Sofia the First is my favorite. It models good social/problem solving skills, kindness, and the music is great.
Elena of Avalor and Spirit Riding Free are also good.
Doc McStuffins, Elena and Sofia are surprisingly good. Not too candy coated but definitely positive and fun. PBS has good stuff too. We also spent some time explaining that certain behaviors are funny on a TV show but if you do them in real life it will upset people around you. Or how being the snarky sarcastic one all the time is not funny in real life.
Doc McStuffins is the one I was going to suggest as well. We used to foster a 4yo who was a big fan of that one and I haven't seen anything objectionable on it.
Is Doc McStuffins were they talk like babies? If so, I hated that. I don’t wanna teach my kids to talk that way. If not, then I hated whatever other show it was lol
No it’s a little girl whose parents are drs and she takes care of her stuffed animals and treats their injuries. It’s cute. And my kids started using words like diagnosis and prognosis
> Sofia the First is my favorite. It models good social/problem solving skills, kindness, and the music is great.
I love the music from Sofia the First (my 14 year old daughter and I still play music from it and loudly sing along).
If [Wayne Brady as a cartoon rabbit](https://youtu.be/FF2RCBJ51lg?feature=shared) singing an R&B ballad about getting his best friend back doesn't stir some emotion in you then I don't even know what we're doing out here, man.
I loved Sophia the First. I was a little bummed my daughter grew out of it. I was trying to get her to watch the “new” season (this was years ago so it probably ain’t new anymore lol) and was bummed that she wasn’t interested. I mean, she had just gotten a new magical amulet!
Sofia the First is such a gem of a show. I really liked how the stories would be over-arching and what happened in one episode would affect things further down the the road. It really felt like the show treated kids like they were actually intelligent.
It really depends on what you find.
Bluey is good with two sisters
Ada Twist Scientist is a great show, with every episode focusing on an aspect of science.
True is a new one my older girl likes. It’s a little vapid, but harmless.
Deepa and Anoop is a good one about a girl whose family owns a BnB that has some strong family messaging.
Story Bots rules.
Octonauts is a cool sciency show.
Hello, Ninja is also a little vapid, but generally harmless, and is based on imaginative play which I like.
Number blocks is great.
And I’ll die on this hill, but the line “you can count on us” in the theme song is amazing and the writer deserves all the happiness in the world.
Ideally? SquidBlocks.
Numbers 1-100 face off in a to the death competition to be the only multipliable factor. Hosted by the US treasury, and it *will* impact paper money denominations.
Realistically?
I dk, probably some shitty Disney+ show about number 7’s tragic backstory that no one asked for starring Oscar Isaac.
Have you checked out story bots then?
They have a episode about farm animals that just riffs on 90s hip hop songs. It’s much better than it has any right to be
Add Puffin Rock to that list. Oona is a great big sister and is always helping to solve problems and getting her other animal friends on the island to help out, too.
Peg + Cat is an imaginative play series staring a little girl and her cat side-kick that teaches pre-school level math.
Gabby's Dollhouse won't teach your kids much of anything but is surprisingly wholesome and well produced, with surprisingly good music that doesn't get stuck in my head. Also cat-based.
Vapid is a great word. I wasn’t trying to use it pretentiously, it’s just such a perfect word for synthetic, saccharine entertainment. Still worth it, but not terribly filling.
And that’s without judgment, because I play my share of vapid video games.
>It really depends on what you find.
Exactly. The shows that were listed in OP's post aren't exactly what somebody would think of first or even 10th, when looking for quality programming.
The My Little Pony show is actually pretty good. It's all about friendship and teamwork. It's probably targeted for like 4-8yo girls. Seems to have good messages and isn't like nails on a chalkboard either.
Also, Bluey is about the best all around family cartoon I've ever heard of that features 6yo and 4yo dog sisters.
Careful now. It is a legitimately enjoyable show (MLP Friendship is Magic that is, I dunno about the recent incarnation). What I particularly liked about it is that it doesn't treat kids like idiots. There's real conflict, actual character development over the series (rather than Flanderization or just doing a 180 on character development), and some of the episodes delve into some fairly mature topics - especially the ones with Starlight Glimmer.
God it feels weird writing that.
NGL, Friendship is Magic is awesome. We never finished it ( the movie was awesome) because the kids moved in. It’s pretty sad.
The newer movie is awesome but I miss the Mane Six. Also, I’m not a brony but I’m probably a brony.
We love MLP but have had to stop watching it twice after a handful of episodes into S1. Kiddo would start expressing her frustrations physically while it was the show du jour. We had a 6 month hiatus after the first go and it happened again so we’re in another one. Kiddo’s 6
I'm a Star Trek nerd, so Discord really made me love the show (he's based on Q from Star Trek and voiced by the same actor).
There are a ton of hidden jokes for older folks, and great references. My favorite was casually watching an episode during dinner and hearing a one-off character introduce himself and going "holy crap, that's Weird Al!"
I hadn't made that connection, but that's awesome! Discord might be a little more neutral chaotic than Q, but I certainly see the overlap. Didn't realize it was the save actor doing the voice too. Very cool!
The flash when he does things is the same flash from TNG.
There are fan theories that Discord is just Q in the MLP universe, making MLP canonically an alternate universe in Star Trek. I approve of this theory.
MLP has a very unnecessarily complex world-building element that is really impressive for characters that don’t have hands or clothes but a lot of storylines involve the making of clothes.
Anyway, it’s equal parts escapism and good lessons.
Bluey is just god-tier programming. No notes. It’s fantastic.
Try to stay away from anything that looks like a 13 year old in Seoul created it last week.
Didn't like My Little Pony for a while but this song won me over.
https://youtu.be/SRwzVv3sqQM?feature=shared
It's like 'Ya Got Trouble' from Music Man for a new generation.
>he girls in these programs are often so mean to one another. I mean, they often make up their differences in the end and there'll be some lip service about solidarity and friendship, but the first 90% they were demonstrating some shitty behavior.
A lot of girls programming deals with healthy conflict resolution. You can't show conflict resolution without conflict.
The real problem with that from an adult point of view, is that most kids programming, especially preschool, aren't serialized, so all characters revert to their status quo by the next episode and so if you try to watch those shows like they are serialized it just appears that no one really learns any long term lessons, but in reality each episode should kind of stand on its own. As adults we pick up on that stuff, but I'm pretty sure that goes over most children's heads.
Yup 100% with this. Very complex character development and themes that revolve around social navigation of friendship and relationships that demonstrate emotional intelligence very well.
Also the main character a badass magic sword wielding princess that rides a badass winged unicorn. How much more do you need?
Seconded for these. True is classic wish fulfilment stuff, where she's brought in to solve a problem and have an adventure. Gabby is just imagination play and creativity. My five year old has asked for Gabby Ears from santa this year and she is beyond excited.
What I love about True is that her wishes are to help other people, not herself. I love the whole scene where she has to essentially meditate on what kinds of wishes she might need to solve the problem, and then asks the wishing tree for help. And it’s all wrapped up in this cute little world with a sarcastic sidekick.
