Yo Gabba Gabba vs. Micky’s Club House

Posted By Travis Gearhart at 1:02 pm on December 21, 2009

Yo Gabba Gabba. If any of you reading this are also friends of mine on Facebook, you will recall my many one liners of disdain for this show.

If you aren’t familiar with the show, it was created by one of the band members of the Aquabats (a sub-par “punk” band) and promotes liberal ideology throughout the show. Many may snicker at this, but if you watch more than an episode or two, it is a very fair assessment. There’s the episode that deals with being “green” and talks about the environment, there is an episode where the characters sing a song with lyrics like “Whats your talent, whats your skill” which stings of socialistic stylings, and of course has no educational value what-so-ever. None. No problem solving, no shape recognition, no counting…nothing. The entire show is dedicated to singing and dancing and loving one another. Which is great, don’t get me wrong. Children should sing, and dance, and love each other. However, the show is junk programming that has lots of pretty colors and (halway decent) children songs. The show also features guests, many smaller indy bands.

Micky’s Clubhouse, however, blows Yo Gabba Gabba out of the water. Not only does Micky, and Minnie, and Daisy, and the rest of the Disney characters that we all know and love, promote having fun and dancing, they also incorporate a wide range or skills that children should be learning. For example, at the beginning of every episode, there is some kind of “mystery”. In one episode the party hats that Minnie and Daisy had made are stolen. Micky and rest of the gang get 4 tools to take with them to use when needed, and follow clues to not only find the hats, but to discover who stole them as well.

During the adventure, the gang counts out how many hats are left, incorporate problem solving techniques to accomplish their mission, and use shape distinction to discover what sized head is needed for the socket to fix Goofy’s skateboard! I mean, really! This show, versus Yo Gabba Gabba? As I said, the gang sings songs and dances, but only after their problem is solved and they have the time, which is a great example of good work ethic.

Am I over thinking this? I know I’ve asked that on several past posts regarding parenting and child rearing, and I never thought that I would become so interested in something that is seemingly mundane like which children shows my child should be watching, but I guess I ask because I am a new father. With all that said, I certainly don’t keep Gage from watching Yo Gabba Gabba, however I make sure that Yo Gabba Gabba is being watched much less than Micky’s Clubhouse. Yo Gabba Gabba is kind of like junk food, while Micky is more like the actual meal.

Regardless, I would love to hear from you all perhaps with other educational but entertaining children’s shows, and preferably not ultra liberal with their ideology.

Comments (17)

17 Comments »

Comment by kevintracy on December 21, 2009

When Gage gets older, I’m going to buy him a box set of the Captain Planet series just to piss you off.

I happen to agree with you.

Comment by Laurie on December 21, 2009

Preschool children simply should not watch TV to any extent. Certainly not to the extent that they would absorb an “ideology” from it. To think that any of it is “better” than the other for a toddler is mistaken thinking.

Barney was a big deal when my son was a toddler. BIG controversies- was Barney gay? and blah blah blah. What a load of political baggage that some wanted to leave on the shoulders of toddlers! I found it hilarious. If a person is letting their toddler watch enough television to get indoctrinated by anything, then they suck as a parent in the first place.

Comment by Travis Gearhart on December 21, 2009

Laurie, at least with Barney kids learned counting and color distinction. I disagree with your point that children don’t learn ideology from just viewing a show a couple of times. I remember when I was a child how quickly I picked up things (a lot of things I probably shouldn’t have) and how easily I parrotted expressions and sayings (again, probably not good ones). Even if the child is only watching an episode a day while Mommy or Daddy are cooking dinner, that hour is enough to teach a child “Ohhh ok. This is important because the talking puppett is telling me it is.” Besides, when given a choice, shouldn’t the show not only be fun for the child but educational as well?

Comment by Travis Gearhart on December 21, 2009

And Kevin, I wonder how much “carbon” is released from burning cassette tapes? I’d be happy to find out lol

Comment by Wickle on December 22, 2009

Well, I have a 2-year-old and a 5-month-old. We don’t have cable in our house, so the only shows we ever watch are on DVD or VHS. No “educational” TV at all, unless you count a couple of “Baby Einstein” videos (which have no plot or characters) and a few Thomas the Tank Engine videos we were given. I don’t see any of these as particularly educational … they’re fun, though. My daughter likes to dance to Baby Bach and Baby Mozart. Actually, she has learned how to follow my lead in dancing, so there’s something.

