Rugrats Gone Wild

[PrincessFiona]

We read the reviews for the movie and they were pretty bad...but we decided to go anyway....we are big fans of rugrats and the Thornberrys.....I'd say that the reviews were right on the money...the movie really wasn't that good in my opinion...but the kids liked it. The music was awful 8O

kris

[Rapunzel]

I am really not surprised. I hate the Rugrats and I really don't like the things that happen on the tv show (such as Angelica always referring to the other kids as "you dumb babies"). My kids watched the show a few times and picked up some bad habits before I banned it in my house. I watched the previous two Rugrats movies and found the first one to be a little cute and the second one to be a lot less cute so I am sure with this descending scale the third one would be just plain bad.

I have to say that I also banned the Rugrats after my kids picked up some language I did'nt like. The do use the words dumb and stupid alot.

[PrincessFiona]

Rugrats

Really? Rugrats don't bother me at all....My children love Chuckie and Tommy and just think that Angelica is mean....They told me she is sad because she doesn't have any brothers and sisters.

My kids haven't used the dumb babies thing though.....

I actually really like the Rugrats and I liked the first two movies....


hmmm

kris

[Rapunzel]

I can see the appeal of the Rugrats (it does have some humor) but I think it is much more appropriate for adults than for small children both with the language and the content of the stories (for instance they do occasionally have sexual innuendo which I find wildly innappropriate). So, at first I watched the movies and the show thinking it was pretty cute - but then I realized it was fairly funny and cute on an ADULT level (although the sexual innuendo repeated by small children - even cartoon children - is too much for me) but much of it was not behavior or language I would want my young children to absorb or emulate. So, I can certainly see that you would think the show was cute, Kris, because I think most adults would. I just don't think it is appropriate for small children. I guess that is the best way I can clarify my feelings.

[mommax3]

I have always let my kids watch Rugrats, too, from the time my oldest was about 2. I like it because of the reasons already stated, and I have found that the innuendos (which are few) went right over the kids' heads. I did hear a couple "dumb babies" around here, but I made it very clear that if I continued to hear it, there would be no more Rugrats in our house, and that was that. The negative behavior is pretty much confined to Angelica, who is such an over the top brat that it is obvious to kids that they shouldn't use her as a role model. I figured that if it was a show the kids and I could BOTH enjoy, that is a positive in itself because I am more likely to actually sit down and watch it with them.

Sally (who is actually pretty protective about what the kids watch on tv, much to their chagrin)

[PrincessFiona]

innuendos

I'll have to look over our rugrats tapes...the innuendos went over my head too I dont' think that the rugrats are any worse than any of the disney movies out now...there seem to be many 'adult' themes and jokes running through the latest disney and pixar hits as well......wasn't little Bo Peep smitten with Woody? Didn't she invite him over to her place?

It IS really tought to wade through some of these shows. One I have really started looking down on is Sponge Bob...we don't watch that anymore....too many potty jokes....and "oops, I ripped my pants" kind of things.

It's hard to find quality children's movies anymore. Then again, I remember seeing "Betty Boop" as a child in cartoon format...and the cartoon had a betty boop who must have been a 38DDD.....so I guess it was hard back then too.

kris

[Rapunzel]

I agree, Kristen. Cartoons cannot necessarily be considered innocent and appropriate simply because they are cartoons. We didn't let the kids watch Pocohantas because of the costume (and lack thereof) of the title character primarily but also because it seems like Disney movies have just degraded in quality over the years.

I watched SpongeBob Squarepants exactly twice before completely ruling it out of our tv viewing. Part of the problem I have with that show is the poor quality of the writing and awful characters. Even cartoons should be held to some sort of standard as far as storyline, right?

I think there are some crazy, over-the-top reasons not to let your kids watch particular movies, though. Take the Lion King controversy for example. Remember the whole "Sex" spelled in the wind junk? Well, I think the whole thing was just way out of proportion and not worth the emotional outburst that occurred.

I was never allowed to watch Betty Boop as a child (she also liked to do the hula topless I later found out! ). But, I did watch a lot of Looney Tunes which was a fairly violent genre of cartoons! As a parent I've had a struggle as to whether I should let my kids watch violent cartoons such as Looney Tunes (Bugs, Tweety and Silvester, the Roadrunner, and don't forget the guy always shooting at everything with a gun!!!) and Tom and Jerry. I guess in comparison to other violent shows, movies, and video games available to young children these are fairly mild. But the question is where to draw the line? It's a difficult thing and one I constantly struggle with (and one my husband and I OFTEN disagree on)!

[PrincessFiona]

what?

