Wonder Pets on Nick Jr. : it's the next big thing
Categories: Toddlers, Preschoolers, Media, That's entertainment
When I saw the first advertisement for Nick Jr.'s latest
animated television show targeted at preschoolers, I thought it must be a joke. Wonderpets? With a
photo-realistic guinea pig, Linny, who likes to wear a cape and a baseball cap when he saves the day with his friends,
Ming-ming the duck and Tuck the turtle, it seems more like the stuff of late-night drunken brainstorming than actual
television. Linny, Tuck, and Ming-ming, too sing everything they do (evidently, "operetta is an art form
particularly suited to children," according to the New York Times' article about the
show).But, then, in a world of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Booh-bah, well, anything's possible and it's probably targeted at your three-year-old.
The thing is, Everett and Truman, ages 3.5 and 11 months, respectively, love Wonder Pets. So does Jack, three-year-old son of Weblogs, Inc. lifers Niki and Brian Alvey. The music - each show's score is an original, and played by a real orchestra - is catchy and non-annoying. I love that the show manages to combine the furry-and-feathery cuteness of household pets with the noble, good vs. bad nature of superheroes. It's like Superman without the violence and evil.
The New York Times has some great detail about the creator, Josh Selig (credits include Piper O'Possum, Oobi, and Little Bill); the style of the show (it's "photo-puppetry animation"); and its message ("through teamwork, you can achieve amazing things"). As always, my question: are your kids watching it? And more importantly, do you like it?
Recent Posts
- Weekend Fun and Games (7/03/2009)
- Kids and Extracurriculars - When Do You Let Them Quit? (7/03/2009)
- Twitter Follow Friday on ParentDish! (7/03/2009)
- Lush Lashes (7/03/2009)
- Abigail Breslin Makes $13 a Week (7/03/2009)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
marnie 4-02-2006 @ 7:38PM
Both my kids (3 1/2 year old boy and 14 month girl) love Wonder Pets. My son actually cries when the episodes are over (yeah, we're working on that). And it's really watchable--my husband and I are constantly quoting the funny little things the furry guys sing. "He's stuck on some driftwood." "What is driftwood?" "It's wood that drifts." I was skeptical at first, but seriously, it's a huge hit in our house.
Reply
Kat 4-02-2006 @ 7:43PM
My daughter loves wonderpets, and it's not as annoying as some of the other shows on NickJR. like lazytown, dora and blues clues(joe drives me crazy)
Reply
Meredith 4-02-2006 @ 7:48PM
My 3 yr old lurves the Wonder Pets. So much so that last time it came on, she stood in the same spot, motionless, for the 22 minutes it was on.
She is constantly walking around singing the "Team work!" song. She asks for it often.
However, I am still a little miffed that the duck has to have a toddler speech impediment. Wouldn't it be better if our kids were able to hear the correct way to pronounce words?
Reply
Anna V. 4-02-2006 @ 8:09PM
I hate the Wonderpets; my daughter practically worships them. She sings the theme and the teamwork part ad nauseum. I too do not like the duck's speech impediment... it sounds too cutsie, among other things. I don't like the concept - the pets save baby animals, and then only afterwards do the parents come into the picture. My daughter did wonder where the animals' mommies were at first, but now it doesn't even phase her.
Of course, her heart still beats only for Diego.
Reply
Erika 4-02-2006 @ 8:23PM
I don't entirely hate the show but I get annoyed listening to the duck's speech problem too. It's fake anyway and sounds fake, and I think that's why it grates so much. (I watched the little "Making of Wonder Pets" thing where they were talking to the girls who do the voices for the pets, the duck girl said her R's just fine). Plus all the weird inconsistencies bother me - how DOES Tuck get up the sink drain when his tank is freestanding...?
For the most part it's catchy and a good show though, I do get the songs stuck in my head a bit and OUCH after a couple of hours of "Linny... Tuck... and Ming-Ming too!" over and over. It's also one of the shows I can't stand to watch reruns of over and over. (Not the chimp one AGAIN!!! Argh!)
Great show for the kids but I predict they'll tire of it sooner than other shows.
Reply
Anne 4-02-2006 @ 10:07PM
We love the show. My daughter sings the themes, which is wonderful because she doesn't talk much. My son who is 4 calls them wonderpants.
Anne
Reply
Eden 4-02-2006 @ 10:26PM
OMG The Wonderpets. My daughter (age 2.5) sings/chants the Wonderpets theme about every five minutes. She acts it out w/ her Backyardigans plushies. Everything these days is "It's a pan-da, stuck in as tree-ee!" "This is serious!" "We have to help her!" She's suggested to Dora & Boots, to Diego, to Blue, to Uniqua and every other favorite TV character dealing with any kind of animal (and to me & to her father) that they should call Wonderpets. Our phone rings & she says "The phone, the phone is ring-ing!"
At first The Wonderpets creeped me out, reminded me of a Quiznos commercial. Now I kind of dig their operatic delivery and little Ming-Ming in her aviator helmet... too cute. The only Wonderpets complaint I have is that I have to keep correcting "This is sewious" to "this is serious." Otherwise, I've seen much worse than this.
Reply
Uly 4-02-2006 @ 11:41PM
"Wouldn't it be better if our kids were able to hear the correct way to pronounce words?"
They *do* hear the correct way to pronounce words - from you, and from the other adults in their lives. I assume they spend more time talking to you than watching tv, right? So why worry? You're the bigger influence.
Apparently, the girl who has the role of the duck had that feature of toddler speech (it's not an impediment when it occurs in young children and they outgrow it) when she got the role. She lost it by the time they started making the show, but the producers had liked the way it sounded, so they asked her to keep it up for the show.