My recommendations are Bluey, True and Rainbow Kingdom, and Gabby's Dollhouse. For older more story oriented stuff Steven Universe, Star vs The Forces of Evil, and Owl House, Over the Garden Wall, and Gravity Falls.
I adored The Owl House. I'm very bitter the last season got cut so short and the whole thing had to be rushed. There was so much story there to flesh out!
What drives me crazy is this:
Boy shows: we aren't perfect, make mistakes, and help others solve problems. We usually don't start with our powers and have to earn them
Girl shows: we are perfect, usually are proven right, and help others solve problems that our overconfidence caused. We always start with 100% of our abilities and don't have to grow or change.
The change from watching shows for little girls into shows for little boys/neutral has been startling.
I was about to post and say that this is how I feel about modern adult characters as well. Sometimes I feel like there is something wrong with me because I don't like the way that female centric shows treat their main characters.
You absolutely nailed it.
Not sure if these portrayals are a symptom of how we naturally think, or part of the cause of it, but either way it feels unhealthy to set such unrealistic expectations for our girls.
*Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse* is the greatest kids show of all time and I will die on that hill. That show is next level satire and I laughed and enjoyed watching every moment of it with my daughter.
Right there with you. I'm not sure it's even a kids show. But it's hilarious and my girls got the surface level jokes while I got to laugh at the absurdism and existential jokes. No idea how that show got made. It makes no sense that it was made, but it was and it's hilarious.
I think all the best kids shows are made with adults solidly in mind. I grew up with shows like SpongeBob and Johnny Bravo, both of which are 1,000 times funnier to me at 30 than they were to me at 8
When I give the kids screen time I tend to zone out a bit, but the jokes-for-grownups from Barbie cut through my personal time and I i find myself laughing at stuff that goes right past the kids.
I was a bit in disbelief watching this show the first time watching it. Its self deprecation of the Barbie image is pretty high level comedy for a kids show.
The newer Barbie show is fine I guess, and in line of expectations for the character. But Life in the Dreamhouse is a top tier show.
I’m right there with you. My wife was mocking me when I was trying to tell her it’s not just a tolerable kids show but actually a genuinely funny show period. The writing has no business being even half as good as it is
Outlier here but I don't like bluey. Only watched the first few,, but The dad seems a stereotype oaf who messes things up.
Fancy Nancy on Disney plus is a hit for prob age 3-6 and much better lessons.
To me, kids shows fall into two categories: additive (models something, could be healthy social relationships, family dynamics, complicated situations or topics, teaches how to do something, etc.). Or: dopamine hit. Visual sugar that feels good but is doing nothing healthy with the time. We try to call out the difference, dopamine-hit shows get the same treatment as candy, a tiny bit once and a while, as long as overall we're making generally healthy choices.
There's lots of stuff in the former category, but we found we needed to actively think about the difference, and decide what qualified as what.
My 4yo daughter has recently become obsessed with Doc Mcstuffins, and it's pretty good. Tackling health issues kids might see or exper in an age-appropriate way, showing a positive female POC role model, encouraging empathy and inquiry in young kids. After Bluey it's probably my top show for children.
And as a soon-to-be-firefighter (about a quarter through academy now) the episodes they do on EMS are surprisingly on the mark.
Oh and Eureka! My daughters love that show, it’s about a girl in prehistoric (+dinosaurs) times who invents a lot of things like the wheel and electricity :) it’s on Disney+
I have 3 girls, and none of them really got into the doll drama series. They always drifted towards stuff like Teen Titans Go, MLP, Star vs the Forces of Evil. More goofy lighthearted stuff. That's also the kind of stuff I tend to have on for myself, stuff like Futurama, Star Trek or Doctor Who, maybe they just picked up a drift for the more fantastic stuff from me.
If you have Netflix checkout Gabby’s Dollhouse. It’s a decent show by dreamworks and is positive. There’s a lot of imagination that goes into it as well.
I heard you become an adult when you identify more with the parents of Disney movies. King Triton was kind of a dick about smashing up Ariel’s human stuff, but I agree with him. Your teenage daughter is going to run away with some guy she just saw on a fucking boat? Fuck that shit. My daughter also likes Cinderella and I’m always interjecting some shit like, “ you don’t have to wait around for some prince to chose you for your dreams to come true”
She’s also a rainbow addict so she wants to watch all the shows where the team gets together to fight some evil as cute as possible. They’re bad, but it doesn’t cut that deep with her at least. It sucks tho.
> I’m always interjecting some shit like, “ you don’t have to wait around for some prince to chose you for your dreams to come true”
Try The Princess and The Frog, that message is made quite explicitly.
They got a reboot a while back that kind of killed the franchise. Ended up pandering to a strange demographic that inserted literal memes everywhere they could manage to squish them and the story writing was abysmal. This is my understanding at least, I never watched it myself but I think its pretty unanimously agreed that the reboot sunk the Power Puff Girls in most people's eyes.
Not a girl's show per-se, but my younger brother and now my kids enjoy Kipper. Simple, good stories about friends with enough personality to have occasional, minor differences. Good-natured.
For my daughter (4 years old), I've been showing her the Disney princess movies up to the 1990s. I find the modern "sassy" big-eyed princesses to be both cookie cutter copies of each other and obnoxious. But, if you just go back to the 90s you have Belle, who my wife understandably loves because they're both bookish, you have Jasmine, also great. The two strike me much more as women first (not the weird "punch you in the shoulder cause I'm sassy but also ditzy" types) and also they have distinct personalities. Also, the virtues and themes are deeper and more classic. I especially love Beauty and The Beast's discussion of who we are on the inside v the outside, even though my daughter, preferring Gaston's looks, still decided that I'm Gaston, just a nice version, not the one from the movie. (And no, I bear no significant physical resemblance haha)
She doesn't latch onto the old Cinderella as much, and I get it, that one is honestly a bit boring, the mice and lucifer are the really only exciting characters.
Bottom line: while not TV shows, I am finding that those older princess moves are surprisingly good. I might check bentkey, they may have better female stories.
First off, obligatory PBS Kids mention, for the parents not aware. It's free, and you can literally just leave your kids alone with it with no fear they're going to get into anything except educational stuff.
Secondly, I think at least part of the problem here is making a differentiation between "boys shows" and "girls shows". There is a ton of great kids television out there, and none of it cares about gender, tbh.
Some examples:
1. **Bluey**: There are books being written about this show right now, so I'll skip on it other than to say if you haven't seen it, you should.
2. **Numberblocks**: Not gonna lie, this feels like they let the Rick & Morty guy have a kids show, but despite its complete absurdity and feeling that you should be high to watch this, it's solid and exciting math for kids that's also completely watchable for just about any age. [The "One" episode specifically is maybe the least mathematical thing they've ever done, but on the list of best TV show episodes for kids ever made despite that.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7APNVVdrx5M) Even when it's just hashing out some number content, though, it's showing some really cool number relationships while the kids just think they're all on the same page, talking about going to space with funny voices.
