Why Cartoons Stink and my beef with Minnie Mouse

If you have young children, you probably end up watching your fair share of cartoons on Disney, PBS, Cartoon Network, etc. My husband indoctrinated our son into a morning cartoon routine several months ago. Even though the American Pediatrics Association doesn’t recommend any screen time for children under the age of two, I haven’t made it an “issue,” because our son isn’t very interested in tv. He likes the opening song to Mickey Mouse Club and the closing Hot Dog Dance. He tunes out everything in between. My problem is that I end up watching the entire episode instead of my son and the cartoons are driving me mad. Here are my three top complaints about the shows we “watch”:

1) The out of touch female roles in Mickey Mouse Club

Is there anything more stomach churning to a feminist than Minnie Mouse? Where is her substance? She teaches boys and girl viewers that girls should always be polite; that it’s important to coordinate hair accessories with clothing; women (even little girls) wear high heels; and they must carry on traditional female roles. One of her favorite hobbies is to bake! I love the idea of involving children in cooking but not because it enables you to become the ultimate people pleaser. Daisy is essentially Minnie’s copycat flunkie. Clarabelle, a cow, is a newer character and is Goofy’s unspoken love interest. The fact that all of the girl characters are assumed to be “betrothed” to a male character is out of line, but it is interesting that Disney decided to pair Goofy, a dog, with a cow. The final straw is that Clarabelle is a skinny cow. She is so skinny that a veterinarian would probably find it more humane to euthanize her if she were a real cow. Instead of creating a cow that is of normal weight, they make her skinny because she is a girl?

2) Inaccurate representation of capitalism in Handy Manny

If you have ever watched Handy Manny, you know that Manny goes to Kelly’s hardware store to buy supplies for every repair. One of the things I like best about Handy Manny is that it features small business owners and their social contributions in a town. What irks me most is that no one ever pays for anything! If Manny goes into Kelly’s hardware store to buy nuts and bolts, then viewers need to see him pay for those items with dollars! This is a very teachable moment about the use of money in our society. Why does Disney chose to avoid this conversation with children?

3) Little Einstein’s was created by pretentious intellectuals

Every episode of Little Einstein’s teaches viewers about significant artwork and classical music. I used to think this was a worthwhile endeavor. After a handful of episodes, though, you realize that the concept is too forced when the kids are trying to rhyme “ancient African pottery” with the tenth symphony by Dimitri Shostakovich.” Many toddlers cannot pronounce their “r’s”. Who is this show really for?

Are there any cartoons that leave you questioning what our society is trying to teach our children? Or, any shows that just drive you bonkers? I’d love to hear from you.