Discussion/Show Recommendations for Non-Pozzed Children's Shows: A Guide for Kiwi Parents

[skykiii]

Is this only modern shows? Because my own standard is "anything that was fine for kids in the 80s and 90s should be fine now."

 

[Catgirl Tyranid]

Is this only modern shows? Because my own standard is "anything that was fine for kids in the 80s and 90s should be fine now."

I don't think era matters, much of the shows discussed are what we grew up with and know as a result.

 

[Aunt Carol]

"anything that was fine for kids in the 80s and 90s should be fine now."

Agree... except that's how we got modern furries and inflation fetishists etc, so you still have to be on your guard.


Speaking of 1980s, and not just vegging out: The Secret City was a PBS kids' series where a guy in a futuristic jumpsuit, looking like he escaped from Deep 13, taught kids basic art principles and vocabulary in the context of drawing wicked rad alien landscapes. He had a huge marker-drawn mural and added a little to it every episode. The vibe was a lot like Bob Ross with occasional puppets and discussions of the magic of "drawing in 3d," which is how you sell "perspective" to kids.

It's also kid-oriented but not hyper-edited like modern instructional shows; anything to keep a little bit of attention span alive.

Caveat: the host, Mark Kistler, is still active. I checked his website and it seemed adorably retro and focused on teaching art to beginners, but I don't know if he's out slapfighting on Bluesky.

 

[skykiii]

Agree... except that's how we got modern furries and inflation fetishists etc, so you still have to be on your guard.

I guess, but to me this is a little like saying kids shouldn't watch anything that has aliens or otherwise non-humans.

I said it before: its not like Chris-chan was gonna cure cancer if he never encountered Sonic the Hedgehog. If he hadn't encountered that, he would've just become an autist for something else.

Anyway, I will always stand by the 1983-1985 He-Man and She-Ra shows, Thundercats, Transformers, GI Joe.... some I'm iffy about recommending are the Disney staples (Ducktales, Rescue Rangers, Gummi Bears etc) though that's mostly because I find as an adult they actually don't hold up as well. For kids they're fine.

It's also kid-oriented but not hyper-edited like modern instructional shows; anything to keep a little bit of attention span alive.

On this note there's this one PBS show I remember watching once... I wanna say it was called "Adventures in Reading" or some crap. It was about this boy and girl who were on the run or else in a resistance against some evil dark robed dude. In the final episode they confront him and he takes off his robe and looks exactly like them, and this confuses them... but a rock in the background informs the kids that "you are you," causing them to realize its a trick.

Does anyone know what show I'm talking about?

 

[Optantrix]

"Mr. Bearhead"

I’ve not heard anything but I’ll keep an eye out! Honestly it sounds like something my oldest would love but Mr. Bearhead would give me pause as well. It’s probably nothing but I have to say my pattern recognition meter is also going off.

 

[Aunt Carol]

On this note there's this one PBS show I remember watching once... I wanna say it was called "Adventures in Reading" or some crap. It was about this boy and girl who were on the run or else in a resistance against some evil dark robed dude. In the final episode they confront him and he takes off his robe and looks exactly like them, and this confuses them... but a rock in the background informs the kids that "you are you," causing them to realize its a trick.

Does anyone know what show I'm talking about?

Were they in a dystopian future but they had a secret underground library and they learned about how to use a library in order to find information to fight the baddies?

 

[Jimjamflimflam]

Good thread. Been wanting more kiwi parent threads

My kids really like lyla in the loop and work it out wombats on PBS.

Lyla is decent, teaches problem solving skills and the family unit is solid. They can lean into the my black family stuff a bit hard at times and the older twin sisters can be a bit annoying with their whoop whoop bullshit but overall it's good.

Work it out wombats is decent enough for the same problem solving situations but I'm trying to filter that one out because of the lesbian kangaroo with adopted kangaroo mouse daughter.

Through the woods (another PBS kids show) is so inoffensive that it's almost offensive. Makes me think of the itchy and scratchy episode that Marge wrote (Lemonade? Yes, please.) But overall it's very chill and decent enough.

My oldest like the anime Slayers enough for the goofy fantasy violence (big explosion but everyone comes out dazed and covered in soot) but some episodes I had to stop for being to serious and violent. Would dance with the theme song.

I hear old sesame street recommended often. We tried to watch it, they didn't care much for and honestly found it to be to hyper active.

 

[skykiii]

Were they in a dystopian future but they had a secret underground library and they learned about how to use a library in order to find information to fight the baddies?

I can't remember. It's possible.

@Optantrix Can't help but notice one of those lists contains Muppet Babies... which one? There's an 80s one and a modern one.

Though being weirded out at the joke about Gonzo is one of those things that annoys me... the whole joke with Gonzo is nobody knows what he is (hence why he's the central figure of a movie that suggests he's some sort of alien), and him getting a special bathroom was an extension of that joke. It's only recently that it started to get "trans" interpretations.

 

[Jimjamflimflam]

I vaguely remember Horrible Histories actually. And they have an official youtube channel that I can download from. Thank you, will give that a try.

I think it starts in season 7 but they go into "muh ancient black britons" stuff.

Haven't had a chance to watch it much but it was a French cartoon called Once Upon A Time. The dub speaks a bit fast. I think it was based on a set of children's books.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TYvc_LnIU3M

 

[Optantrix]

@Optantrix Can't help but notice one of those lists contains Muppet Babies... which one? There's an 80s one and a modern one.

It's the more modern one, if I remember correctly it's the episode Gonzo-Rella where Gonzo wants to go to a birthday party dressed as a princess after being told by Piggy that he can't wear a dress and the episode ends with the whole "We accept you just as you are" schtick after he wears the dress anyway.

