What's so great about Playhouse Disney channel (from a diehard CBeebies fan)?

[PukeyMummy]

Please help me to understand what's so great about the Playhouse Disney channel?

I've got a few friends, most very intelligent, who insist their kids love Playhouse Disney and won't even give CBeebies a chance.

Why would you want your kids to watch imported American-accented animations when you have the option of such good quality programming from CBeebies (in British accents!), which, after all, is paid for by our licence fee? Why would you want your kids to miss out on the joys of Justin/Mr Tumble, Chris and Pui, Mister Maker, gorgeous Sid etc? I know that much of the CBeebies content is made abroad and re-dubbed, but even so.

I admit that the usual CBeebies content can get a bit much on a wet day, but that is why we have DVDs of things like Thomas the Tank Engine, Peppa Pig and Fireman Sam. I can see why people might switch to another channel for a bit for some variety. I'm also not completely anti-American TV, and we've had lots of fun from Sesame Street/Elmo DVDs. (Or switching off the TV and doing something else, of course.)

I've tried watching Playhouse Disney before at friends' houses (we can't get it in current house on current channel package anyway) and completely failed to notice any point to the programmes other than some superficial "let's all be friends and share"-type messages.

I'm not anti-Disney (grew up being taken to watch classic Disney at the cinema, loved it) and read (new and classic) Winnie the Pooh stories with my DD, and she is aware of the classic characters such as Mickey, Donald, etc, as well as more recent films such as Toy Story and so on. But I just don't "get" why a parent would choose Playhouse Disney when, IMHO, there is something better (and British) out there. I'm already annoyed that DD sings the alphabet and sings "zee" instead of "zed" (picked up from iPhone app). Watching Disney every day won't help that.

Ooh, I feel better for getting that out of my system!

(I'm expecting some flaming responses to this but also hope some folks whose kids watch both channels to tell me what's good/bad about each.)

Another vote for Rich from Imagination Movers. I'd like him to come and move my imagination .

Yep, Rich from Imagination Movers, I so would!

Handy Manny is voiced by the guy that played Fez in That 70's Show

Cant stand special agent Oso though, Special Agent Arsehole I say!

Does it have to be one or the other though? My DS watches a bit of both.

Am ROFLing at Special Agent Arsehole

It's true though, he can't get dressed but is allowed his own train

Lockets That's brilliant.

Although we now have DD running around randomly shouting "Busbeeeee" "Rubeeeeeeeeeee".

We (well, ds who is 4) swaps between them. He likes Handy Manny, Oso, the Hive, and Animal Mechanicals on PD. I prefer Cbeebies on the whole

My dd is just about 4 and has only recently switched allegiance from Beebies to PD. Tbh it's nice to have a new set of programmes, we were all starting to get a bit fed up of the same stuff on Beebies, lovely though most of it is. It's also quite nice to have Mickey, Donald etc around again, makes me very nostalgic!

And the presenters seem nice, I quite like the dude with the big hair (not in that way though). Agree about Handy Manny though, (if you shut your eyes).

But then I do love Justin, Andy and Sid so it's swings and roundabouts I think, there isn't really an either/or.

It does seem to have coincided with an obsession with Disney Princesses though, which I am tolerating as she's only little and I'm sure she'll grow out of it soon.

Ahh, The Hive! My 3 year old has become totally obsessed with it ! I have sat down and watched it with her quite a few times now and I can see why she loves it (I actually enjoyed watching it with her too). It's about a family of bees and their friends and it seems to focus on a different theme each short episode. What I think she loves about it is that it deals with very real life situations that she can relate to (a new baby coming along, falling out with friends, starting nursery, school etc) . There is generally a message in there (ie empathy consequences of an action, how things may make people feel etc) but its done very gently so the audience would not feel as if they are being preached to (but still teaching all the kinds of things that parents would want to instill in their children). The characters are really lovely and not 'annoying' at all . Anyway not sure if there is a DVD out yet (does anyone know if you watch it ?)but we are going away on holiday so so I hope so! I had a look online and all I could find was this...www.thehivetvshow.com.I registered anyway.

I love CBeebies but...

Although, on the surface 'little einsteins' is really annoying, my 4 year old was able to identify 'the flight of the bumble bee' in class last year from watching it (and making me look like a great parent ) and she could identify Vivaldi's spring as being about spring...

My impression of it went up when I realised how much classical music she now knows.

My ds absolutely loves disney junior and he has learned sooo much, he can count to 8 in Spanish, thanks to Handy Manny! I know this as he used to sing ..uno,dos,tres,quatro,cinco,seis,siete,ocho...hop, hop, jump in...!!! Very funny. He also recognises quite a lot of classical music, courtesy of Little Einsteins and all of the programmes encourage him to participate, he is forever shouting the answers at the telly! As for CBeebies, there are some good programmes, most of them involving Justin, but there are too many repeats and too many presenters and as for the birthday card reading...that is sooo annoying and boring to watch!

As for the movers...Pete all the way, he's so cute :)

It's the only channel my two watch at the moment (apart from Sky Sports). They are 5 and 7, Animal Mechanicals is their current favourite, before that it was Special Agent Oso and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. They are definitely picking things up from it, and there was quite a good feature about it in last month's SKy magazine which explained the point of all the shows for those like me that don't actually sit and watch with the DCs very much.

We watched Cbeebies (or DVDs) exclusively until about 2 years ago, then we had a long spell of Nick Jr (Peppa, Dora, Ben and Holly, Max and Ruby, Super Why, The Wiggles). Moved over to Playhouse Disney about 6 months ago.

I think they just got bored of Cbeebies in the end, a lot of it is very much for the youngest children (Waybuloo, Zingzillas, Night Garden). Too much old stuff repeated (Aunt Mabel, Balamory). Too much birthday card reading.

My DD is 3.7 and when she was younger she loved CBeebies. She then got a little into Nick Jnr for Dora & Peppa Pig but now prefer Disney Playhouse. And like most her favourite is the Hive, Handy Manny & Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Probably more. Thanks to Dora & Handy Manny she can count in Spanish and say her colours and certain words all in Spanish.
Now and then she will watch Show Me Show Me, Grandpa in my pocket. But at this stage she has kind of outgrown it. Again when its telly time she normally say what she want to watch. There was a time when she loved Scooby Doo.

Because Special Agent OSO rocks!!!