I agree with Laurie that if kids are watching enough TV to absorb any kind of ideology, then it’s way too much TV. I recommend crayons and paper. My local librarians know me by name (and yet still didn’t hire me when I applied there … not that I’m bitter or obsessed or anything …).

It’s too late to make this a short comment, but my short answer would have been: Don’t have the TV on long enough for it to matter what’s on.

By the way, I’m curious … “What’s your talent, what’s your skill?” sounds like trying to find something productive to do. How is that a socialist lyric?

Comment by Don S on December 22, 2009

I’d have to agree with Wickle: “What’s your talent, what’s your skill?” doesn’t sound like a socialist mantra as much as a phrase to encourage children to explore their talents. I think I understand your angle… From “what’s your skill” you’re extrapolating to “which of your skills best serves the Supreme Leader,” but that’s a bit of a stretch.

“Yo Gabba Gabba” just appeals to the base pleasures of children: sharp colors, happy music, smiling faces, ridiculous enthusiasm. And no, I don’t think children’s television should necessarily be anything more than that.

Comment by Travis Gearhart on December 22, 2009

Don! How good to see my pencil neck liberal friend commenting on here. Your wrong of course, but good to see you! What all of you are failing to realize is that during the post I actually wrote that I don’t stop my son from watching it, and of course children are going to enjoy “ridiculous enthusiasm”. However, think about it: Yo Gabba Gabba is equivalent to reality TV crap, and Mickey’s Clubhouse (yes, I know, I misspelled Mickey in the entire post, my bad) is equivalent to, say, the History Channel (those two are a bit of extreme examples, but you all get the idea). I know for damn sure that I would rather watch and have my child watch a show/channel that is educational and fun at the same time. Am I going to become a “remote Nazi”? Of course not. But “The Hills” will not be given much time in my home. Will it make the child smarter? I’m willing to bet it will. If each show deals with counting and shape recognition and so on and so forth, as opposed to mindless blathering liberal ideology, then I’ll put my childs future SAT scores against the childs that watches Yo Gabba Gabba and reality TV any day.

Comment by Travis Gearhart on December 22, 2009

Wickle, btw, I agree with you and Laurie that the TV should be turned off much more. As far as the “whats your talent…” show…I don’t know how to explain it. You would have to watch the episode.

Comment by Don S on December 23, 2009

Again, Travis, you mention “mindless blathering liberal ideology” and I have no idea what you’re talking about– although I find the phrase charming. If you’re going to define liberal and conservative as loosely as you have been, then I could claim that your preoccupation with a television show’s practical function in educating the young, by teaching them the basics of hard work, is a utilitarian view of society and one that leaves little room for creativity or abstract thought. From there, I could point out that utilitarian ideals set the stage for radical fascist government.

Of course, I won’t be doing that because I don’t think that your opinion is promoting ‘fascism’ in any way, but by defining liberalism as “what’s your talent, what’s your skill,” I think you set yourself up for silly accusations.

Comment by travis on December 23, 2009

Well, Don, by assuming that my mention of hard work being a good thing is fascism, i could easily assume that, as a liberal, you don’t know what “working for your belongings” entails. I certainly know that is not the case with you, but your earlier assesment of the post coupled with your assumptions about my ideological agenda (not to mention the bloated wording and presumtious toning of the comment itself) leads me to believe that, if I did happen “leave myself open” to the argument, my response would be as such: If promoting hard work and education at an early age is “fascist” or “conservative”, then i completely understand the stupidity coupled with laziness that being a liberal so often entails. But then again, i don’t adhere to such ideological assumptions. Have a Merry Christmas

Comment by Don S on December 23, 2009

Wow, you completely misunderstood!

My point is that it’s idiotic to politicize a show like “Yo Gabba Gabba”– possibly the least politically motivated programming I’ve ever seen. It’s almost as if you didn’t read the entirety of my second comment because about halfway through I make it clear that I’m not calling hard work “fascist”; I was trying to point out how stupid politicizing issues like this can sound if you take it to the extreme.

