As a mom, you and I both know it’s important to be aware of what your kids are viewing, whether it be on the iPad, TV, computer. With so much bad stuff of there, we really need to keep a watchful eye on our very easily influenced children. Recently I was invited to a sneak peak of a Disney Junior original series “Doc McStuffins” (premiering in Asia next week). Being very pro-Disney, I decided to go see what the show was all about.
The Doc McStuffins series was created by a mom (Chris Nee) who spent many hours in and out of doctor’s offices with her asthmatic son. Nee realized that there were no shows out there that dealt with the anxiety and fear that children have of being sick and visiting the doctor. That is how she came up with the idea for Doc McStuffins.
The main character is an African American, 6 year old girl, Dottie McStuffins. Dottie (aka “Doc”) has the ability to talk to and heal toys and stuffed animals. The first episode (the one I watched) deals with Lennie the fire truck. Lennie is unable to put out fires, because he is running out of water. He has never been to a doctor before and is scared.
Doc gives Lennie a checkup and all the other stuffed animals sing a song it’s “Time for Your Checkup” to help Lennie get over his fears. Doc is then able to diagnose Lennie’s problem after her mother tells her to “hydrate” because it is hot outside.
The main message of the episode is that it is important to hydrate and drink water – especially when it is hot and humid outside. To end the episode, the characters all sing a catchy song…”Water water, gotta drink water….” to really drill the message home.
SuperMommy’s Overall Impression of Doc McStuffins: As a mom, I thought the episode was lighthearted and fun. I liked the fact that there was a message at the end. I also appreciated the lovable characters (as opposed to bad guys and evil villains). As a woman, I was pleased with the fact that the main character is a double minority (an African American and a girl) being portrayed in a powerful role as a doctor. I think this sends a very postive message to little girls.
Would SuperMommy let her boys watch Doc McStuffins? When they are actually old enough to watch TV, yes SuperMommy wo
uld approve of the DocMcStuffins cartoon.
Will kids actually learn something from Doc McStuffins? Yes, kids will probably take away a positive message or learn a lesson after watching the show.
Just check it out for yourself. Doc McStuffins is premiering in Asia on the Disney Junior channel (in Singapore its Starhub Channel 311) on July 9th.
Extra Bonus: Disney Junior also puts out a monthly magazine which features all of the characters from the various Disney Junior shows. The magazine incorporates stories and activities that help children use their imagination. The magazine is full of games and activities to entertain a busy pre-schooler (something great to pack for a long plane ride – see SuperMommy’s travel tips