There were a few news articles talking about it that caught my eye when it first popped up. It feels like this will be getting more and more popular with children's cartoons.

 

[Anonitolia]

I think it starts in season 7

Show starts going to shit in season 6 and beyond, it’s fine before then but seasons 6+ is night and day to 1-5.

The newer seasons are full of outdated humor (even for the time), bloated episodes (most are “specials” that are 40+ minutes long as opposed to the previous 20-30 minute episodes in any given season), and a lot of outright bullshit that’s thrown in there to push ideals or make minorities feel more “represented.” I think there was some weird tangent during a Magna Carta-focused episode about how Genghis Khan helped improve carbon emissions or something? They also replaced a lot of the old cast, who were pretty great at their jobs, with less fitting actors. I don’t know how much of a problem that is now, but it really irked me before.

From what I remember, it also ditches a lot of the grosser stuff… which is odd, given the entire premise of the show, and it tries to focus more on “trendy” skits of well-known basics instead. This means parodying The Kardashians and I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) in the year of our lord 2015. Doesn’t hold up at all.

 

[P. Barnes’ THOT 2.0]

I don’t know if it’s been mentioned (didn’t see it) but my top picks is kipper the dog.

Kipper the dog is really calm and quiet and just delightful. It’s from a series of books that are just as cute. But man, around 10 years ago when one of mine was at that age, it’s near impossible to find merch (she wanted a stuffed character)
But if you’ve got little ones, kipper is the shit. The only flag is that it’s Br*tish

 

[Aunt Carol]

I can't remember. It's possible.

I couldn't remember the name of the one I was half-remembering, but I found it: Tomes & Talismans, initial broadcast 1986. I think I saw it at school on VHS, which I'm sure tons of people did until the Internet happened or the tapes broke.

Couldn't find a picture of the baddies but here are the future children and the time-travel librarian:


eta: this is not a recommendation for modern children

 

[Optantrix]

But man, around 10 years ago when one of mine was at that age, it’s near impossible to find merch (she wanted a stuffed character)

I had the same issue with Tumble Leaf! We had to order custom crocheted replicas from Etsy for my son, it's his favorite show and there's just zero merch.

 

[Travoltron]

Caveat: the host, Mark Kistler, is still active. I checked his website and it seemed adorably retro and focused on teaching art to beginners, but I don't know if he's out slapfighting on Bluesky.

I took art lessons from him as a kid. Who Framed Roger Rabbit had just come out and he was really offended by it for some reason. He was shocked that we kids had seen it and enjoyed it. I wonder what Mark thinks of the degenerate cartoons that come out now. They make Roger Rabbit look like Mister Rogers.

 

[XYZpdq Jr.]

Mikshii seemed pretty cool. Puppet animals (fun Henson shop type not Anderson marionettes) featuring a girl sheep and her Anderson miniature-esque adventures in STEM
Most is stuff like "wind" or other very basic science, but one story arc was sponsored by some Earth science thing and was about geo location underwater via specific types of particles

Same crew who made those TAS Voyager and TNG shorts

 

[Colon capital V]

I took art lessons from him as a kid. Who Framed Roger Rabbit had just come out and he was really offended by it for some reason. He was shocked that we kids had seen it and enjoyed it. I wonder what Mark thinks of the degenerate cartoons that come out now. They make Roger Rabbit look like Mister Rogers.

If he was offended by Jessica Rabbit then yeah, can't say I blame him. I'd be driven up a wall like him when I'm constantly reminded of the type of shite kids are watching nowadays.

EDIT: To add to the thread, shout out to the Magic Schoolbus (the original, not that god awful Netflix reboot shlock). That shit was my jam when the teachers put that on in science class, even though I'm pretty sure everything ever discussed from that show is outdated as fuck and incorrect now, lol.

Surprised Franklin the Turtle hasn't been brought up yet. I don't remember much, but I recall it being on par as Little Bear, so pretty good I think.

EDIT 2: Erm... Alfred J. KwakGODS, what is this?

 

[XYZpdq Jr.]

iirc Alfred J Kwak goes on to fight duck Hitler

 

[Lone MacReady II]

I've been a broken record about it lately, so I'll recommend it here. There's a 1979 Anne of Green Gables anime made by Nippon Animation before Miyazaki and Co. would leave to create Studio Ghibli. It's 50 episodes, so there's multiple seasons worth of content. The dialogue and subtlety is leagues above the Judeo-Communized slop that serves as children's propaganda today. The visuals really capture both the beauty of nature and the Victorian Era in Canada (before the Turd World deluge). There's an entire episode about Bankers lying and being vipers, so it offers a good teaching opportunity. And as a period piece about a girl growing into a learned and responsible woman, it's got plenty of moments of imagination, heart-ache, and maturity - far better for your kid's mental health than current year "nigger worship White guilt" shows.

Perhaps best of all, unlike today's post-modern Yahvist productions, it's very kind to Christianity. It doesn't demonize God, the good, or faith. Entire episodes involve church/sunday school, or some kind of Christmas celebration. It doesn't overdo it either, religion is a part of the community, but it isn't incessant or preachy. It really goes to show how far things have fallen when 1970s Japs could create a more authentic and respectable snapshot of Victorian Western life than all of Amazog/NetFux's modernity.​

 

[Travoltron]

I've been a broken record about it lately, so I'll recommend it here. There's a 1979 Anne of Green Gables anime made by Nippon Animation​

How is that new Anne Shirley anime that's out right now?