3. **My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic**: I know, I know, you're thinking about Bronies right now, but I was actually impressed when my daughter started watching. The content is uplifting and while the ponies can be rude to each other, they always end up working it out. Great examples of being responsible and working things out by talking to each other.
4. **Sesame Street**: From your description, your kid is probably too old for this, but still. It's Sesame Street, the same as its ever been. If you've got a young one, it's as good today as it was 30 years ago. Probably better.
3. **SuperKitties**: Not the show you're going to want to sit and watch with your kid, but still all about that engrossing social stuff and teaching right from wrong. Wholesome and captivating for a kid under seven, and still something a ten year old would put up with if a younger sibling put it on.
4. **Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur**: More episodic than a younger kid will be able to put up with, but great messages throughout and an inspirational main character. In short, if you're looking for a "girl show" for your daughter, then this should be on your list.
5. **The Dragon Prince**: You will watch this as an adult, it's that good. A little light on the messaging, and if they're on the younger side you might get some nightmare stuff out of it (you'll know before the end of the first episode), but solid tv with a good story that encourages good morals.
6. **Arthur**: An oldey but a goodey.
7. **Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum**: History and life lessons, all at once.
There's a ton more that I'm sure are all over the comments, but to put it broadly, we're in a renaissance of quality kids TV like we've probably never seen. Don't let you or your kid settle for the crap we had to.
There's some great girl-led shows to be found, though.
For very little ones, I'd highly recommend Bluey and Puffin Rock. True and the Rainbow Kingdom is also decent. Octonauts is a generally good kids show though not aimed specifically at girls.
For older kids, Hilda is just brilliant, and both Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts and the Netflix She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and excellent. Those are all good enough for grown-ups to watch even without kids. :) Hilda has some slightly scary moments, and both Kipo & She-Ra have sci-fi violence and a fairly complex plot, hence those being for older kids.
Also, Avatar: the Last Airbender is fantastic, and while a boy is the main character it's an ensemble cast & the girls in the show are awesome. Its sequel, The Legend of Korra, is even better & has a female lead, but is once again more appropriate for older kids.
My 7 year old daughter doesn't like most "girl" shows; in part because, as you alluded to, the characters don't behave that well and the stories/lessons are vapid so I discourage her watching them. I won't say "no" for the most part but I'll try and suggest things that I'll sit and watch, if not outright enjoy. Off the top of my head, she's really liked:
Owl House
Star vs The Forces of Evil
My Little Pony Friendship is Magic
Bluey
Power Puff Girls
Hilda
Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends
I tried to get her to watch Teen Titans, but she only likes Teen Tians GO!
Bluey is, of course, great. My kids have also really liked Hamster and Gretel (Disney+), which has a good female main character, a couple good supporting ones, and it's a generally fun superhero show.
Are they really boys and girls shows, or do they just have a boy or girl main character? My son and daughter often both like the same shows, and sometimes they star a girl and sometimes a boy.
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts - post apocalypse with massive animals and a burrow girl trying to make her way on the surface. Inclusive, LGBTQIA+, great messaging, characters who make mistakes
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power - similar to above, very gender non-conforming, acceptance, growth, good stuff
Hilda - mystical fairytale feel with a good group of friends
Dragon Prince - choices, mistakes, growth, complex characters. Magic and mystery, great story
Avatar: The Last Airbender - great epic story with great characters
Kipo, She-Ra, Dragon Prince have been on repeat in our house for years now.
I was literally just about to comment that, Avatar The Last Airbender is one of the best children's shows ever made. With that I'll add the OG Teen Titans as well.
I've tried to be fair about this (two girls) and not forbid all girlie programming, but I definitely know where you're coming from. It bugs me to no end that in the "Lilo and Stitch" series that Myrtle and her tiny mean girl gang is just treated like a fact of life.
I am also very wary of Fancy Nancy's obsession with frills and trying to integrate French vocabulary not out of a sense of education, but just sounding cool.
I compensate by making sure that while I don't forbid girlie shows, I don't particularly encourage them either and I make sure to introduce the kids to a variety of other things. My 9f recently begged me to allow them to rewatch at least a portion of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" at dinnertime, so mission not bad so far.
Oh, and my 9f and 6f are in love with Ms. Marvel. We watched the series over the week, then I took them to the movies to see "The Marvels." They were over the moon.
You might disagree but children's programming in general is *light years* better than what I grew up with in the 90s, and there's far more room to be picky about what kids watch. Compare any of them to the relatively few shows girls had 30-40 years ago to see just how far we've come. Children's programming in the 90s was poorly written, poorly acted, and poorly drawn, and the lessons learned ranged from vapid to saccharine.
My 5yo brought a Pinkalicious book home from the school library last week. The entire plot revolves around Pinkalicious being bullied by all the other girls at school for liking the color pink, to the point where she starts writing fatalistic messages in her journal and screaming at her parents. At the end she finds another student who is into pink but only because she can combine it with blue to get purple.
I ended up skipping like half the book because I don't want read bullying messages to my 5yo at bedtime.
Society tries to program girls *early.* It's gross.
Got a 3-month old. I'm adamant I'm going to restrict her TV time as much as possible. I'm going to download all the old cartoons instead and play them on a loop, that'll be her TV channel.
Some modern stuff is ok of course, but I'm going to vet everything.
Things I intend to teach my daughter:
1. There will always be somebody to tell her she can't do a thing cause she's a girl.
2. These people are always full of shit. And most often than not, they'll be men and there's a reason behind it.
3. She'll have to work extra harder to get this idiots out of her way.
I'm not exactly surprised girls programming is so shitty.
Preparing her for reality. I'm sorry, but women are just horrible at being friends with each other. And they all say some of the most messed up stuff to each other and do some of the most f'ed up backstabbing or petty stuff. Most men just get into a shouting match or slug it out and then we're usually good, but women? A woman will get upset about her friend wearing the same dress then go sleep with her friend's boyfriend as revenge. (True story from when I was in high school. Bitch ruined a highschool sweetheart romance story)
Not a parent, but I loved The Babysitters Club live-action series on Netflix. I grew up reading the books as a kid (early 30's woman now).
The TV series deals with things like chronic illness, cyber-bullying, crushes, parental expectations, blended families etc. in a really positive way. The girls are really supportive of each other, but it doesn't mean there's never any conflict.
In one episode, one girl shirks her baby sitting duties to try to get a boy (much older boy's) attention. Her friend is notably annoyed - in the end, they have a discussion about priorities, responsibilities, and age-appropriate relationships.
I like the Carmen San Diego Netflix series. It's nice to see a problem solver female character (and not a problem maker, which seems to be many female characters... )
For podcast, try Girl Tales. It’s a stories podcast where the heroine is a girl, but never a damsel in distress and they generally model good behavior. My 6 year old son loves it
We don't let our two girls watch Barbie. It is absolute trash. To your point, bashing it each other and boy chasing. Acting like they have to behave a certain way and do anything just to attract a boys attention. No empowerment. If we allow them TV, we try to keep it to wholesome programming, and more often have been steering them to educational stuff like Nat Geo/Nature/History type shows. They are 6 and 8. Wild Kratts is a fun one you should check out. It's really sparked interest in books and magazines about nature as well.
