psychedelic" in a weird, twisted way, comparing the effects the show has on you to drugs.

The mainly gibberish talk also eliminated the need for a large amount of money going into dubs, leading Teletubbies into being a success globally and across different demographics as well, especially in the United States, where the series started its run on PBS in 1998.

Controversy for the series would not end there. In 1997, the season 1 episode titled See-Saw would be banned in several countries for featuring a sketch called The Lion and the Bear, using paper puppets, dark lighting, and cinematography to create a scene some found unsettling for themselves and their children. In 2000, a more child-friendly revised version of the segment would be used as a replacement for the original.

In 1999, eagle-eyed viewers noticed that one of the characters, Tinky-Winky, who was male, had a habit of carrying a bright red bag, similar to a womens' handbag. Tinky-Winky was also purple and had a triangle on top of his antenna, both which at the time were symbols for the gay community. Fear mongering and homophobia would lead to the situation becoming so out of hand that the BBC themselves would need to step into the limelight and confirm that Tinky-Winky was, in fact, straight, silencing the fears of grown men all across the world.

Despite all these controversies, Teletubbies was still a massive success for the BBC, airing a total of 365 episodes across four years before coming to an end on February 16th, 2001. The series would continue to air on BBC for over a decade after its initial run, and would go on to attract a sizeable cult following, mainly of college students and other young adults.

But, the Teletubby fun didn't stop there. In 2014, it was announced that an all-new Teletubbies reboot has been greenlit for release the following year with an initial order of 60 episodes. The Teletubbies were back, and the group of toddler-like aliens made their grand return to small screens all across the UK on November 9th, 2015. 120 new episodes were produced and aired across the world, notably Nick Jr. in the USA instead of PBS Kids, until October 12th, 2018. In November of 2023, a US dub of this reboot would release on Netflix, most notably with Broadway actor Titus Burgess narrating and the sun baby being depicted by a variety of different children instead of one sole actor.

Outside pf the main series, there have been four separate Teletubbies spin-off series, the first being Teletubbies Everywhere, a en-minute series that taught basic letters, numbers, and shapes to a slightly older demographic then the main show. Another spin=off, this time focusing on the Teletubbies' baby counterparts introduced in the 2015 series, the Tiddlytubbies, debuted as a YouTube exclusive, as well as two CG-animated spinoff shorts, Teletubbies: Let's Go, and Teletubbies: Ready, Steady, Go! The characters have appeared both parodied and played straight in shows such as Britain's Got Talent, Regular Show, and Saturday Night Live Korea. Despite the main series having ended decades ago, the Teletubbies have shown no signs of dying anytime soon.

But why?

Well, for one thing, the way the series was produced leads it to be fairly timeless. There are little-to-no pop culture references, the characters barely speak and instead use a universal gibberish, and the themes of friendship and discovery still resonate with kids today, now more than ever.

In a world where chill, slow-paced children's shows are slowly becoming less of the m=norm and more of a rare delicacy, Teletubbies still exists widely. The show's lack of a set theme and more slice-of-life presentation, unlike its short-lived predecessor Boohbah, manages to keep it from aging significantly.

Teletubbies was also a surprisingly progressive show for its time, not being afraid to depict characters of different races, ethnicity, and, most notably, defying gender norms, whether through Tinky Winky's handbag or Po's occasional Cantonese. It's unfortunate that a group of sentient alien toddler-like creatures are more accepting of our differences then some grown adults in our world today, but, alas, that is life.

The truth of the matter is that, while mildly annoying for most people over the age of six and immensely appreciated by others, Teletubbies deserves much more merit than it is given nowadays. For a show that was fairly hated in the past, Teletubbies has aged particularly well.

#teletubbies #tumblydovereviews #kids shows #preschool shows #cbeebies #pbs kids #bbc #nick jr

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Little Bill: Nick Jr's Worst Best Show

The name of disgraced comedian Bill Cosby has, for the most part, been wiped out of existence. The Cosby Show, once a cult classic, is barely mentioned to this day. Fat Albert's movie was both a commercial and critical disappointment. Cosby himself has faded into obscurity, his last media stunt taking place in 2021, when he was released from prison. But perhaps the most forgotten about Bill Cosby creation would have to be the 1999 Little Bill preschool series and, to an extent, the franchise as a whole.

Contrary to popular belief, Willam Glover Jr's adventures did not originally start animated. Instead, Little Bill originated as a series of books meant for children slightly over the show's target audience of preschoolers. The books, written by Cosby himself, focused on a then-older Little Bill navigating everyday childhood experiences such as going to the hospital, dealing with bullies, and even grief. The series received critical acclaim from critics for the nuanced and lack of sugar coating when explaining to children these tough topics. Karen MacPherson says it best- the Little Bill books were, simply, "candid."

