Welcome to part two in The A.V. Club’s four-week guide to kids’ shows that parents can actually stand. We’re saving you the trouble of slogging through shows like Chuggington and The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse as you search for decent kids’-age television (you’re welcome). We’re even adding accompanying reading material where available. Last week, we delved into the somewhat-frightening world of pre-K watches, from Blue’s Clues to Wonder Pets! Things perk up a bit this week with some shows that you may even watch when your kids aren’t around (like a Phineas And Ferb two-parter). Who knew Curious George would be a gateway to science? Who knew English accents were so endearing? Who knew Arthur was even still on the air?
Next week, we’ll look at shows for second and third graders. And in week four, we’ll list kids’ shows to avoid at all costs. Dora The Explorer, we have you in our sights.
1. Fraggle Rock (1983-87)
Jim Henson created the “noble race of Fraggles” with nothing less than the goal of world peace in mind, in the midst of the U.S. versus Russia arms race in the ’80s. To that end, the show was co-produced by British television company Television South and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, knocking off three countries just with production. Fraggle Rock then ran on HBO as the cable network’s very first series. As the Fraggles interacted with the hard-working Doozers, the giant Gorgs, and the “Silly Creatures From Outer Space” (Doc and Sprocket in their workshop), the show sneakily wove in concepts like democracy, monarchy, and isolationism. Henson explained in a 1987 documentary about the show: “By seeing how the various groups in the world of Fraggle Rock learn to deal with their differences, perhaps we can learn a little bit about how to deal with ours.” Your kid may want to get acquainted with this charming series before the upcoming movie with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It might also offer a chance to discuss political science before your child is even in second grade.
Availability: Hulu, DVD, YouTube
2. Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986-90)
Audiences first met Paul Reubens’ Pee-wee Herman character in a slightly risqué HBO special and some Letterman appearances, though most of his rough edges were smoothed away for Herman’s half-hour TV series for kids. But the mania remained intact, even as it was encased in the crazy titular house, a daily secret word, and characters like Chairy, Globey, and the lovely Miss Yvonne. Pee-wee’s imagination offers plenty of inspiration for kids’ own playdates—from playing house to trips to the moon—and even adds ideas for snacktime. More than a little trippy—Pee-wee might start walking upside down on the ceiling just for the hell of it, and the King Of Cartoons always offered bizarre animated features—and wholly original, Pee-wee’s Playhouse now offers the perfect blend of nostalgia for parents and hilarity for kids.
Availability: Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, DVD
3. Arthur (1996-)
Only Sesame Street outranks Arthur, Marc Brown’s aardvark without a nose, in terms of PBS Kids longevity. The show, based on Brown’s popular series of books, still features the Read family and their friends grappling with typical grade-school issues, with two stories per half-hour. Arthur raises the stakes with the show’s inspired parodies of everything from The Sopranos (“The Altos”) to Toy Story 2 (“Doll Story 2”): It recently kicked off its 19th season by using “Fountain Abbey” to take a valuable look at class differences. The longevity of the show has caused some followers to protest various voice cast rotations. But the show’s adherence to working with child actors and offering insightful social lessons (Arthur and his friends have frequent disagreements and misunderstandings but always make up at the end) means that Arthur will undoubtedly soon pass into its third decade.
Suggested reading: Brown’s books fill entire shelves of the children’s section in your local library, and you can find volumes to align with episodes like ”Arthur Gets The Chicken Pox” and “Arthur’s Teacher Trouble.”
Availability: PBS Kids, Netflix, YouTube