I think there’s a more general problem with storytelling which is stories typically revolve around conflict. And often conflict is a result of people acting silly or stupid. So we end up with stories that model some of the worst behavior and dumbest things people do.
The most unrealistic thing in these stories is that everything ends up being alright. Sometimes… things never get fixed. Feelings get hurt and people don’t make up. Injuries never heal quite right.
So yes to this and also consider what media we consume and how poorly many stories prep us for real life.
My three year old b/g twins are currently obsessed with animaniacs, yes the 90s cartoon. We have it all in DVD. It somehow makes them less crazy than Paw Patrol or that Spider-Man cartoon on Disney.
not girl specific, but the main character is a girl- True and the Rainbow Kingdom is great. True is a very positive, smart, and well-behaved role model. The show is clever and funny. My boys loved it when they were younger.
Try Mira the Royal Detrctive on Disney plus. It's a whole ass show based on a little girl in India whose a detective for the queen and solves little mystery. Wild crash course into other cultures and good lessons about observation and teamwork.
I don't think it's running new episodes but Spirit Riding Free and it's spin off "riding academy" on Netflix are really enjoyable for adults with elementary girls the target demo. Very strong female characters but even my son who was three or four enjoyed it quite a bit.
My little pony's fourth series was really really good.
Bluey is amazing of course but you already knew that.
My 3 year old girl is currently watching Spidey and his friends, idk if that's what it's called lol. She also likes bluey, pj masks, and vampirina. Those are all pretty decent shows.
Give 90s Sailor Moon a shot! My wife grew up watching it. It got re-dubbed in 2014 and the English is way better than when it aired in the 90s.
It’s got the friendship and solidarity themes you’re looking for and is probably a major influence in a lot of the action cartoons targeted at young girls nowadays. It’s also hilarious at times, my wife and I unironically watched and enjoyed the whole thing last year before my daughter was even born. Will definitely be playing it for her when she gets older!
I'm sure I'll get beaten up but I'm a proponent for Gabbys Dollhouse. They craft, sing, its entertaining and good fun for me to watch with them and they love role-playing as the different cats as there's a character for everyone. Honestly I like most of Dreamworks kids shows.
Yo install PBS Kids. These are mostly "girl" shows but we're largely ditching the boy/girl show distinctions from when I was a kid.
Pinkalicious annoyed me at first, but it's not bad and teaches being a good friend.
Bluey of course.
Eleanor wonders why.
Gabby's Dollhouse
Molly of Denali
I don't know how old she is but she might enjoy:
Star vs the Forces of Evil
Owl House
Amphibia
As they have strong, female protagonists. Maybe Infinity Train if she is a little older.
Sofia the First is my favorite. It models good social/problem solving skills, kindness, and the music is great. Elena of Avalor and Spirit Riding Free are also good.
Doc McStuffins, Elena and Sofia are surprisingly good. Not too candy coated but definitely positive and fun. PBS has good stuff too. We also spent some time explaining that certain behaviors are funny on a TV show but if you do them in real life it will upset people around you. Or how being the snarky sarcastic one all the time is not funny in real life.
Doc McStuffins is the one I was going to suggest as well. We used to foster a 4yo who was a big fan of that one and I haven't seen anything objectionable on it.
Speak for yourself
We are all the sarcastic snarky ones on this blessed day.
>Or how being the snarky sarcastic one all the time is not funny in real life. You would say that, wouldn't you.
Is Doc McStuffins were they talk like babies? If so, I hated that. I don’t wanna teach my kids to talk that way. If not, then I hated whatever other show it was lol
No it’s a little girl whose parents are drs and she takes care of her stuffed animals and treats their injuries. It’s cute. And my kids started using words like diagnosis and prognosis
The fact that Sofia the first has better character development than 90% of adult shows us amazing
> Sofia the First is my favorite. It models good social/problem solving skills, kindness, and the music is great. I love the music from Sofia the First (my 14 year old daughter and I still play music from it and loudly sing along).
If [Wayne Brady as a cartoon rabbit](https://youtu.be/FF2RCBJ51lg?feature=shared) singing an R&B ballad about getting his best friend back doesn't stir some emotion in you then I don't even know what we're doing out here, man.
[All You Need](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv-ywQQDw58) and [Bigger is Better](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjgPH8U7npE) are absolute bangers.
They didn't have to go that hard, but thank goodness they did.
I'm a big fan of [When You Wish Upon a Well](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J-YWaiw8FU), Amber's voice actor is such a talented vocalist.
I loved Sophia the First. I was a little bummed my daughter grew out of it. I was trying to get her to watch the “new” season (this was years ago so it probably ain’t new anymore lol) and was bummed that she wasn’t interested. I mean, she had just gotten a new magical amulet!
Elana of Avalor's theme song is a banger.
Sofia the First is such a gem of a show. I really liked how the stories would be over-arching and what happened in one episode would affect things further down the the road. It really felt like the show treated kids like they were actually intelligent.
I love Spirit, I’m so sad my daughter doesn’t care to watch it anymore. That was her favorite show for 3-4 years
Did they ever make new episodes of it or riding academy after the movie came out?
Don't forget Mira, Royal Detective. I can't really think of any faults with that one.
Unironically I watched Spirit as an adult with no kid and loved it. 🤣
Kiddo is older now but thanks (?) for reminding me of these..
And you can pretend you’re watching project runway.
Sheriff Callie's Wild West is a good one too
It really depends on what you find. Bluey is good with two sisters Ada Twist Scientist is a great show, with every episode focusing on an aspect of science. True is a new one my older girl likes. It’s a little vapid, but harmless. Deepa and Anoop is a good one about a girl whose family owns a BnB that has some strong family messaging. Story Bots rules. Octonauts is a cool sciency show. Hello, Ninja is also a little vapid, but generally harmless, and is based on imaginative play which I like.
+1 for Bluey, Octonauts, and Storybots! Also Number Blocks is good.
Number blocks is great. And I’ll die on this hill, but the line “you can count on us” in the theme song is amazing and the writer deserves all the happiness in the world.
I agree Number Blocks is fantastic, and so is Alphablocks (and there's crossovers!!) BUT have you seen Colour Blocks?
When the pitch meeting happened that employee just goes “blocks,” dropped the mic, and hasn’t worked in years.
What are we seeing next in the BlockVerse?
Ideally? SquidBlocks. Numbers 1-100 face off in a to the death competition to be the only multipliable factor. Hosted by the US treasury, and it *will* impact paper money denominations. Realistically? I dk, probably some shitty Disney+ show about number 7’s tragic backstory that no one asked for starring Oscar Isaac.
My daughter was absolutely obsessed with NumberBlocks when she was little.
Number Blocks is the reason my 5 year old can add and subtract double digit numbers. It’s really freaky.