In 1997, it was announced that Nickelodeon would be developing the Little Bill books into three separate specials. These plans were later expanded to a full-fledged series, focusing on a now preschool-aged Little Bill exploring life in the same way he did in book form. And finally, after little over a year of anticipation from both production and fans, Little Bill officially made its broadcast debut on November 28th, 1999.

Little Bill ran for two seasons and fifty-two episodes. It received an uproar of positive praise, was nominated and awarded with both Emmy and Peabody awards during the show's five-year run, and managed to live on through reruns for almost a decade, airing on CBS, Noggin, and Nick Jr throughout its time on television.

However, in 2014, after allegations of Bill Cosby sexually assaulting dozens of women during his peak in fame surfaced, all of Little Bill's acclaim suddenly accumulated towards nothing. The preschool series was pulled off the air. Little Bill books were removed off of library shelves. To this day, the series is still unable to stream on Paramount Plus, only being available through digital purchases and old recordings. Little Bill has practically disappeared, all for good reason.

The problem with celebrity preschool shows not aging well has not ended, unfortunately. Little Ellen, a show based off comedian and former talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, was cancelled and removed from HBO Max as a tax write-off, the show's third season never seeing the light of day. The popular British children's show Tweenies was pulled off the air for a considerable amount of time after an episode featured a parody of sexual predator game show host Jimmy Saville.

However, after actually taking a moment to sit down and watch Little Bill specifically, I can't help but find it sad how such an amazing show for kids can suddenly wither because the show's creator was a shitty guy. Yes, Bill Cosby's actions were absolutely unacceptable and he fully deserves his career's falling. Separating the art from the artist is very hard when one realizes that Little Bill himself was based off the lives of Bill and his deceased son Ennis.

At the same time, in an alternate universe where Bill Cosby was never involved with the series whatsoever, I feel as if Little Bill's impact would be much more appreciated to this day.

The series contained some of the best representation I personally have seen in a preschool series produced in its time. Bill himself was a black boy, not smarter or wittier than he had to be. The adultification of children, especially Black ones, has become such an issue in today's society and it is refreshing to finally see a series that doesn't make Bill more mature than he needs to be. The show's cast spotlighted people of all races, from Black to Latino to Asian and White and even had a recurring character with cerebral palsy. Each character is carefully crafted with depth.

Little Bill never failed to 'keep it real." Bill himself is no saint and frequently makes mistakes and/or displays bratty behavior typical of a five year old. In fact, Little Bill's habit of messing up has caused him to earn the 'affectionate' title of "Black Caillou." While the nickname is funny, I, however, have to disagree with this notion in the grand scheme of things.

The problem with Caillou wasn't completely his bad behavior- Caillou's main issue is the show's lack of actual 'characters.' Caillou and the people that populate his world contain little to no personality. Caillou is just "the toddler." Rosie is just "the annoying little sister." Mommy and Daddy are "the parents," and Leo and Clementine are "the friends." Caillou doesn't have any defining traits that may cause the viewer to tolerate him more than they do.

Contrast that with Little Bill, where each character has their own distinct traits and profile. Little Bill is imaginative and isn't always the biggest fan of change and new experiences get him nervous. As the youngest of three he occasionally feels left out and ignored, trying to channel a leadership like role into his play so he can feel fulfilled. Not only does this hand-crafted personality reside with Bill but his friends and family as well. The characters, world, and stories of Little Bill are beyond the limitations of a stereotype- they are detailed and delicate.

The reason Little Bill is one of, if not Nick Jr.'s best show also happens to be the reason that it is Nick Jr's worst show. Little Bill was cared for. From the creative art style to the stellar voice acting to the research done in forming good examples of representation, a vast amount of real, tangible effort was put into making Bill an amazing show. At the same time, the very hands that formed Little Bill into what the show is today also happened to be the hands of a sexual predator, a horrible man who committed the most awful of acts.

Willam Glover's reputation may have bene tainted at the hands of his creator, but the show that he starred in has never gotten old for me.

#little bill #nickelodeon #nick jr #bill cosby #tumblydovereviews #kids shows #preschool #preschool shows #noggin #essay

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A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving- Does it Still Hold Up?

Ah, the American Thanksgiving. The one day of the year where it is socially acceptable to eat as many carbs as possible and watch as much football known to man.

