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?

You are overthinking it.

If you watch Peppa enough, you'll realise that actually it is Daddy Pig who is portrayed as an absolute ninny.

He gets a Christmas tree that won't fit in the car (by a long way).

He flips his pancake onto the ceiling (Mummy Pig retrieves it!).

He gets lost and they have to phone Granny Pig and Grandpa Pig.

etc

Your daughter will want to be able to discuss relevant matters with her peers. I'm sorry to inform you of the fact that these matters include Peppa Pig!

Oh sorry, just read your most recent post!

I wind my dh up something rotten by saying in a MummyPig voice 'Oh Daddy Pig you are silly.'

As a mum of 2 boys I am also on the look out for good role models for them. But people are so into making characters pc and avoiding gender steriotypes that I think that it has gone the other way and now I often feel where are the good strong role models for BOYS? My ds1 aged 5 often comments that their are no men teachers at his school so he doesnt get it there and now it seems even tv has an absense of boy role models.

what you need is Sesame Street
(not sure how you'd access it now though)
honestly it was completely fab when my lot were little

If you are restricting the amount of viewing I doubt very much whether a pink episode or too of Peppa pig will do much harm. Dora the Explorer is quite OK - female explorer and some Spanish language too. If you really want to be on top of things what about the show that includes a lot of Makaton signing - can't think what it is called at the moment.

Charlie from Charlie and Lola is lovely. He helps Lola, without patronising her.

I read a while ago that there was some criticism about the domination of boy characters on cbeebies. The BBC said their research had shown that while girls will watch male characters, boys are turned off by female characters, hence all the boys on TV.

Personally I think milkshake is an excellent strand of TV for kids, the genders are mixed up and stories often relate to childrens lives - Family is one good example.

Nothing will beat Why Don't You, The Red Hand Gang and Champion the Wonderhorse, though.

Rastamouse?

What kind of role do you wish was modelled for boys, sails?

I love all the "stop thinking too much" posts that crop up on gender-related threads. They always come from posters who don't think much about anything, ever. (not you, sails, that was a general comment).

I'm surprised he hasn't smacked Lola yet TBH

Yes milkshake is great! I dont think there are many rolemodels for boys except bob the builder who is SO steriotypical I dont think he counts. THe program makers understandably and many way correctly spend so mch time creating good role models for girls that it has gone the other way and boys get overlooked.

Mine loves Pipi Longstocking

I think you're watching a different CBeebies to the one I am, Sails.

Cbeebies is just dull, dull, dull. No drama, no entertainment, just relentless soul crushing worthiness.

Octonauts is fab though.

cheers for the clarification steviegriffinsmum

Peppa pig mummy pig works daddy pig cooks gets into scrapes and mummy pig has to come to the rescue. Miss Rabbits does EVERYTHING, daddy pigs job doesnt seem very useful to me
Bob the builder Wendy is his equal imo
Postman Pat has a female doctor, vet, coffee shop owner and Mrs Goggins who runs the post office
Balamorey has a Eadie Macready the bus driver. Also apart from pc plum, the artist and archie the characters are all female.

THe above is absolutely not a critism of any of the proggrammes which I think are great btw! Just an answer to a direct question!

Miss Rabbit rocks!! I always thought of her as a very resourceful single mum!!! and Mummy pig is so capable and sensible while daddy pig gives the impression of being loveable yet somewhat simple. I'd say Peppa pig was the program of choice compared to many TV choices.

So much shite on cbeebies its tragic. Zingzillas makes me want to chop of my head in desperation

I bought some great books on dvd recently which my DC love (The gruffalo/where the wild things are/Roald Dahl stories) great and only about 35/40 mins viewing

I LOVE MISS RABBIT!!!