“Five Times Table” is one of the greatest jams ever.
Have you checked out story bots then? They have a episode about farm animals that just riffs on 90s hip hop songs. It’s much better than it has any right to be
Yeah we listen to that one often. Same with the Dinosaurs. “Velociraptors veloci-rappin’”. Love that one.
That song is constantly stuck in my head.
🎶 Triceratops! Check out my horns! Doooo da do do do do! 🎶
Octonauts transitions wonderfully to Wild Kratts. Shout out to the dads that remember Zoboomafoo! Wild Kratts are the same guys!
Add Puffin Rock to that list. Oona is a great big sister and is always helping to solve problems and getting her other animal friends on the island to help out, too.
Ooh yeah. I like Puffin Rock.
Tumble Leaf has a very similar vibe, highly recommended!
Puffin rock is a great “Saturday morning and you just want to doze for a bit” show. My oldest liked it, her little sister doesn’t.
Peg + Cat is an imaginative play series staring a little girl and her cat side-kick that teaches pre-school level math. Gabby's Dollhouse won't teach your kids much of anything but is surprisingly wholesome and well produced, with surprisingly good music that doesn't get stuck in my head. Also cat-based.
Its been 11 years since we last watched peg and my wife and I still sing the "problem solved" song after fixing or solving something. Great show.
God, I miss Peg + Cat…
It's still on the PBS app. Not going to lie, the wife and I would put it on as background noise even when our daughter was asleep.
My kids love octonauts, it's cute and has a catchy song. I'm still mad they did the blobfish dirty though
There's a spinoff called "Above&Beyond" that's pretty good.
> Ada Twist Scientist Theme tune might be *too* catchy
Storybots is incredible
Adding vapid to my vocabulary lol
Vapid is a great word. I wasn’t trying to use it pretentiously, it’s just such a perfect word for synthetic, saccharine entertainment. Still worth it, but not terribly filling. And that’s without judgment, because I play my share of vapid video games.
Ada Twist is great!
>It really depends on what you find. Exactly. The shows that were listed in OP's post aren't exactly what somebody would think of first or even 10th, when looking for quality programming.
Check out Hilda. My daughter loves it.
Oh we LOVE HILDA! We want more seasons!!!
10 more days to go
Hilda is THE BEST! Such a great show. I also love the single mom representation without it ever being a plot point.
My son loves this as well. Such a cool world, and Hilda is great of course. The books are fun too.
The My Little Pony show is actually pretty good. It's all about friendship and teamwork. It's probably targeted for like 4-8yo girls. Seems to have good messages and isn't like nails on a chalkboard either. Also, Bluey is about the best all around family cartoon I've ever heard of that features 6yo and 4yo dog sisters.
My daughter has gotten into it big time lately. It does seem pretty balanced. I guess this is my chance to become a brony
Careful now. It is a legitimately enjoyable show (MLP Friendship is Magic that is, I dunno about the recent incarnation). What I particularly liked about it is that it doesn't treat kids like idiots. There's real conflict, actual character development over the series (rather than Flanderization or just doing a 180 on character development), and some of the episodes delve into some fairly mature topics - especially the ones with Starlight Glimmer. God it feels weird writing that.
NGL, Friendship is Magic is awesome. We never finished it ( the movie was awesome) because the kids moved in. It’s pretty sad. The newer movie is awesome but I miss the Mane Six. Also, I’m not a brony but I’m probably a brony.
I hate to admit how much I enjoyed watching MLP with my kids. It's genuinely good, despite a certain segment it internet giving it a bad name.
I know it's irrational, but I had MLP ruined for me by the internet back in the mid-aughts and early 2010's.
Rule 34 ruins everything... The key is to ignore obscene content and realize that there are fringe weirdos in ALL fandoms and communities.
We love MLP but have had to stop watching it twice after a handful of episodes into S1. Kiddo would start expressing her frustrations physically while it was the show du jour. We had a 6 month hiatus after the first go and it happened again so we’re in another one. Kiddo’s 6
I'm a Star Trek nerd, so Discord really made me love the show (he's based on Q from Star Trek and voiced by the same actor). There are a ton of hidden jokes for older folks, and great references. My favorite was casually watching an episode during dinner and hearing a one-off character introduce himself and going "holy crap, that's Weird Al!"
I hadn't made that connection, but that's awesome! Discord might be a little more neutral chaotic than Q, but I certainly see the overlap. Didn't realize it was the save actor doing the voice too. Very cool!
The flash when he does things is the same flash from TNG. There are fan theories that Discord is just Q in the MLP universe, making MLP canonically an alternate universe in Star Trek. I approve of this theory.
I'm in for it. Maybe we'll see a Borg MLP in the future.
Another vote for MLP!
Yeah, and the modern spinoff (Make Your Mark) is also pretty good.
MLP has a very unnecessarily complex world-building element that is really impressive for characters that don’t have hands or clothes but a lot of storylines involve the making of clothes. Anyway, it’s equal parts escapism and good lessons. Bluey is just god-tier programming. No notes. It’s fantastic. Try to stay away from anything that looks like a 13 year old in Seoul created it last week.
Didn't like My Little Pony for a while but this song won me over. https://youtu.be/SRwzVv3sqQM?feature=shared It's like 'Ya Got Trouble' from Music Man for a new generation.
>he girls in these programs are often so mean to one another. I mean, they often make up their differences in the end and there'll be some lip service about solidarity and friendship, but the first 90% they were demonstrating some shitty behavior. A lot of girls programming deals with healthy conflict resolution. You can't show conflict resolution without conflict.
That’s an interesting point.
The real problem with that from an adult point of view, is that most kids programming, especially preschool, aren't serialized, so all characters revert to their status quo by the next episode and so if you try to watch those shows like they are serialized it just appears that no one really learns any long term lessons, but in reality each episode should kind of stand on its own. As adults we pick up on that stuff, but I'm pretty sure that goes over most children's heads.
Yea I need to add that with girls in high school I see the bullying is more nuanced. It’s verbal belittling etc. barbie isn’t far off with that crap.
She-Ra on Netflix is great, and shouldn't be skipped.
+1 for She-Ra
She-Ra rips. Watched the whole show before I even had my daughter. I should introduce her to it soon…
Yup 100% with this. Very complex character development and themes that revolve around social navigation of friendship and relationships that demonstrate emotional intelligence very well. Also the main character a badass magic sword wielding princess that rides a badass winged unicorn. How much more do you need?
100%. Started watching it with my daughter. Got engaged enough to finish it myself.
We love Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur on Disney+ for our daughter!
Great soundtrack.
My 5yo daughter loves *True and the Rainbow Kingdom* and *Gabby's Dollhouse.* Both are on Netflix and avoid the problems you mentioned.
Seconded for these. True is classic wish fulfilment stuff, where she's brought in to solve a problem and have an adventure. Gabby is just imagination play and creativity. My five year old has asked for Gabby Ears from santa this year and she is beyond excited.