A typical Thanksgiving for my family and I includes tuning in to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and gawking at the specially crafted floats, eating as much mashed potatoes, jollof rice, and pie as possible, and, sometime in-between the hustle and bustle, snuggling up and watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

The Peanuts have always held a special place in my heart. Ever since I was younger, I've been reading the books, laughing at the comics and watching all the specials like a die-hard fan. For a while, I considered The Peanuts Movie to be my all-time favorite movie, to the point where I even purchased a DVD of it. And, although my interest in Charlie Brown and Snoopy's escapades isn't as strong as it once was, I'm still happy to have considered these group of friends a crucial part of my childhood.

But enough about me. Is this special itself actually good? Outside of the rose-colored glasses everyone views childhood with, does A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving still manage to be the timeless classic critics consider it fifty years later?

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving revolves around our titular, block-headed, down-on-his-luck guy who finds himself needing to host an impromptu Thanksgiving dinner for his friends after Peppermint Patty invites herself to his house, expecting a giant feast and party. Unfortunately, Charlie Brown and his family won't be in town for the festivities- they will be at their grandmother's house for the holiday. But not wanting to disappoint Peppermint Patty, Charlie Brown, his friend Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock all work together to create as good as a Thanksgiving dinner as possible for both Patty and the two friends she's invited with her- Marcie and Franklin.

Charlie Brown's concept of a Thanksgiving dinner- buttered toast with popcorn, milkshakes and jellybeans on the side- offer only the simplicities that a child could. For Charlie Brown, Thanksgiving isn't all about the flourish and festivities- it's about spending time with his companions and making them happy. “I don’t feel bad for myself." He once says during the special. "I just feel bad because I’ve ruined everyone’s Thanksgiving."

Contrast that with Peppermint Patty, a more traditional type who believes in saying a prayer before the meal- which must consist of turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. Upon realizing that Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving feast contains none of those things, she berates 'Chuck' and leaves him in a state of regret.

Marcie, Peppermint Patty's wise and knowledgeable best friend, acts as a mediator to this conflict. While comforting Charlie Brown, she also explains that Peppermint Patty's harsh words didn't come from a place of malice but a place of love for him. Marcie goes on to explain how even if his life seems horrible at the moment, Charlie brown still has something to be thankful for- just being together with his friends.

"Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck. You heard what Linus was saying out there. Those early Pilgrims were thankful for what had happened to them, and we should be thankful, too. We should just be thankful for being together. I think that’s what they mean by ‘Thanksgiving,’ Charlie Brown.”

Nowadays, society is so focused on promoting wealth and consumerism that some have seem to forgotten the value of the holiday. According to Relevant Magazine, in 2014 alone, over half of the money Americans donated to churches in an entire year was used on Black Friday alone.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving challenges the stereotype of the 'perfect' holiday. Despite the limited food and the small amount of guests, after Patty warms up and apologizes to Charlie Brown, the kids are still able to enjoy the holiday, even singing on their way over to Charlie Brown's grandmother's house. The kids didn't need all the good food and items to have a good day- all they needed was the companionship of each other.

Not only does this special teach an especially relevant moral to this day, but it also contains a good amount of humor. The subtle nods to Charlie and Patty's relationship ("He's all yours, Priscilla!",) Snoopy casually creating an entire meal in a chef's outfit, and Woodstock and him eating pumpkin pie during the closing credits, this special still manages to put a smile on my face, even despite all of these years.

This year, Thanksgiving didn't go as planned for me. An unexpected event ended up derailing all of the plans my family had to celebrate, and although I wasn't too upset, a wave of inevitable, mild disappointment still washed over me. This special reminded me that novelty is better than monetary gain, which allowed me to still enjoy the holiday even despite the interruptions.

So, let's answer our question: does A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving still hold up? Yes, yes it does. In fact, the special's message has even managed to age better in the modern day. I'd highly recommend watching it if you are looking for a short, but fun watch to celebrate the holiday season.

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving, everyone!

#a charlie brown thanksgiving #charlie brown #peppermint patty #marcie #peanuts #thanksgiving #snoopy #woodstock #tumblydovereviews #linus

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How Old are Bert and Ernie?

After deciphering how old Cookie Monster is, I decided to try and find out how old the other two main Sesame monsters without a definite age are: Bert and Ernie! While Sesame was said themselves that the two don't have official ages, we can look and see how old they may possibly be based on key factors. However, this case is a bit harder- unlike Cookie's case, there isn't many resources featuring Bert and Ernie as babies or any sort of key age to determine their ages.

One factor that impacts them both is the amount of guidance they receive. Mutiple episode see Bert and Ernie getting the help of their older, human friends, implying that they are not adults.

