TV for toddler - is ANYTHING suitable? I've veto'd Postman Pat, Peppa, Rosie ...

[FrozenNorthPole]

... it's just all so incredibly pink & predictable. Have made a list of things that have been ruled out.

Postman Pat - men go out to work, women stay at home. Apart from traditional female roles / unskilled clerical (Mrs Goggins), and the needlessly butch female doctor.

Peppa - just ugh. So pink, so inane, have avoided most TV episodes but people keep buying us books. All females in dresses. Shit plotlines. Men Daddy Pigs go out to work. Mummy Pigs don't.

Rosie - a female heroine at last. But wait ... everything is covered in flowers and is pink. Female 'heroine' (and simpering smaller female) endlessly conciliatory and bow to others' whims. Petulant & disruptive boy plays football on his own.

In the night garden - would be okay apart from upsydaisy who is in no way okay. Oh, and the Pontipines / Wottingers.

Something Special - hmm, struggle with this one. Does Aunt Polly count as female character? Is Lord Tumble part of the higher echelons of the patriarchy?

Me too - shit.

Balamory - women in traditional female roles, men in traditional male roles.

Timmy time - ooh. Perhaps this one okay?

I may have overthought this. Have always had these feelings about the tv programmes but having recently acquired some proper patriarchy goggles I'm putting my foot down and trying to make more positive choices on DD1's (2.5 years) behalf.

Any views?

I think you have overthought all this. We LOVE peppa pig in our house!

Mummy Pig is a firefighter and Miss Rabbit has hundreds of jobs, what are you on about?

And pigs do tend to be pink, btw. You've got me overthinking it now!

Yes I agree! Miss rabbit does everything!

maisie: nothing overtly annoying about it. apart the inherent annoyingness of children's tv

Dirtgrlworld. Despite dubious name (and the fact that she doesn't actually get grubby), is about a girl who likes gardening and her tractor. Pocoyo - male lead but Ellie Elephant is massive and quite violent (but likes pink and ballet).

Balamory - Edie McCredie rocks! And Archie likes pink.

Get her watching Studio Ghibli films - My neighbour Totoro is lovely.

I feel your pain though, dd said to me while watching Megamind (a great film but...) 'i want to be HER' which i was all 'yay, she is feisty and smart and short-haired' then realised she is the only woman in the whole film .

Dd watches Powerpuff girls.

Is ok IMVHO for them to watch some of these dodgy ones though as long as there is a variety and we talk about it with them...

Yer, maisy. And also am convinced Charley has some sort of learning difficulty so is very inclusive too.

(likes over-thinking)

I feckin hate Peppa Pig myself. Something Special a good example of men in caring roles and interacting with kids surely though ?

I'd say Nina and the Neurons if it wasn't such twaddle.

At least in Me Too women are allowed to go and work - finding positive examples of working mothers is impossible

Agree CMOT

Come Outside

I think you are overthinking it hugely.

Peppa Pig has been written by a (team of?) Mum.
Mummy Pig works from home, on her computer.
Miss Rabbit does everything, include rescue the silly daddies as a firefighter when they mess up a BBQ
Mrs Sheep, who doesnt work goes to the gym while Suzy is at nursery.

Come Outside - Aunt Mabel is definitely in charge and flies her own plane.

I like Peppa (despite a/an? horrendous experience at Peppa Pig World this week).

How about Dora the Explorer, if you can take the American accents and the general shouty-ness?

"Mummy Pig is a firefighter and Miss Rabbit has hundreds of jobs, what are you on about?"

Ah sorry - totally not obvious from the books we own. As I've said, have avoided tv prog. My bad. Big

Why was Peppa Pig World horrendous?

Mummy Pig was also a firefighter in BBQ ep.

sorry, maisy. you'd think i should be able to spell it, i see the bloody thing often enough.

i hate come outside, though dd likes the dog

How can mummy pig work from home as a firefighter? Oh God, am hideously out of my depth here ...

Don't know, she only did it for one ep, maybe she is a volunteer....

Mio Mao (sex undetermined)

Shaun the Sheep (toddler won't notice the boy's name, and sex of characters undetermined in the show)

The Little Princess - despite being a princess, she's not excessively girly and it's more like a family show with crowns than a Disnet fantasy.

Balamory is ok - Edie the bus driver makes up for PC Plum

Maisy the Mouse (is this still on?)

So does ds (like the dog). Though keeps getting lost so he cries out 'pipppin, piiiiiiippiiiiin' til he is found
plus 80s/90s fashion v comforting.

I'm definitely overthinking. But thank you for the suggestions. What channel is Dora on? I like the idea of the huge violent elephant too ...

I've been overthinking this too recently. For under 3s you could try Big Barn Farm - I think the pig is a girl and so is the goat. The former has leadership skills and the latter definitely is assertive.

We watch Fun Song Factory. Hmmm, maybe you'd find the traditional nursery rhymes sexist or old fashioned.

Spot?
Hmmm, dunno really, we don't watch much telly.

DD cries a lot at Come Outside, probably due to lost dog scenarios. I've not seen Maisy for a while and had forgotten her ...

Daddy pig is made to look like a pillock in every single episode!!!