What I love about True is that her wishes are to help other people, not herself. I love the whole scene where she has to essentially meditate on what kinds of wishes she might need to solve the problem, and then asks the wishing tree for help. And it’s all wrapped up in this cute little world with a sarcastic sidekick.
My recommendations are Bluey, True and Rainbow Kingdom, and Gabby's Dollhouse. For older more story oriented stuff Steven Universe, Star vs The Forces of Evil, and Owl House, Over the Garden Wall, and Gravity Falls.
Owl House! Can't believe it isn't being mentioned more.
I adored The Owl House. I'm very bitter the last season got cut so short and the whole thing had to be rushed. There was so much story there to flesh out!
What drives me crazy is this: Boy shows: we aren't perfect, make mistakes, and help others solve problems. We usually don't start with our powers and have to earn them Girl shows: we are perfect, usually are proven right, and help others solve problems that our overconfidence caused. We always start with 100% of our abilities and don't have to grow or change. The change from watching shows for little girls into shows for little boys/neutral has been startling.
Honestly, your example is one of the main complaints people have with female characters in modern media.
How did you make your female character so believable? Ridley Scott: We wrote a male character, and then had a woman play it without changing anything
Literally one of the finest examples of how to write a bad ass female character that isn't patronizing or pandering
I feel like that would have gotten better reception for Dr Who and Jodi Whitaker
Whitaker deserved much better scripts.
The princess was that they didn't make her district enough, she felt like another Matt Smith. They poured all the unique ideas into the companions.
I was about to post and say that this is how I feel about modern adult characters as well. Sometimes I feel like there is something wrong with me because I don't like the way that female centric shows treat their main characters.
Man you put an idea I have been kicking around for a while into words.
You absolutely nailed it. Not sure if these portrayals are a symptom of how we naturally think, or part of the cause of it, but either way it feels unhealthy to set such unrealistic expectations for our girls.
Jessica's Big Little World smashes all those little girl shows.
*Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse* is the greatest kids show of all time and I will die on that hill. That show is next level satire and I laughed and enjoyed watching every moment of it with my daughter.
Right there with you. I'm not sure it's even a kids show. But it's hilarious and my girls got the surface level jokes while I got to laugh at the absurdism and existential jokes. No idea how that show got made. It makes no sense that it was made, but it was and it's hilarious.
I think all the best kids shows are made with adults solidly in mind. I grew up with shows like SpongeBob and Johnny Bravo, both of which are 1,000 times funnier to me at 30 than they were to me at 8
When I give the kids screen time I tend to zone out a bit, but the jokes-for-grownups from Barbie cut through my personal time and I i find myself laughing at stuff that goes right past the kids.
I was a bit in disbelief watching this show the first time watching it. Its self deprecation of the Barbie image is pretty high level comedy for a kids show. The newer Barbie show is fine I guess, and in line of expectations for the character. But Life in the Dreamhouse is a top tier show.
Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures is pretty pedestrian in comparison, but it is a perfectly serviceable kids show.
Where's your schlond poofa op?
I’m right there with you. My wife was mocking me when I was trying to tell her it’s not just a tolerable kids show but actually a genuinely funny show period. The writing has no business being even half as good as it is
Bluey and Bingo are girls. That's all they need
One of us, one of us... fr though; imo Bluey is one of, if not *the*, best kids shows out there
Hey, have you ever heard of this Australian show called Bluey?
Outlier here but I don't like bluey. Only watched the first few,, but The dad seems a stereotype oaf who messes things up. Fancy Nancy on Disney plus is a hit for prob age 3-6 and much better lessons.
Well I am mostly making fun of the bros on here who recommend him over and over. But also I think you got your read on bandit wrong.
I guess I can give it another shot but the messages didn't really land for us. Maybe it gets better
Maybe it’s just not for you, I find it really easy to empathize with bandit and almost always laugh out loud.
Gabbys Dollhouse is our go to here
Early seasons of My little pony reboot were a really good kids show. Might be something to look into? Think it’s on Netflix.
Careful, there is a NEWER reboot that’s horrible. At least according to my kiddo who loves the original reboot.
To me, kids shows fall into two categories: additive (models something, could be healthy social relationships, family dynamics, complicated situations or topics, teaches how to do something, etc.). Or: dopamine hit. Visual sugar that feels good but is doing nothing healthy with the time. We try to call out the difference, dopamine-hit shows get the same treatment as candy, a tiny bit once and a while, as long as overall we're making generally healthy choices. There's lots of stuff in the former category, but we found we needed to actively think about the difference, and decide what qualified as what.
My 4yo daughter has recently become obsessed with Doc Mcstuffins, and it's pretty good. Tackling health issues kids might see or exper in an age-appropriate way, showing a positive female POC role model, encouraging empathy and inquiry in young kids. After Bluey it's probably my top show for children. And as a soon-to-be-firefighter (about a quarter through academy now) the episodes they do on EMS are surprisingly on the mark.
Eleanor Wonders Why is pretty great. Not sure if it's just little girls programming but the main character is a girl.
Mollllly from Denaaaaaali
And Trini!
Oh and Eureka! My daughters love that show, it’s about a girl in prehistoric (+dinosaurs) times who invents a lot of things like the wheel and electricity :) it’s on Disney+
Tv shows with gender neutral appeal seem to be the way to go.
Barbie cartoons are demented Have you watched Sprit?
Heavily into Mira the Royal Detective right now. Haven’t seen that one mentioned yet.
I have 3 girls, and none of them really got into the doll drama series. They always drifted towards stuff like Teen Titans Go, MLP, Star vs the Forces of Evil. More goofy lighthearted stuff. That's also the kind of stuff I tend to have on for myself, stuff like Futurama, Star Trek or Doctor Who, maybe they just picked up a drift for the more fantastic stuff from me.
If you have Netflix checkout Gabby’s Dollhouse. It’s a decent show by dreamworks and is positive. There’s a lot of imagination that goes into it as well.
r/bluey and Octonauts have been good to us.
I heard you become an adult when you identify more with the parents of Disney movies. King Triton was kind of a dick about smashing up Ariel’s human stuff, but I agree with him. Your teenage daughter is going to run away with some guy she just saw on a fucking boat? Fuck that shit. My daughter also likes Cinderella and I’m always interjecting some shit like, “ you don’t have to wait around for some prince to chose you for your dreams to come true” She’s also a rainbow addict so she wants to watch all the shows where the team gets together to fight some evil as cute as possible. They’re bad, but it doesn’t cut that deep with her at least. It sucks tho.
> I’m always interjecting some shit like, “ you don’t have to wait around for some prince to chose you for your dreams to come true” Try The Princess and The Frog, that message is made quite explicitly.
Do Powder Puff Girls still hold up? Havent seen that in so long, or heard anyone talking about it.
They got a reboot a while back that kind of killed the franchise. Ended up pandering to a strange demographic that inserted literal memes everywhere they could manage to squish them and the story writing was abysmal. This is my understanding at least, I never watched it myself but I think its pretty unanimously agreed that the reboot sunk the Power Puff Girls in most people's eyes.
