13 Fabulous Kids’ TV Shows that Pass the Maisy Test and Have Other Great Features, Too

We’re still swimming in sexism

Here’s a quick exercise for you: grab a pen and paper, or open a document on a device.

Briefly note down the ten or so kids’ television shows that you see or hear most of when you are around kids. You could include kids’ movies as well if you like. What shows or films come to mind?

Now write down the names of the three main characters or people in those shows – or a couple of descriptors if you don’t know the names (eg: “Thomas, the Fat Conductor, and several other really annoying trains“).

If you’re with me so far, scan down your list. Out of about thirty characters, how many are male and how many female? For the human characters, how many are caucasian? Out of two or three dozen characters, on your list, are any disabled in any way? What kind of family structures are showing up? Are there any other trends you notice? Is there anything concerning about how the male and female characters are portrayed?

 

We're still swimming in sexism in kids' viewing. Find great shows that give a range of genders and ethnicities in this article from Sacraparental.com. This is a screenshot of the 'all shows' page of the pbskids.org website. These first 20 shows, in alphabetical order. Count the female characters featured.

This is a screenshot of the ‘all shows’ page of the pbskids.org website. These first 20 shows, in alphabetical order. Count the female characters featured. Count the white characters.

 

So for instance, take Thomas the Tank Engine/Thomas & Friends, one of the most popular kids’ television shows ever. Who are the main characters? There’s an adult male narrator (originally Ringo Starr!), the main train called Thomas, the (male) ‘Fat Controller’ who rules the engines, and a bunch of other vehicles. The main supporting trains are called Percy, Gordon, James, Edward, Henry and a recent addition, Emily. Spotting a theme here?

In contrast, one of my kids’ favourites at the moment is the delightful Puffin Rock. It is also narrated by a man (Chris O’Dowd, and goodness, he’s wonderful!). It centres around a little puffin called Oona, and her baby brother, Baba. Her Mum and Dad appear too, and so do various little animal friends: Mossy, a hungry pygmy shrew; May, an energetic rabbit; Silkie, a seal; Otto the owl; Bernie the elderly hermit crab; and the aloof fox, Flynne. So that’s an even split of genders, a range of ages, and the key character is a girl/puffin.

I can kind of tolerate having the odd awful show like Thomas in the rotation for my kids, as long as the dodgy messages are drowned out by positive stuff like Puffin Rock. We can critique sexist stuff together, too. The problem is that the vast majority of contemporary kids’ programming is still sexist and unhealthy in a variety of ways, many of them subtle and insidious. For most kids, that stuff is the dominant influence, rather than an occasional oddity that can be fodder for critical media reflection.

Here are some shocking research findings from the United States, reported in an article by Nikki Gloudeman:

According to the True Child Institute, as of a few years ago, 15% of the characters on Saturday morning cartoon shows were female. Of those, the institute pointed out, almost all were stereotypes, often portrayed as romantic, frail and concerned about their appearance. A similar study in Media Psychology revealed that cartoon-dominated children’s TV programming portrayed male characters who were “more likely than female characters to answer questions, boss or order others, show ingenuity, achieve a goal” – and get this! – “eat.”

[Read more at Ravishly.com.]

Now, more than ever, we can create our own viewing libraries, rather than turn on the one children’s TV channel and watch whatever is served up. On the flipside, it can be hard to discover the good stuff if you have to search for it by name before you have, you know, discovered it.

I can help!

If you are keen to know about more kids’ shows like Puffin Rock, so your kids’ default viewing can be positive, inclusive programmes, here’s a list!

Today’s list is almost all animated stories, aimed at pre-schoolers and up. Children’s TV producers are much better at providing diverse casts when it comes to live action shows, and non-fiction/variety shows like Playschool, Mister Maker, Nina and the Neurons and so on, so I’m mostly sticking to cartoons for this post.

In terms of the age range, I’m being guided partly by review sites like Common Sense Media (super handy resource!) and partly by red flags like scariness and the presence of conflict, poor behaviour or ‘bad guys’. In my impressionistic assessment, two- and three-year-olds don’t need any of those things, and most four- and five-year-olds do better without them. So while those things aren’t completely absent from all the shows on this list, they’re a guide for how suitable I consider them for younger kids.

You may have a favourite, socially progressive show that isn’t here because I would put it above that age threshold. The Magic Schoolbus, for instance, is set in a school, among kids who are about eight or ten, and there’s a fair amount of sarcasm and sneering, so that’s not on this list.

It’s just a starting point, and I’d love more recommendations – for any age group – in the comments.

But only if they pass the Maisy Test, okay?

The Maisy Test for Sexism in Children’s Media

I was inspired by the Bechdel Test to come up with a version more appropriate for kids’ viewing. You can read all about it here.