So, yes; to comment on your original post directly, I’d say you are over-thinking the issue. You should be concerned with what your children are watching, but I’ll need better evidence of a liberal bias to agree that “Yo Gabba Gabba” is a show that promotes laziness and ineptitude. The mere fact that you immediately associate laziness with liberalism proves that you are developing your opinions based on very rigid “ideological assumptions.”

And I resent the “bloated wording” remark! Honestly, I didn’t use a single word for its length or luster. (Although I regret using “extrapolate,” mostly because it just sounds so damn awkward!)

(By the way, there are many people that would argue that teaching children about the fragility of the environment is an important lesson, and therefore, has educational value.)

Comment by Travis Gearhart on December 24, 2009

Donald, I never once said anything about politics, this was more of a cultural piece. Democrats nor Republicans were mentioned in this article. Who’s an ideologue now? As far as the bloated words, yes, I too recieved a “word of the day” calender for Christmas, and I also have access to Dictionary.com. You resent my pointing this out? Well, don’t you liberals resent EVERYTHING? The evidence of Yo Gabba Gabba being liberal programming speaks for itself if you’ve ever watched 2 or 3 episodes of the show. And yes, there are those that would argue that teaching their children about the supposed fragility of the environment would be an important lesson, they are called incompetents. Ever watched the Histor Channels’ show about the time when people will cease to exist? In EVERY scenario, the Earth retakes her land. The eco-system is not nearly so fragile as moron liberals would say it is. But regardless, I appreciate your feedback (for what it’s worth).

Comment by Sandra Gearhart on December 24, 2009

Sorry but, I would have to agree with Travis on this one. You would actually have to sit down and watch a couple of the episodes to realize it. They also have an episode [which is mentioned above] about going green. The show also mentions being nice to animals because they are your friend, and basically go on to say
“don’t eat them”. The show may not be very communist as I told Travis he looks way to deep into it, HOWEVER, the show is ultra liberal.

Comment by Keith Angeletti on December 29, 2009

I watch everything that my daughter watches on T.V. I know exactly which shows she likes, and which shows she doesn’t. I can name all the characters, describe their behaviors, and probably even give you their catch phrases. In our children’s current generation, T.V. for kids has dramatically changed. Alot of shows that seem very innocent have some hidden messages or suggestive themes. Trust me, there are some cartoons meant for children that I will absolutely NOT let her watch, because there are so many double entendres in them. She can only watch shows that I have already pre-approved by watching them myself. I also got her VHS/DVDs of some of the shows I watched as a kid, back when cartoons were actually for us children. However, the #1 thing I do is turn it off; I’d rather her not watch T.V. at all… but I wouldn’t do that to her no more than I’d do that to myself.

Comment by Keith Angeletti on December 29, 2009

I did want to defend Yo Gabba Gabba (YGG). Not really sure what you’re looking at when watching it (because I look thoroughly at all the shows my daughter watches), but while it is not an actual academic program, it still teaches. It always promotes non-violence, equality, non-discrimination, kindness, and simply just better ways to interact with people besides biting, kicking and hitting. And I don’t look for YGG to be educational in a sense, rather it’s more entertainment than anything else. There are other “academic” children’s shows that my daughter definitely watches, but I appreciate YGG as pure entertainment, and its expression for kindness to one another.
Parents, be warned: DO NOT depend on T.V. to teach your children in the first place!!! Sesame Street is absolutely educational, but I won’t just let my child sit up and watch it all day. Minimize T.V. time and spend more of it with your kids, some paper and crayons, a few toys, and teach them what YOU want them to know; don’t let YGG (or Mickey Mouse, for that matter) do it for you…

Comment by Travis Gearhart on December 29, 2009

Thanks for the comment Keith. I agree with your point that the TV should more often be turned off than not. However, as you wrote about the “educational” value of Yo Gabba Gabba, I would still prefer, myself, a show that teaches those things and also teaches shape distinction, etc. Good to hear from you.

Comment by Wilma Fagan on January 28, 2010

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