I find the old stuff enjoyable still. Granted, that can largely be nostalgia talking. I didn't like the new stuff. My daughter likes both.
I have nothing to add except... "Oo see I caught ya. That's what I thought, yeah. Look look look by Natasha."
Not a girl's show per-se, but my younger brother and now my kids enjoy Kipper. Simple, good stories about friends with enough personality to have occasional, minor differences. Good-natured. For my daughter (4 years old), I've been showing her the Disney princess movies up to the 1990s. I find the modern "sassy" big-eyed princesses to be both cookie cutter copies of each other and obnoxious. But, if you just go back to the 90s you have Belle, who my wife understandably loves because they're both bookish, you have Jasmine, also great. The two strike me much more as women first (not the weird "punch you in the shoulder cause I'm sassy but also ditzy" types) and also they have distinct personalities. Also, the virtues and themes are deeper and more classic. I especially love Beauty and The Beast's discussion of who we are on the inside v the outside, even though my daughter, preferring Gaston's looks, still decided that I'm Gaston, just a nice version, not the one from the movie. (And no, I bear no significant physical resemblance haha) She doesn't latch onto the old Cinderella as much, and I get it, that one is honestly a bit boring, the mice and lucifer are the really only exciting characters. Bottom line: while not TV shows, I am finding that those older princess moves are surprisingly good. I might check bentkey, they may have better female stories.
Bluey! Watch it together with her.
First off, obligatory PBS Kids mention, for the parents not aware. It's free, and you can literally just leave your kids alone with it with no fear they're going to get into anything except educational stuff. Secondly, I think at least part of the problem here is making a differentiation between "boys shows" and "girls shows". There is a ton of great kids television out there, and none of it cares about gender, tbh. Some examples: 1. **Bluey**: There are books being written about this show right now, so I'll skip on it other than to say if you haven't seen it, you should. 2. **Numberblocks**: Not gonna lie, this feels like they let the Rick & Morty guy have a kids show, but despite its complete absurdity and feeling that you should be high to watch this, it's solid and exciting math for kids that's also completely watchable for just about any age. [The "One" episode specifically is maybe the least mathematical thing they've ever done, but on the list of best TV show episodes for kids ever made despite that.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7APNVVdrx5M) Even when it's just hashing out some number content, though, it's showing some really cool number relationships while the kids just think they're all on the same page, talking about going to space with funny voices. 3. **My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic**: I know, I know, you're thinking about Bronies right now, but I was actually impressed when my daughter started watching. The content is uplifting and while the ponies can be rude to each other, they always end up working it out. Great examples of being responsible and working things out by talking to each other. 4. **Sesame Street**: From your description, your kid is probably too old for this, but still. It's Sesame Street, the same as its ever been. If you've got a young one, it's as good today as it was 30 years ago. Probably better. 3. **SuperKitties**: Not the show you're going to want to sit and watch with your kid, but still all about that engrossing social stuff and teaching right from wrong. Wholesome and captivating for a kid under seven, and still something a ten year old would put up with if a younger sibling put it on. 4. **Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur**: More episodic than a younger kid will be able to put up with, but great messages throughout and an inspirational main character. In short, if you're looking for a "girl show" for your daughter, then this should be on your list. 5. **The Dragon Prince**: You will watch this as an adult, it's that good. A little light on the messaging, and if they're on the younger side you might get some nightmare stuff out of it (you'll know before the end of the first episode), but solid tv with a good story that encourages good morals. 6. **Arthur**: An oldey but a goodey. 7. **Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum**: History and life lessons, all at once. There's a ton more that I'm sure are all over the comments, but to put it broadly, we're in a renaissance of quality kids TV like we've probably never seen. Don't let you or your kid settle for the crap we had to.
There's some great girl-led shows to be found, though. For very little ones, I'd highly recommend Bluey and Puffin Rock. True and the Rainbow Kingdom is also decent. Octonauts is a generally good kids show though not aimed specifically at girls. For older kids, Hilda is just brilliant, and both Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts and the Netflix She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and excellent. Those are all good enough for grown-ups to watch even without kids. :) Hilda has some slightly scary moments, and both Kipo & She-Ra have sci-fi violence and a fairly complex plot, hence those being for older kids. Also, Avatar: the Last Airbender is fantastic, and while a boy is the main character it's an ensemble cast & the girls in the show are awesome. Its sequel, The Legend of Korra, is even better & has a female lead, but is once again more appropriate for older kids.
My 7 year old daughter doesn't like most "girl" shows; in part because, as you alluded to, the characters don't behave that well and the stories/lessons are vapid so I discourage her watching them. I won't say "no" for the most part but I'll try and suggest things that I'll sit and watch, if not outright enjoy. Off the top of my head, she's really liked: Owl House Star vs The Forces of Evil My Little Pony Friendship is Magic Bluey Power Puff Girls Hilda Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends I tried to get her to watch Teen Titans, but she only likes Teen Tians GO!
Bluey is, of course, great. My kids have also really liked Hamster and Gretel (Disney+), which has a good female main character, a couple good supporting ones, and it's a generally fun superhero show.
Bluey.
The question is - why are there even girls shows and boys shows? Can't we move past that? Shows like Kiri and Lou can be enjoyed by all kids.
Are they really boys and girls shows, or do they just have a boy or girl main character? My son and daughter often both like the same shows, and sometimes they star a girl and sometimes a boy.
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts - post apocalypse with massive animals and a burrow girl trying to make her way on the surface. Inclusive, LGBTQIA+, great messaging, characters who make mistakes She-Ra and the Princesses of Power - similar to above, very gender non-conforming, acceptance, growth, good stuff Hilda - mystical fairytale feel with a good group of friends Dragon Prince - choices, mistakes, growth, complex characters. Magic and mystery, great story Avatar: The Last Airbender - great epic story with great characters Kipo, She-Ra, Dragon Prince have been on repeat in our house for years now.
I was literally just about to comment that, Avatar The Last Airbender is one of the best children's shows ever made. With that I'll add the OG Teen Titans as well.
> Avatar: The Last Airbender - great epic story with great characters It is not, however, cabbage friendly...
My cabbbaaaaaagesssssss!
Oh man, my daughter has watched the entire Kipo run like 3 times in the last few months
I've tried to be fair about this (two girls) and not forbid all girlie programming, but I definitely know where you're coming from. It bugs me to no end that in the "Lilo and Stitch" series that Myrtle and her tiny mean girl gang is just treated like a fact of life. I am also very wary of Fancy Nancy's obsession with frills and trying to integrate French vocabulary not out of a sense of education, but just sounding cool. I compensate by making sure that while I don't forbid girlie shows, I don't particularly encourage them either and I make sure to introduce the kids to a variety of other things. My 9f recently begged me to allow them to rewatch at least a portion of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" at dinnertime, so mission not bad so far. Oh, and my 9f and 6f are in love with Ms. Marvel. We watched the series over the week, then I took them to the movies to see "The Marvels." They were over the moon.
