Children's TV

[ailbhe]

Radio 4 had a little bit this morning on Woman's Hour about CBeebies TV programming and the fact that it's all male leads with female sidekicks. Ha! I knew I was right! Whenever I talk to the people I know here about it they say "But Millie is always right in the end," or "But Mrs Gogglins always solves everythign really" or whatever - "But the female sidekick gets her goals in the end by slightly manipulative means, showing up the (somehow undiminished) male hero. then she makes tea."

It's just nice to know I wasn't insane and that it really is all male leads.

Comments

[k425.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure about 64 Zoo Lane or Balamory, but otherwise, yes, you're right.

[porcinea.livejournal.com]

I utterly despise 64 Zoo Lane. *shiver* The colonialism therein gives me hives. He's also not encouraged to watch Maggie and the Ferocious Beast, for similar reasons.

Only one chick on WonderPets (I use the term "chick" semi-literally), and she's always trying to go it alone, and messing up.

Dora, at least, here.

[ailbhe]

I've hardly seen 64 Zoo Lane. Balamory... perhaps. Women get to be shop assistants, nursery nurses, fitness gurus, bus-drivers; men get to be artist-musicians, policemen, inventors

Looking at the website:

Teletubbies - pretty well-balanced actually
Tikkabilla - Tends to have very wise men and ditzy women
Balamory - Not half bad really
Roly Mo - Wise old man syndrome
Tweenies (oh god, the Tweenies - I love them but the *stereotyping!)
Charlie and Lola - Wise old man syndrome
Something Special - No female characters
Fimbles - Not too bad really
Tots TV - I have no idea because I loathe it too much to watch it
Razzle Dazzle - Ditto
Boogie Beebies - Not too bad really but god I hate it
Big Cook Little Cook - No female characters
Andy Pandy - Desperately trying not to be as stereotyped as it used to be. At least AP does his own housework.
Barnaby Bear - Has a female sidekick
Bill and Ben - Not even a female sidekick
Binka - No idea what this is
Bits and Bobs - No idea what sex they're supposed to be, actually.
Bob the Builder - Has a female sidekick
Bobinogs - One female character in main three
Boo - Not even a female sidekick
Brum - Not even a female sidekick
Clifford - Emily might be a main character but she's very very girlie
Come Outside - Yes! Female lead! Reminds me inexorably of a teacher, but even so.
Doodle Doo - Male lead, one in group of three sidekicks is female
Fab Lab - Wise old man syndrome again
Fireman Sam - Has a female sidekick
Gordon the Garden Gnome - not even a female sidekick
Koala Brothers - no female sidekick here either
Lazytown - Female child sidekick with alarming pink costume and hair
Little Red Tractor - No idea
Little Robots - I think the clever one who has no adventures is female
Lunar Jim - Has a female sidekick
Muffin the Mule - No sidekick
Pablo - No idea
Pingu - For all I know Pingu is a girl-penguin
Pinky Dinky Doo - Female lead
Postman Pat - Some female characters might be supposed to be sidekicks
Rubbadubbers - Pretty balanced, I think
The Shiny Show - One in three lead characters is female
Step Inside - Female sidekick dog
Story Makers - Pretty balanced
Tommy Zoom - No idea
Underground Ernie - Female sidekick
Wide Eye - No idea
64 Zoo Lane - Emily or Lucy or whoever she is is a female lead I *think*

[oldbloke.livejournal.com]

The females in Muffin are abysmal. The lamb one wants a good slap, and to be forcefed everything Greer et al ever wrote

[k425.livejournal.com]

64 Zoo Lane - not only Lucy, but the giraffe who keeps a general idea on her (Georgina, who's incredibly tall, 64 64 64 Zoo Lane - yes, I know all the words...).

[mrs-warwick.livejournal.com]

I agree. I hate Muffin the Mule more than Big Cook Little Cook.

[mrs-warwick.livejournal.com]

Tots TV is two male and one female, who is French. She is not quite a lead, not quite a sidekick.

I thought Bobinogs was two girls, one boy but I'm not keen so don't pay that much attention.

The last time I watched Doodle Doo I thought that the female was very bossy and know-it-all, like Tweenie Bella.

Rhiannon hates Balamory, don't know why, if it comes on she turns the TV off.

Pingu - Female roles

[robyn-r.livejournal.com]

Pingu is a male (mischievious, young) penguin. He has a younger sister Pinga and a mother penguin.
He also has a girlfriend penguin (only girl in class who put the moves on HIM). Various other moms and aunt penguins are depicted.
The motherly sorts are good-natured and nurturing.

BTW.. Robyn, father of Stacia (Staciamatic), SF fan and friend of tammylc
over in Michigan. I've been lurking for a bit off of various comments to tammylc's postings.
You've given my wife and I optimism that perhaps we can do another one of those infant things! ;)

Robyn

[(Anonymous)]

I'm just a bit confused - you want female characters that aren't too feminine? Would you prefer the female characters to act like boys? Encouraging girls to think that being a girl is a bad thing and that they should try to be men? I think you miss the point of children's programmes. The character's are supposed to be people that young children relate to. Most little girls (bearing in mind the programmes you mention are aimed at pre-school children) are 'very very girly'.

Also you imply that the female characters are 'sidekicks' whereas in fact they are the character that the children are supposed to relate to.

Take Roly Mo for example, yes Roly Mo is male and the 'wise old man' but children watching the programme are supposed to relate to Little Bo and the snoots who are the 'children' in the show. This also goes for Doodle do and the like.

[ailbhe]

I'd like female lead characters, for a start - The Little Bo Show, rather than The Roly Mo Show, perhaps?

I am aware that many little girls are raised to be stereotypically "girly" and that they are taught from pre-verbal infancy that girls are girly and boys are boyish. I just don't agree that this is inevitable or automatically desirable. I think boys should be able to see strong female characters being feminine AND the lead character, strong male characters taking on traditionally feminine roles (Roly Mo's occasional stories about the twins are an excellent example of this) without compromising their maleness, etc.

I also think people should say who they are when they are expressing their views in a public forum.

Re: Pingu - Female roles

[rrc.livejournal.com]

What I like about pingu is that when he goes home you often see his father washing up or ironing whilst his mother sits in a chair reading the paper.

Re: Pingu - Female roles

[ailbhe]

This is good, yes, but it's more complicated that just obviously reversing the traditional gender roles... Still, perhaps that's enough for a toddlers' TV programme?