First, we'll start by analyzing Ernie. Ernie is old enough to live with a roommate in an apartment, but still takes naps and has a prized possession- his rubber duckie, which he has been shown to have issues separating from, to the point where there is an entire song dedicated to it. He also frequently hangs out with the youngest Sesame neighbors, including Elmo and Abby. In one episode, he learns about incubation. Despite this, he is old enough to take care of children and infants as well, like when he babysits his niece Ernestine. In Elmo in Grouchland, Ernie was the one reassuring the usually more level-headed Bert, showing his more nurturing side can come when around those he loves.

As for Bert, certain promotional photos show both Bert and Ernie as babies, implying that the two are around the same age. Despite this, there are a few key differences between them: Unlike Ernie, Bert was unable to ride a bike before, has a shorter temper, and is much more logical. At the same time, like Ernie, he still takes naps.

In one interview, Bert's Sesame Street Live actor described how he tried to "think like a six or seven year old" when he performed the character, saying that was how old he interpreted Bert to be. This could give a pointer to the age that Bert and Ernie are supposed to resonate with, although they are seen acting independent most of the time, which implies they are older.

So far, we have a range of 6-17 years old for how old both Bert and Ernie could be. But, we're in a bit of a dilemma. Considering how childish the two can be at times, yet are still mature enough to take care of not only themselves and others, we need to find a good middle ground.

The average of 6 and 17 is 11.5, which can be rounded up to 12. This would mean that Bert and Ernie are around 12 years old. Most twelve year olds have a few key life skills Bert and Ernie have, including taking care of little ones, cooking, and riding bikes, yet they still need guidance from an older authority figure. Ad a little bit of cartoon logic and Bert and Ernie being twelve year-olds is a bit believeable.

#sesame street #tumblydovereviews #bert and ernie #the muppets

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How Old is Cookie Monster?

Reposted from my Reddit with slight modifications

We can calculate Cookie Monster’s age by taking the events of Sesame Beginnings into account. Sesame Beginnings was a direct to video series containing the characters of Elmo, Prairie Dawn, Big Bird, and Cookie as young children. This series can be considered at least semi-canon since the character of Nani Bird, Big Bird’s caretaker in this, appears in an episode of the main series. This not only confirms that Cookie is a child, but character bios giving is the characters’ ages also present an exact age.

According to the Muppet Wiki, a relatively reliable source of Muppet information, Elmo is thirteen months old in this series, and Cookie is sixteen months old, making him three months older than Elmo. Since Elmo is three and a half years old in the series, and Cookie is three months older, he would be considered 3.75 years old, or three years and nine months. This explains his childlike behavior and bad speech patterns.

"But Dove! In this series, Big Bird is 19 months in Sesame Beginnings! If he was canonically that age in Sesame Street now, he'd be only four, which goes against the canon of him being six!"

Like I said before, the series is semi-canon. Not everything makes sense in the real series, but based on how Cookie acts it's a solid theory.

As to why he works, drives and presumably lives by himself, well, Sesame Street clearly hasn’t changed their child labor laws in a while. Take Grover, he’s four years old yet works as a waiter for the same client over and over.

#sesame street #the muppets #tumblydovereviews

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The Puzzle Place Review

After the killing of Rodney King, a Black man who was a victim of police brutality, in 1991, racial tensions in the United States, especially in L.A., grew. Two years later, in 1993, the move to reunite unity in the States, Rebuild L.A., announced that they would be funding a new PBS preschool show meant to encourage multiculturalism and acceptance for young kids. This series would go on to become The Puzzle Place, officially premiering in September 1994 locally and January of the following year nationally.

The Puzzle Place follows the adventures of 6 (occasionally 7) young kids approximately 8 years old. They include:

Julie, a Chinese-American, stylish and loves to sing (a bit of a snob)

Leon, an African-American, who can be impulsive

Jody, who is Jewish, enthusiastic but gullible

Ben, Norwegian-American, who is easygoing but keeps his grudges

Kiki, Mexican-American, who has a short temper

and Skye, from the Western Apache, who is curious and thoughtful

Kyle, Irish-American, is Ben's friend who is a wheelchair user. He will occasionally appear in some episodes of the show.

In every episode, at least one of the kids would have some sort of problem, whether it be struggling with embarrassment after crying in front of friends, dealing with a fear of thunder, or accidentally breaking a friend's toy. The kids would deal with their problems using live-action segments featuring real kids, songs, and comedic sketches featuring Nuzzle the dog and Sizzle the cat, the resident pets of the Puzzle Place.

