Top 10 Worst Educational Kids Show Cliches
There's a reason why educational shows like Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and Sesame Street were so successful. The main thing is that they didn't follow these cliches.
I can at least tolerate Sesame Street for having a catchy theme. But some others have annoying, repetitive theme songs that make you want to cut your ears off.
Too many preschool shows are formulaic. Dora, Super Why, Barney, and many more follow the exact same plotline every episode.
Seriously, like I said, Sesame Street is incredibly successful because they have variety.
Take Bo on the Go and the Bubble Guppies stories for example. Even Masha's Spooky Stories. No matter how different they seem, they're all the same.
Seriously, some shows (Oobi) just have the absolute worst dialogue.
If you watch Daniel Tiger, there are so many cringey and cheesy lines.
These protagonists are the smartest, coolest, and kindest people in their worlds. They have tons of superpowers and abilities, can solve every problem, always win everything, always get to be the hero, and everyone loves them. They also NEVER make mistakes and if they do, everyone forgets about it in 2 seconds.
Examples:
Dora (Dora the Explorer)
Blaze (Blaze and the Monster Machines)
Mickey Mouse (Clubhouse/Roadster Racers)
Captain Jake (Jake and the Neverland Pirates)
Sofia (Sofia the First)
Milli, Geo, and Bot (Team Umizoomi)
Barney (Barney and Friends)
Some preschool shows suck for being too campy and preachy with their messages.
Friendship is Magic is in the title.
Let's face it. This is kind of unnecessary, considering that it's impossible to interact with a television show. All it really does is slow down the pacing by just waiting for the kids to perform some action, assuming they even do.
Yeah fine, I'll admit sometimes you have to grab the viewers' attention. But if a kids' show does this every other scene, then the viewers will just be confused.
The Backyardigans, but Austin is so cute!
At least Mister Rogers did well with its gentle, slow pacing. But others are TOO slow.
For example: the villains from Bubble Guppies, Swiper the Fox, and many more. They get instantly reformed by having a talking to, which is very unrealistic. The only preschool villain that is good is Robbie Rotten.
Never have I seen an educational kids' show talk about taking action when things get bad (other than Lazy Town).
While some shows like Wonder Pets actually managed to make this work, for the most part this is one of the most frustrating for me. We want to see what happens next, and they just sit there and sing for about 5 minutes.
Some shows just have maybe one or even no songs in an episode. Others just keep going on with songs.
I'm thinking of Wonder Pets here. There's no need to cram 20 songs into an 11-minute episode.
The Newcomers
I considered puppet shows creepy when I was very young. I was very scared of puppets.
Sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows all day? I don't think so.
A ten-year-old boy travels with two teens to catch and battle. It's one of the longest-running animes. If you watched, know, and enjoyed the original 90s version the most, you are labeled a genwunner. Not forgetting the songs, I heard kids had seizures once?
The Backyardigans, but we never see their parents.
They CAN see and hear you through that screen. They just need to know the right time to... leave...
You mean kids 3-5 years of age have never talked to the television? It's also been a long time since you were that age.
*Begins to stare at the viewer* "Hey kids, where's Scratch Cat? I need your help!"