Reply
callistawolf 4-03-2006 @ 1:28AM
I only saw it once... and it sorta freaked me out. But I can see the value. Luckily, my son has outgrown that "stage"... however, do have one on the way and if this is as successful as it sounds, it'll probably still be around in 3-4 years. :)
Reply
chelle 4-03-2006 @ 2:02AM
I am glad my daughter is not alone in her new addiction to the Wonder Pets. Since we try to restrict her tv watching...we have had to move the time to include Wonder Pets.
Reply
bella 4-03-2006 @ 8:43AM
I love this show. My daughter is 5, still in pre school, and she loves it too!
Reply
mommy2boys 4-03-2006 @ 8:01PM
wonderpets is a winner in this house. C (my 3 year old) sings the theme all. day. long. it constantly gets stuck in my head. but i like how it's teaching him about teamwork. :)
Reply
victoria 4-05-2006 @ 11:53AM
My youngest daughter 5 loves wonderpets he older brother 7.5 has been patient watching it over spring break. He was asking me if the duck had something wrong with her tongue because she was harder to understand. I enjoy Opera so, that doesn't bother me but others have mentioned where are the parents. Now come on, Dora/Diego run all over the place and do dangerous things...where are their parents? I am hispanic and my parents wouldn't let me off the block or out of an adults line of sight when I was growing up. I never got to swing over a river full of snakes :) Some kids have all the luck.
Reply
ANNIE 4-06-2006 @ 7:50PM
As a social worker who works primarily with kids with all sorts of delays in their development I feel an need to reassure parents that hearing Ming Ming's speech is unlikely to cause any problems for your children. Some may mimic it-as they might mimic an accent. For kids who struggle with speech difficulties it is very affirming. It also may desensitize all children to this kind of speech problem and reduce teasing of kids who are effected. Most children mimic the speech because they recognize that it's different-only showing that they know correct articulation. Stop worrying and enjoy the show with your kids.
Reply
catherine kelley 4-07-2006 @ 9:42PM
Easy on the ducks speech impairement, my son is speech delayed and I think it is good for him to see and hear characters that have a speech problem as well.
Reply
Haze 4-08-2006 @ 11:50PM
Our house loves the wonder pets. We don't have a TV but our five year old loves to watch videos and play games on NickJr.com and that's how we discovered wonder pets! My 21 month and five year old love it. I can get them to pick up their toys when I start singing, "What's going to work? Teamwork!!!"
My husband and I think Ming Ming is hilarious and wouldn't change the way she talks for anything it! And really it's not how she talks it's her comments. All three of them are quite lovable. We love how it shows teamwork and "the together thing" And the whole saving other animals and flying to where they live...it's really educational.
We can't get enough of wonder pets. NickJr.com changes episodes frequently so we can see different ones but wish they had them on DVD because some of the older ones were the best ones.
A+++++ to NickJr and the producers of that show! Great kid show!!!
Reply
Katie 4-09-2006 @ 4:36PM
Ok I love wonder pets, they're awsome! They give great lessons and fun songs. To those of you who dislike Ming Ming's adorable speech impediment you're losers! Kids actually talk like that and the other animals do often correct her to show the audience how Rs are supposed to sound. To anyone who thinks the duck's speech is fake its not they actually have little children at the studio singing the songs. If you notice your kid sing the songs it's cute the first few times but after a while it gets annoying but let them keep singing no matter how annoying it gets. Music helps build character and so does this show. I wouldn't change a thing.
Reply
Peter 4-10-2006 @ 10:17AM
ANNOYING! I can't stand this show. From the animation to the music, this show is extrememly irritating. Of course, my two year old LOVES it! We were outside playing the other day. Befor I knew it, she was Ming Ming and I was Tuck and we were going to save the dinosaur by "pushy, pushy, pushy in the tushy, tushy, tushy."
Reply
Sub-Odeon 4-10-2006 @ 10:50AM
I've got a 2.5 year old daughter, and while Spongebob Squarepants is still her most favorite, Wonderpets has really become a morningtime staple. My wife clued me in to this a few weekends ago, and I thought the Wonderpets remarkably cute and free of the manufactured, too-cutesy quality that some so-called Childrens' Television displays. (aka: Barney! BLEAH!) Also, I like that Wonderpets is fairly free of politicized proselytizing (do you hear me, PBS??!!) and that, if there is any overt message, it's that cooperation and teamwork can accomplish a great deal.
As an Army Reservist, I am quite happy that this kind of message is being delivered, because it's 100% true. There main motto might as well be taken straight from the Soldier's Handbook: we're not too big and we're not too tough but when we work together we've got the right stuff!
They should hang that on a plackard out front of 120th AG Reception at Fort Jackson.
Reply
Nici 4-11-2006 @ 12:06PM
My children just LOOOOVE Wonder Pets!! They want to watch it all day everyday but unfortunately it isn't on for them like that. When the show comes on, my children stand, or sit, in the same spot for the whole 20 minutes or so and don't move an inch. When the show is over, they start running around trying to find things to do. Now my son is VERY hyperactive and never quits moving. A mother with a son like mine enjoys shows like this because this is 20 minutes YOU KNOW you get to yourself! Eventually it will be on more often, just like all other Nick Jr shows, and that would be great for me!
The show is cute and the songs they sing are very catchy! Sometimes my husband and I end up singing the songs for a while after the show is over. My children, when they play together, sing with the operetta just like Linny, Tuck, and Ming-Ming.
I used to not like the impediment Ming-Ming has but then I thought, "he's a duck, they don't have much of a tongue!"
Reply