By far the best part of the series is the charm the actors bring into their roles. Each of them perfectly captures the personality and charm of the characters that they play. There were moments in the series that genuinely made me laugh, like the episode "Dressing Up is Hard to Do", where nobody takes mercy on Julie and roast her dress (although, she kind of deserved it for harassing Jody over her outfit choice). At the same time, it wasn't afraid to tackle serious topics like manliness, colorism, ableism, and non-traditional families.

The puppetry in this series is basic, but skilled. The expressive eyelids add emotion to the characters, and the puppets are designed great.

If I had to give any negatives to the show, while the voices are great, they sound a bit jarring and old for the characters, especially in Ben and Leon's cases. Also, the segments can drag on for quite a bit at times. Luckily, the in-between segments add a much-needed break to the story. (We can only take so much of Julie being- well, Julie- for so long!)

However, overall, The Puzzle Place is a great show. It was ahead of its time in almost every aspect, from its diversity to its puppetry and its themes of acceptance and appreciation. I'd highly recommend this show, especially to fans of the Muppets since many puppeteers from the franchise are actors in here.

Unfortunately, about half of the episodes are lost media and probably won't be found anytime soon, as PBS has lost the rights to the show and nobody had bothered to acquire it. But the episodes that have been found (at least partially) are available to find on YouTube.

8.5/10

#PBS-Palooza #the puzzle place

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when a cgi disney show stars a dog

“Is this paw patrol”

I've literally seen people call Pupstruction "dollar store Paw Patrol"

Like, don't do my pups like that ;0;

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Miles & Miguel

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The couple ever

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happy pride month

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THE CHILLI MISCARRIAGE THEORY WAS CONFIRMED????? OH MY GOD???

#I KNEW IT

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I'd actually play this

Wombat Kart

(Random video idea I had)

#work it out wombats

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Similarities and Differences between Rubble & Crew and Pupstruction

With Pupstruction coming out in less than a month, it is already being compared to Rubble & Crew, and in some cases, being dismissed as a ripoff of the latter show. While both shows share many similarities, there are also key differences that separate them.

Similarities:

Dogs doing construction work: The biggest similarity of these two shows are the plot: a group of doggies build and learn life lessons. That alone is enough for some to dismiss Pupstruction as a Rubble & Crew ripoff and vice versa.

Villains: Pupstruction and Rubble and Crew each have their own "villains" who just want to show up the protagonists. R&C's is Speed Meister, and Pupstruction's is Bobby Boots.

Personality traits: Many of the pups share personality traits. For example. Luna from Pupstruction is similar to Charger from R7C as they are both energetic and inexhaustible.

Nationalities: Pupstruction is American while Rubble & Crew is Canadian.

Differences

Pupstruction is a musical- In typical Disney Junior fashion, Pupstruction will feature one song in every episode, while a typical episode of Rubble and Crew only features the theme song and the chant at the end of each episode.

Pupstruction is less realistic- This point may be up for debate, but from what I've seen, Pupstruction takes a much more cartoonish tone than Rubble & Crew. For one example, keen-eyed viewers may notice that the Pupstruction dogs use their paws rather than pup-packs or their mouths to use their tools. In R&C, the pups use their pup-packs to build. The animation style in Pupstruction is also more cartoonish that Rubble's is, and so are the builds they make.

No humans in Pupstruction- From what we've seen so far, Pupstruction does not seem the feature any humans at all. Instead, the world is occupied by animals of different kinds. In Rubble and Crew, the pups and humans live together in one world.

Pupstruction may be very, very similar to Rubble and Crew, but these three differences above show that it isn't a rip-off and shouldn't be dismissed as one.

Pupstruction premieres June 14th on Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Disney+.

#tumblydovereviews #pupstruction #rubble and crew

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Fantasy Nick Jr. Schedule

I made my own Nick Jr. schedule because the current one needs some work.

It isn't as bad as Nicktoons or (ugh..) TeenNick, but the modern-day Nick Jr. schedule still has its issues. There are currently airing shows (Santiago, Bossy Bear, etc.) that get little to no airtime because the channel over-prioritizes PAW Patrol over them all. Say what you will about Baby Shark's Big Show, but it's a bit absurd how the show that's popular enough to receive its own movie doesn't air on any of Nick's channels.

I tried to keep the schedule ideal while still remaining a bit realistic, hence all the mini PAW Patrol marathons. I re-introduced the Noggin Knows block on Fridays and weekends, and even added a small classics block in the night.

What do you think?

#nick jr #nickelodeon #fantasy schedule #dream schedule

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The Super Readera in my style!

(Old art from maybe a year ago!)

#awww #super why