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Original poster

Octonauts and the sea sponge

59 replies

Octopop · 13/05/2019 20:24

Would I be nuts to complain to the BBC about this episode?

It has a (female voiced) sea sponge that has a whale louse inside it that is making it feel ill.

Even though the Octonauts know the whale louse is making the sea sponge ill, they don’t remove it until they can find a whale to put it on.

Apparently the whale louse does not harm the whale.

I am really not happy with perpetuating the ‘self-sacrificing’ nature of women. The whale louse should have been removed as soon as they knew it was harming the sea sponge.

On a scale of 1-10, how mad am I?

OP posts:
Namelessinseattle · 13/05/2019 21:57

You have completely out done your point by suggesting peso be female.

FeminismandWomensFights · 13/05/2019 22:10

And don’t get me started on Andy’s Prehistoric sex stereotypes— sorry, Adventures

2BthatUnnoticed · 13/05/2019 22:14

You’re at 11, and I’m with you. Complain and keep us posted!

JohnWolfenstein · 13/05/2019 22:19

If anything having a male character i.e. Peso, as the medic/nurse/carer is better as it's gender non-conforming. I agree with a pp Captain Barnacles should be female if anyone. The female characters also have quite non stereotypical roles, Tweek is the mechanic and inventor of the GUPs and Dashi is the IT tech bod.

ScrimshawTheSecond · 13/05/2019 22:32

Can we petition for a majority-female Octonauts?

Greyworm · 13/05/2019 22:36

I've noticed that the bed time hour has only male narrators. Clangers, abney and teal and in the night garden (but they might have changed abney and teal?) I always found that a bit weird. The new on 'moon and me' has a female narrator but that finishes at 6pm.

Greyworm · 13/05/2019 22:38

11 with octonauts though. I have noticed this. And the sky thing. And mayor goodway being rubbish.

Ohyesiam · 13/05/2019 22:40

Peso is a drip, I’m glad he’s a he. It’s been a long time, but the carrot toting engineer is female, and so
Is the tech bod as far as I remember.
It could be worse.
If it were drivel, the gender balance would have annoyed me, but it’s so informative and happy I forgave it.

I thought of octonauts today for the first time in years when the Mariana (?) tTrench was on radio 4. And now here.

2BthatUnnoticed · 13/05/2019 22:51

Also aren’t the three male characters the stars of the show, while the two females are just supporting roles? Complain OP, you know you want to Grin

Cattenberg · 13/05/2019 23:25

And don’t get me started on Andy’s Prehistoric sex stereotypes— sorry, Adventures

Maybe Jen and Mrs Pickles have more sense than to risk their lives dodging T-rexes to pick up a conch shell for a museum display? Whereas Andy seems cheerfully oblivious to the danger.

I wonder if boys would watch a show where two or three of the four leads were female? But I don’t think we should pander to this prejudice. Let them watch Biggleton.

terfsandwich · 14/05/2019 00:13

The Octopus should be female. A reclusive butch academic.

WellErrr · 14/05/2019 06:32

You have completely out done your point by suggesting peso be female.

Yes, this!

Why? Because he’s a softly spoken nurse who’s gentle, caring and not hyper masculine?

I think it’s great that they have a male character that isn’t a pirate or captain type.

Original poster
Octopop · 14/05/2019 07:16

Yes I have made my peace with Peso being male, because as a timid, caring person he is a good caring male role model.

As I explained, I picked on Peso because to start with I wasn’t sure, and it annoyed me when I found out he was male because then the balance is so wrong.

Maybe I will complain, and make the balance the focus, and the sea sponge the side show!

OP posts:
windysowindy · 14/05/2019 07:38

But sponges are not exclusively male or female so you are saying it has a female voice. Maybe that is perception and that is how a gender neutral sponge sounds GrinGrinGrinGrin

MindTheMinotaur · 14/05/2019 07:44

Did he have eyes? That's the decider on what enters the food chain in Octonauts. If he had eyes YABVU.

windysowindy · 14/05/2019 07:49

@MindTheMinotaur 😂

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 14/05/2019 07:55

I know lots of young children who insist Peso is a girl... Probably because he is a caring nurse character. My vote would be Kwazii to be female. (Kwazii being described as a kitten annoys me... He is obviously fully grown so should be a cat)

butteryellow · 14/05/2019 12:10

Octonauts bothers me because of the feudal nature of the relationship of the 'nauts with their slave-carrots.

The relief I felt when it was explained that the fish biscuits that the vegimals cook are made from kelp was huge. Because I was having all sorts of dark thoughts there.

And given Wikipedia describes it as a parasite, albeit reasonably benign, I am not at all sure the whale (who wasn’t told about it) would be too happy either.

Wait - they didn't remove it from the sponge, and then they put it on a whale without consent?! What are we teaching these kids (apart from how to say humuhumu nukunuku apua'a)

butteryellow · 14/05/2019 12:13

I wonder if boys would watch a show where two or three of the four leads were female? But I don’t think we should pander to this prejudice. Let them watch Biggleton.

Mine would - we've been through them all, and the youngest is currently watching back to back power puff girls in his spare time.

TeaAddict235 · 14/05/2019 12:51

I agree @terfsandwich . The professor would be perfect as a recluse female.

Paw patrol is not on a par with the 'Nauts. Seriously, the marine biology accuracy of the octonauts is incredible .

Paw patrol is know as poop patrol in our house for its crappyology.

Sunkisses · 14/05/2019 12:51

This episode?

NeurotrashWarrior · 14/05/2019 14:56

It's originally by authors in Canada, the books are better imo.

I must say ds is obsessed with David Attenborough etc as a result of octonauts, so not all bad.

RiddleyW · 14/05/2019 16:18

I love the books. Still sexist though

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 14/05/2019 16:28

I still get nightmares about Sea of Shade. Freakiest kids book I've ever read.

RiddleyW · 14/05/2019 16:32

We read sea of shade loads! Yes it’s really odd. Why are the shades all bandaged?