PB&J Otter: The First Baby Show (if you ignore the other three I already talked about) (Also a fun Quack Pack Tidbit)

12:03 PM · Dec 30, 2020 "finn the human"

 

 

 

 

 

As we've seen a lot of shows of this era aimed toward older kids, everything else kind of just... aired on the preschool block now, despite not really being meant for kids. It's kind of fun, even as of the last time I sat down and watched cable (mid 2020s), Disney Junior has played stuff meant for general audiences. I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing though. Every toddler is gonna watch Tom and Jerry, so why not watch Goof Troop and uh... the 80s Charlie Brown Cartoon?

Of course, Playhouse era's first show was... Bear in the Big Blue House. Not a cartoon so we don't get to talk about it here (although when I watched the 2nd annual puppet camp stream and saw Bear and Crow interacting, that was pretty cute).

Playhouse Disney's second show however, was a cartoon. And since Doug had set off something with the young adult crowd, why not get Jim Jinkins to do baby shows.

He did three of them, and I certainly have not the constitution to talk about all of them at once. But if you want my opinion beforehand, they are all mid at best.

PB&J Otter was one I (Evil Lincoln Loud) watched with my friend Alice (i know more about ag than scar)

We both grew up with this show. I remember watching a ton of it as a child, and I very vividly recall, not only the Noodle Dance, but Peanut's insistence that he simply would not do it this time, before ultimately giving in.

She remembered it being incredibly cute, which, yeah, it was. The setting was incredibly relaxing, which unfortunately lead into boring at times.

8:37 PM · Dec 29, 2020 "i wonder if im being too hard on it bc it's a baby show but there's a lot of baby shows i like and think are quality.... pbj otter just doesn't have much other than a fun aesthetic."

Then the characters.... were never that great. In particular, we could not stand Flick's voice. Or most of the voices for that matter.

1:14 PM · Dec 29, 2020 "Alice and I hate this Duck"
1:41 PM · Dec 29, 2020 "I hate every background kid in this show so much but the music is funnnnnnn"

Also, there was one episode, "El Dorado, Seat of Gold" which very much stood out to me for being about a toilet seat, which feels just a little bit out of place in a baby show. I'm certainly not complaining, but it does feel a little bit jarring to the tone

8:18 PM · Dec 29, 2020 "why do these ppl care so much about toilet seats..."

Every show I've covered so far has been meant for children or general audiences save some out of order shows: My Friends Tigger and Pooh, The Lion Guard, and The Chicken Squad. I didn't really care for any of them, and of course, you'd probably think "Duh! These are baby shows! They aren't meant for you!" But I don't think that is the reason why.

Here's the thing: I'm 28 years old. I may not have preschool aged kids, but a ton of people my age do. In an ideal world, you'd want to make a series your kid can enjoy with their parent and maybe talk to them about it. 

Every show I've discussed so far does a good job teaching life lessons. My Friends Tigger and Pooh and PB&J Otter in particular are incredibly focused on teaching problem solving skills. In the world of educational television, you'd want a parent to help direct some of those ideals into one's daily life. That meaning, the show has to be something they'd sit down and watch and be at least somewhat engaged during.

They all do have adult appeal though. Nostalgic adults would love to sit down and see adventures of the Pooh or Lion King gangs. Chicken Squad is a lot more thoughtful than some other baby shows I've seen. PB&J Otter has a relaxing nature atmosphere that one can just chill out to.

Unfortunately, I'm a city slicker with no strong opinions toward Pooh, hatred of the Lion King franchise, and also Captain Tully has in my eyes has committed unforgivable sin. So maybe that's why none of the baby shows have been for me yet.

There will be though. :-)

Overall Rating for PB&J Otter: C Tier

Oh! Also! It's Donald Duck's Birthday, so I wanted to show off something I forgot to put in the Ducks posts.

 

I PK   61-1, also known as "Paperinik e i crimini virtuali" (Paperinik and the virtual crimes) is, as of June 9, 2022, rated on inducks as the 14th worst Donald Duck comic of all time. This is the only time I know of that Huey, Dewey, and Louie have appeared in an Italian comic in their Quack Pack forms. I would like to believe that this, specifically, is why it is the 14th worst Donald Duck comic of all time. I've talked about this on tumblr and twitter before, but I need as many people as possible to know this fact, and I cannot believe I forgot it.