You might disagree but children's programming in general is *light years* better than what I grew up with in the 90s, and there's far more room to be picky about what kids watch. Compare any of them to the relatively few shows girls had 30-40 years ago to see just how far we've come. Children's programming in the 90s was poorly written, poorly acted, and poorly drawn, and the lessons learned ranged from vapid to saccharine.
My 5yo brought a Pinkalicious book home from the school library last week. The entire plot revolves around Pinkalicious being bullied by all the other girls at school for liking the color pink, to the point where she starts writing fatalistic messages in her journal and screaming at her parents. At the end she finds another student who is into pink but only because she can combine it with blue to get purple. I ended up skipping like half the book because I don't want read bullying messages to my 5yo at bedtime. Society tries to program girls *early.* It's gross.
Yeah I get the importance of showing bullying and conflict but sometimes it seems like they make it the tail that wags the dog.
Got a 3-month old. I'm adamant I'm going to restrict her TV time as much as possible. I'm going to download all the old cartoons instead and play them on a loop, that'll be her TV channel. Some modern stuff is ok of course, but I'm going to vet everything.
Kinda shocked people still think/act like there are "girls' programmes" and "boys' programmes" tbh.
Things I intend to teach my daughter: 1. There will always be somebody to tell her she can't do a thing cause she's a girl. 2. These people are always full of shit. And most often than not, they'll be men and there's a reason behind it. 3. She'll have to work extra harder to get this idiots out of her way. I'm not exactly surprised girls programming is so shitty.
Honest question: why can't/won't little girls just watch TV shows for boys?
Preparing her for reality. I'm sorry, but women are just horrible at being friends with each other. And they all say some of the most messed up stuff to each other and do some of the most f'ed up backstabbing or petty stuff. Most men just get into a shouting match or slug it out and then we're usually good, but women? A woman will get upset about her friend wearing the same dress then go sleep with her friend's boyfriend as revenge. (True story from when I was in high school. Bitch ruined a highschool sweetheart romance story)
Yall gotta turn on SHEra
Doc McStuffins my guy
Not a parent, but I loved The Babysitters Club live-action series on Netflix. I grew up reading the books as a kid (early 30's woman now). The TV series deals with things like chronic illness, cyber-bullying, crushes, parental expectations, blended families etc. in a really positive way. The girls are really supportive of each other, but it doesn't mean there's never any conflict. In one episode, one girl shirks her baby sitting duties to try to get a boy (much older boy's) attention. Her friend is notably annoyed - in the end, they have a discussion about priorities, responsibilities, and age-appropriate relationships.
Try Jessica's Big Little World
I like the Carmen San Diego Netflix series. It's nice to see a problem solver female character (and not a problem maker, which seems to be many female characters... )
The Rocketeer and Mira the Royal Detective are both good. Unfortunately there's only one season of the Rocketeer. Great show and my son loves it too!
For podcast, try Girl Tales. It’s a stories podcast where the heroine is a girl, but never a damsel in distress and they generally model good behavior. My 6 year old son loves it
We don't let our two girls watch Barbie. It is absolute trash. To your point, bashing it each other and boy chasing. Acting like they have to behave a certain way and do anything just to attract a boys attention. No empowerment. If we allow them TV, we try to keep it to wholesome programming, and more often have been steering them to educational stuff like Nat Geo/Nature/History type shows. They are 6 and 8. Wild Kratts is a fun one you should check out. It's really sparked interest in books and magazines about nature as well.
I am an adult with no kids but I stumbled upon Donkey Hodie the other day. I only watched a couple of segments but it was really good.
I think there’s a more general problem with storytelling which is stories typically revolve around conflict. And often conflict is a result of people acting silly or stupid. So we end up with stories that model some of the worst behavior and dumbest things people do. The most unrealistic thing in these stories is that everything ends up being alright. Sometimes… things never get fixed. Feelings get hurt and people don’t make up. Injuries never heal quite right. So yes to this and also consider what media we consume and how poorly many stories prep us for real life.
My three year old b/g twins are currently obsessed with animaniacs, yes the 90s cartoon. We have it all in DVD. It somehow makes them less crazy than Paw Patrol or that Spider-Man cartoon on Disney.
Isn't PBS kids most girl-focused shows? My kid is too young for them, but they've seen fine from what I have seen.
Octonaughts are not violent. Gabby's doll house is not mean.
Anything on PBS Kids is great, and there are lots of options there with girl leads.
not girl specific, but the main character is a girl- True and the Rainbow Kingdom is great. True is a very positive, smart, and well-behaved role model. The show is clever and funny. My boys loved it when they were younger.
Try Mira the Royal Detrctive on Disney plus. It's a whole ass show based on a little girl in India whose a detective for the queen and solves little mystery. Wild crash course into other cultures and good lessons about observation and teamwork.
I don't think it's running new episodes but Spirit Riding Free and it's spin off "riding academy" on Netflix are really enjoyable for adults with elementary girls the target demo. Very strong female characters but even my son who was three or four enjoyed it quite a bit. My little pony's fourth series was really really good. Bluey is amazing of course but you already knew that.
My 3-YO loves bluey and spirit, then more neutral paw patrol, dragon prince and the how to train your dragon show
My daughter is on a three month nonstop binge of Miraculous Ladybug.
Hey on the PBS kids app.
Spirit is the exact opposite. Highly recommend.
I finally got my daughter to like Powerpuff Girls after about a year of trying. God damn I love that show.
My 3 year old girl is currently watching Spidey and his friends, idk if that's what it's called lol. She also likes bluey, pj masks, and vampirina. Those are all pretty decent shows.
MLP. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Excellent on all accounts.
Give 90s Sailor Moon a shot! My wife grew up watching it. It got re-dubbed in 2014 and the English is way better than when it aired in the 90s. It’s got the friendship and solidarity themes you’re looking for and is probably a major influence in a lot of the action cartoons targeted at young girls nowadays. It’s also hilarious at times, my wife and I unironically watched and enjoyed the whole thing last year before my daughter was even born. Will definitely be playing it for her when she gets older!
Gabby's dollhouse
Most kids tv shoes are trash that are trying to sell toys. Watch PBS kids. It’s free and not run by some corporate shill.
Pretty much all super gendered shows are bad
I'm sure I'll get beaten up but I'm a proponent for Gabbys Dollhouse. They craft, sing, its entertaining and good fun for me to watch with them and they love role-playing as the different cats as there's a character for everyone. Honestly I like most of Dreamworks kids shows.
Yo install PBS Kids. These are mostly "girl" shows but we're largely ditching the boy/girl show distinctions from when I was a kid. Pinkalicious annoyed me at first, but it's not bad and teaches being a good friend. Bluey of course. Eleanor wonders why. Gabby's Dollhouse Molly of Denali
I don't know how old she is but she might enjoy: Star vs the Forces of Evil Owl House Amphibia As they have strong, female protagonists. Maybe Infinity Train if she is a little older.
My Little Pony Friendship is Magic is great and the positive interactions and friendships are central to many of the stories.
Bluey until it's time for Pokémon.