The DoodleBops

by Tristi Pinkston | More from this Blogger

17 Aug 2006 12:19 PM

Of all the things The DoodleBops have accomplished, perhaps the most significant is that they make The Wiggles seem less abhorrent to me.

Rooney Doodle is an inventor with blue hair who enjoys coming up with new contraptions and trying them out on his brother and sister. DeeDee Doodle dresses in pink and loves to tell jokes and make people laugh. Mo Doodle is the youngest and wants to be bigger, but gets sidetracked from his goals by his ever-present, overwhelming desire to pull a rope that hangs down from the ceiling and empties a bucket all over his orange, shaggy-haired head. For some reason they're all wearing full-body costumes, including weird, lumpy glove-like things on their hands, although their faces are showing. Add to the mix Jazz, the scat-singing stage manager, and Bob, the all-wise bus driver, and you have a combination that could only be The DoodleBops.

Lest I sound completely negative, let me interrupt myself to say that the music is actually pretty good. The DoodleBops sing songs that are designed to encourage children to clean up, to share, to explore their talents, and more. It's very upbeat music and I have, on occasion, found myself boogying to it from time to time. My 20-month-old loves it. (But then, he loves any form of music, including the American Idol auditions)

Educationally, this show is not at the top of my favorites list. The Doodles usually encounter some kind of challenge through the show and they have to work together to solve it, but that is the extent of the teaching. I'm afraid that this show gets a pretty high score on the Parent Annoyance scale, too, meaning that it bugs me quite a bit. But it is pretty harmless, and so if you can stand it, it shouldn't cause any long-term scarring of the children, but you might want to find yourself a chore to do in the other room while it's on.

Tristi's Score: 3 for Education, 7 for Entertainment, and the Parent Annoyance Factor is 6.

Learn more about Tristi Pinkston

I've been a blogger for Families.com since August of 2006.

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adrenals (19) 18 Aug 2006 11:10 AM

I agree with Tristi about the DoodleBops. I'm also concerned about the 70's "Flower Child" themes I see throughout the show. Having grown up in the 60's and 70's I saw firsthand the effects of the hippie revolution, and its effects on morality and ethical types of behaviors. When I see presentations that reflect "hippie type beliefs", then I wonder if they're trying to teach my children values that will not help them become responsible, sober citizens when they get older.

Tristi Pinkston (10839) 19 Aug 2006 10:31 AM

Thanks for your comments, adrenals. I hadn't noticed any flower child themes, but I think that's one of the great things about getting feedback from others -- we all have different viewpoints and it makes our own life's experiences so much richer when we listen to what others have to say. I hope you come back often to share your views.