Sex in the WIND????? I never heard about that one! We can take things to extremes, can't we. I could probably find criticism with sexual overtones in Finding Nemo between the father and the female fish that tried to hep...and could certainly criticize his mean, condescending treament of her...because I thought he was mean to her. Was it teaching children that men are superior and women are inferior..even dumb? I don't think so...I just took it at the face value for the comedic purpose it was intended..but I could have twisted it....it made me uncomfortable.

It really is hard to find suitable children's programming once children get a little older. We actually watched teletubbies for awhile (we were living in the UK and it came out there first)...I hated that show, but it was at least not violent or sexual....well..there was the controversy about one of the tubbies being gay, I think. Sesame Street is a good show and so is Blue's Clues...but what do you do with a 6, 7 or 8 year old???? The only types of shows available to them are really on Nick Jr...which for the most part shows the same types of things...PowerPuff Girls, for example became tabboo in our house...and my kids actually decided that they didn't want to watch it....I had seen it twice while cooking/doing something else and hadn't really watched it with them like I could have. It was a new show and the little powerpuff girls 'looked' cute. Then my son came up to me and said "I don't like them, they are mean"...so I sat down and watched them and realized that it was just violence, violence, violence. I was surprised because I had this idea that they were three litttle girls who were out saving the world...I thought they would be a good role model of a strong girl for my daughter That one got tossed. Then there were those Pokemon...omg....ok...we don't watch pokemon or anything like it.....

But what CAN an elementry-school aged child watch? They aren't going to go for Bob the Builder.....there are too few options available and it seems like we take the lesser of the 'evils'. Rugrats, to me, seems much less of an evil than say...powerpuff girls or sponge bob.

Something we did find that was good is on HBOfamily and is called "Crashbox". It is a puzzle show that teaches children to think differently....they do all kinds of puzzles for a half an hour and all three of our kids love it. We only had HBO though to watch 6 feet under...and since it won't be on again until February, we're canceling it for six months.

While we are on a children's movies rant...what is up with tv programming..even cable programming???? There is NOTHING good on (except of course Trading Spaces . I remember when I was younger that you could count on a good movie coming on a Friday or Saturday night....Thomas subscribed to HBO for the start of the new 6 feet under series a few months ago and they do not show one single move that gets more than 1.5 to 2 stars...and they repeat these lousy, rotten shows month after month...it is a complete waste of money!!!

Where is quality tv programming period???

hey..I think I just had my rotd.

kris

[houseelf]

Kris & Jennifer,

You have tapped into one of my perennial tirades! Where DO we draw the line with entertainment for kids? I'm desperately clinging to the notion that I can somehow be protective and moderate at the same time. On one hand, I want my kid to have a childhood and deal with age appropriate issues as he matures. On the other hand, as a child I watched Looney Tunes, Star Wars, Charlie's Angels, Love Boat, Three's Company, and other borderline adult/child entertainment. Although it is up to debate, I turned out relatively normal. Seriously, let's not even analyze the potential underlying pejorative themes in Charlie's Angels that young minds could perceive and indoctrinate into their psyches.

In my household, my three year old is absolutely enamoured with anything that he believes to be masculine. As a derivative of this, he idolizes anything that a three year old perceives as masculine: super powers, guns, violence. Here we are two anti-gun parents raising this little kid who wants to grow up to be either Buzz Light Year, Space Ranger or a Jedi Knight. He wants to chase monsters with a laser, fight with his light saver, and throw webs from his wrist like Spiderman to ensnare people. I gave up trying to give him a baby doll along time ago (although he is showing a renewed interest lately). The truth of the matter is that he has picked up so much of this behavior by watching his favorite super heros or by playing with other little boys who have watched these shows. What is a well-intentioned parent to do?

Like Sally, I figure that a lot of things go over his head. For instance, a lot of the social commentary of the Simpsons are just lost on him. Sad to say, we watch the Simpsons several times a week. On the other hand, I rarely park him in front of Saturday morning cartoons because there is nothing redeeming about Yugioh (sp?), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kim Possible, Digimon, and the like, not to mention the marketing. At the end of the day, I'm much more opposed to him seeing violence than some of the other harmful themes because he really seems to pick up on that the most. I think that if I had a daughter, I would be concerned about other themes which girls tend to pick up. Sorry for the gender stereotyping, but there really does seem to be some common themes....

What is the difference between all these shows? Where do we draw the line? I don't know. I honestly can't believe that there isn't better programming for kids, especially on Saturday mornings. As far as the sexual innuendo in family programming, although I'm not a fan, at least sexuality is a natural part of life, at some much later stage, like 30 for my little angel . Violence, however, is not a natural part of life and it certainly is not a cornerstone of masculinity either. I guess if I'd have to choose, I'd choose the former and not the later.

Kelly

[Rapunzel]

Where is quality tv programming?

My answer: Dead and buried along with Fred Rogers.

