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?

The books clearly don't do Peppa justice

I'll say one thing for mumsnet, it tends to get me to try things that I never thought I'd try. Like Ovenpride and watching Peppa Pig on my own whilst tipsy whilst both girls asleep.

DH hates Peppa Pig because he says Daddy Pig is a buffoon who is always having to be helped by Mummy Pig. Sounds like our household, says I

Tinga Tinga Tales is lovely, technicolour and hilarious. Also DH and I like Ben and Holly's little kingdom, Nanny Plum can sure kick some butt!

That's a really good idea Sybil.

Oh yes forgot Ben and Holly. Love Nanny Plum! Although King Fairy is an arse!

Ben and Holly, though beloved by my DD, makes me wince every time Holly says something like 'I'm a fairy princess and I am good at dancing and being pretty' and then Ben comes along and is clever and sensible and good at fixing things.

I have a 2.5yr old ds and have to say the stereotyping of daddy pig as a bit hopeless annoys me. But overall I think it's quite nice and gentle and not too bad in terms of male / female roles.

But agree with others here that the best thing is to talk about things rather than ban them altogether.

OP - you are definitetely over thinking it. Give your children some credit. If you have gorwn up with the amzing social awareness that you give yourself credit for then so can your children despite the occasional dodgy programme.

Yousank - yes, I think everyone - including me - has concluded that i was overthinking already

Sybil - thank you for the suggestion, that's a good and sensible idea.

Oh yes, Bob the Builder is great. Wendy is def Bob's equal.

TV doesinfluence but one can rationalise it later. a healthy balance is all that is needed.

Bob the Builder is the most deeply depressing kids TV ever. It is grooming our children to be a generation of Vauxhall Zafira- driving, decking loving, Barratt home- dwelling automatons. It has no soul

Our PLanet

I agree that there are lots of 'traditional' roles reinforced in Children's TV (thinking Ben and Holly here) but these roles do exist and they are not the only roles represented on TV. I think children's TV does a good job at showing a wide range of roles for men and women.

Me Too does this pretty well I think, except it is shit. Also as a teacher I get really annoyed by those primary school children sitting passively while being talked at by the teacher. So I suppose we all have our niggles about representation!

Oh god I've just remembered the Lelli Kelli advert. With puppies! And kittens! And bunny rabbits! And makeup!

Picture books : 'Pirate Girl," "Ella's Big Chance"- where Cinderella ditches the prince, runs off with buttons, and they start a business together...

Oh a " That rabbit belongs to Emily Brown.."

Oh DD2 is transfixed by the Lelli Kelli ' makeup phone'

" mummy, it 's makeup and a phone! And they give it to you with yhe shoes! Isn't that good, mummy!"

I think Ben and Holly is more about class/racial segregation than gender.
Bloody hilarious though.

I was just trying to remember some of my fave kids programmes from when I was growing up, and they all had boy main characters. Bad Boyes, Johnny Briggs, Alfonso Bonso, Simon and the Witch.
Yeah, she was definitely a role model, loved the Witch.

Maid Marion and her Merry Men was awesome, but again it had to make Robin look incompetent in order to elevate Marion.

Not DirtGirlWorld. DH was moved to have words with DS about that and whether girls really have eyes the size of saucers and talk in simpering voices.

Ditto Zingzillas. Could be great, but why do they make the female apes so girly?

But that Mrs Rabbit does every job going!

How about Brum?

BUt the boy has big saucer eyes and simpering voice too. It;s just the animation style I think in this case.

Zingzillas is AWFUL but is characterisation not image that concerns me more. I have no problems with pink characters - after all some girls do like pink. But I hate it if there is a marked difference between what girls and boys do.