Seriously, though, my 6 year old and my four year olds all find Mr. Rogers to be quite entertaining. The older one finds the "Land of Make-Believe" to be a bit beneath him but finds the field trips and guests fascinating. The younger ones find every bit of it cool.

I've been thinking back to when I was 6-7 and trying to remember what I watched on tv. I remember that there were VERY few programs I was allowed to watch and I spent a grand total of about an hour in front of the tv everyday (it was rarely on). I loved Mr. Rogers at that age (he seems so innocent and naive in such a retro way - isn't that just a sad commentary on modern childhood?), Sesame Street was totally too young for me (it really belongs to toddlers in my opinion), Captain Kangaroo was another favorite, and there were some fairly mild cartoons I loved (remember Muppet Babies and Carebears?).

"Edgy" programming for my siblings and me was shows like He-Man, GIJoe, the then-new Japanimation sci-fi cartoons, Rainbow Bright, etc. Things have changed and I'm now officially an old fogey!!!!

I think I try to draw the line with programs that would teach bad behavior to my children. TV programs that portray all family interactions as sarcastic and rude are on the list for example. Programs that portray sexual themes that my children are not yet old enough to discuss are also taboo. Similarly dirty and insulting language is banned. It can be difficult because sometimes a show that was very good for a few weeks suddenly takes a turn for the worse and we have to ultimately take it off the list of acceptable viewing. It's tough but I think in the end being picky about how you spend your time (in this case in front of the television) is a good principle to teach my kids.

[mommax3]

Hey, Kris, since our kids are around the same age -- my kids have recently fallen in love with Animal Planet. I have the same issues with what is available on tv for young children. My kids mostly watch videos or DVDs and I try to break up the monotony by getting "new" videos at the library every so often. We have a majority of the Disney releases from the past few years and they get on a kick of watching those sometimes. I have also been buying the older Disney releases, like "Absent-Minded Professor", "Parent Trap", and "Swiss Family Robinson" and the ones with Don Knotts that came out when I was a kid. On our trip, I ran across some "best of" Andy Griffith videos that had 3 or 4 episodes per tape. They were only $2 apiece! I bought 5 of them, so that is my plan for when it gets too hot to go outside.

My kids also like the channels Noggin and Discovery Kids, if you get those, and my oldest is finally starting to appreciate "The Cosby Show" -- one of my all-time favorites.

Just thought I would share!

Sally

[Rapunzel]

I agree with Sally, Animal Planet is a very safe alternative to a lot of the "children's" programming. We watch it quite a bit!

Well, it's nice to know I am not alone in my frustration regarding children's programming. I feel lucky that Bryn is only 3 and not in that 6-8 range that sounds difficult to find appropriate entertainment for.

We don't have cable which helps but does exclude fun things like Animal Planet (which I bet she would like). She really only watches what is on PBS: Sesame Street, Barney, Clifford, or Teletubbies. We also try to find quality movies to rent or buy. Lately we have been doing the Julie Andrews musicals -- Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. She just loves these! Some other recent favorites are the newer Annie (w/ Kathy Bates as Ms. Hannigan) and The Secret of Roan Inish (this movie is FANTASTIC and one I don't mind watching a few times).

My big gripe with movies, especially Disney movies and the like, are the gender stereotypes. They just drive me crazy. :! So, Aladin (sp?), The Little Mermaid, Lion King would all fall under this category. They always seem to have a batting-eyelashes passive female paired with an adolescent-becoming-a-man type male character who does all the work to save the day. It just drives me nuts! Why can't the girl character ALWAYS need to be rescued/saved/protected while the male gets to do all the fun stuff? I know that Mulan was supposed to be a "fix" for this but I would rather see a balance of action between male and female characters in all the Disney movies -- not just one. And for goodness sake.....why would there need to be *any* romantic overtones between young characters in a movie that is aimed at toddlers and the early elementary set!

The only Disney movie we watch with any regularity is The Jungle Book (original) -- great story and great music. Although almost all of the characters are male, at least there isn't the contrast between the passive female and problem-solving male.

grrr...grrr.....and I am not like I'm some sort of movie prude when it comes to content in movies that are seen (or should be seen) by adults. I figure anything goes -- sex, violence, language, whatever -- in an R rated movie. But movies for kids are a whole different story! grrr.....grrrr.....

There is my ROTD!

[SueC]

We are into the new Annie at our house, too! My daughter is constantly belting out tunes from that musical. I don't like Kathy Bates as well in the Ms. Hanigan role but I recently watched the old Annie and it wasn't quite as kid-friendly. I'll have to check out Mary Poppins and Sound of Music--I think my girls would love those.
I agree with all of you about kids programming today. We watch a lot of Disney channel in the morning and although I think it lacks in educational value, it seems pretty non-offensive. I do think Out of the Box is an excellent show. I especially like that both of the adults are non-white. Usually shows have their token person of a different race, but that's about it!