The Maisy Test has four questions to ask of all kids’ media to expose the dross and praise progressive shows like Puffin Rock:

The Maisy Test: four questions to ask about kids' tv shows and movies, and some recommendations of shows that pass | Sacraparental.com

 

The Four Questions of the Maisy Test

  1. Gender Representation:
    Are male and female characters present in roughly equal numbers and status?
    Look extra closely: are the two or three most prominent characters of different genders?
  2. Gender Freedom:
    Do male and female characters subvert traditional gender roles and have the freedom to enjoy a whole range of experiences, unlimited by their gender?
    Look extra closely: is there at least one female and one male character who subvert gender stereotypes? Are girls allowed to wear trousers and fix cars? Are boys allowed to enjoy cooking or feel scared?
  3. Gender Safety:
    Is the show free from sexualisation of children, objectification, unrealistic body standards and misogyny?
    Look extra closely: are girl characters free from mascara and hourglass figures? Are male and female characters given equal respect?
  4. Social Justice and Equality:
    Does the show support equality and social justice in other ways?
    Look extra closely: can all kids see someone like them and their families?

Because some people asked for a poster of The Maisy Test to print out and put on the wall, here is a PDF copy of the infographic version of the Maisy Test that you can download:

the-maisy-test-4-questions-to-expose-sexism-in-kids-shows-1

To see the test at work, let’s run the shows I’m recommending through each part of the test.

I’ve grouped the shows into two lists: the first is for shows I wholeheartedly recommend for kids in the 3-7(ish) age range, with no major reservations. The second is shows I recommend for most of those kids, but they may not be suitable for everyone, or they only narrowly pass The Maisy Test, or there’s some other reservation I’ve got.

Confession: I actually try not to pay much attention to these shows once I’ve decided they’re okay (my brain is overloaded already, right?) so do feel free to point out problems I have missed, or things that delight or bug you about any of them. I’m not purporting to be an expert on any of them and I’d love your input.

One last note, before the list. We are living in a golden age of superb ‘educational’ cartoons. I don’t think everything kids watch has to be trying to teach them something specific, but when the very best shows on TV happen to be presenting top-notch science or geography education as well as being great fun to watch, I find it hard to prefer a show that’s not doing that. So my first group of super-duper recommended shows almost all have great credentials in terms of what kids learn about the world and themselves while they’re enjoying the stories.

The Best on Offer: 13 Superb Children’s Television Shows that Pass the Maisy Test

1. Puffin Rock: Adorable and Gentle [Female Lead]

Puffin Rock is just adorable!

It wins the prize for the show most enjoyable to overhear while the kids watch.

There are lovely Irish accents (sorry for all the swooning over them, but oh, you must listen!); everyone is kind to each other; it’s a gentle introduction to biology, geography and ecology (caterpillars metamorphosing; watching a supermoon; helping a whale find its family); and I honestly don’t have a bad word to say about it. The theme tune is gorgeous, too!

And it passes the Maisy Test with flying colours (just like a puffin’s beak!):

Gender Balance: An even split of male and female characters, with a female lead and male narrator.

Gender Freedom: there’s no gender-based restriction on the discoveries and adventures the little animals get to make. I haven’t noticed any gender-based differences in the mum and dad characters, but I mostly let the beautiful Irish accents wash over me in the background, so if you pay more attention, let me know!

Gender Safety: No problems. The characters are animals and you can’t tell their gender from looking at them. No weird mascara eyes or anthropomorphised bosoms.

Social Justice and Equality: As with many animal-based shows, ethnicity isn’t an obvious part of characters’ composition. But it is very pleasing to have such an Irish show in the canon – I can’t think of any others that have made it as far as me and my kids.

Educational, delightful, and socially progressive. It couldn’t get any better. And those accents!

2. Maisy: Gentle and Comfortingly Ordinary [Female Lead]

We’d better mention Maisy, who the test is named after, early on.

Maisy is a mouse representing an ordinary three-year-old (ish) who does very ordinary three-year-old kind of things: going to the library; having a bus ride; breaking a leg and having a first stay in hospital.

It’s a very gentle first TV show, with nothing remotely scary or worrying. Her friends are all other animals: Charley the crocodile, Tallulah the chicken, and so on. Parents don’t appear, though there are sometimes other adults, like a swimming teacher or a nurse.

Gender Balance: The lead character is a female mouse and her friends are evenly split between male and female animal characters. None of them speak, except in squeaks and burbles. The action is narrated by a man.So it’s perfectly even.

Gender Freedom: Maisy generally wears trousers, and her friend Tallulah wears dresses. Everyone does every activity, with no differences based on gender. Incidental adult characters like teachers or doctors appear with no bias towards traditionally gendered occupations.

Gender Safety: No problems at all.

Social Justice and Equality: A diverse range of animal characters, but nothing more to say here.

3. Dinosaur Train: Super-engaging Science [Male and Female Leads]

This is a hardcore science programme, dressed up in Jim Henson animation adventures. A family of prehistoric creatures (because of this show, I know that they are not actually all ‘dinosaurs’) explore different periods and places in the prehistoric world by riding the Dinosaur Train.

The particularly excellent thing about the ‘educational’ aspect of this show is that it’s not just about facts – though there are certainly plenty of those, and your four-year-old will soon be able to reel off the defining features of a therapod, for sure – but it’s fundamentally about the scientific method. The characters form and test hypotheses, observe the features and behaviour of animals, and find their place in the ecosystem and in prehistory. It’s stunningly good.

One more thing I really like about this: at the end of each episode, a real life palaeontologist, Dr Scott, comes on for a brief chat with real children about some of the science in the show. Not only does this work well to pull out the ‘lessons’ of the adventures but he also finishes each segment with this rousing exhortation, “So remember: get outside, get into nature, and make your own discoveries!”

Gender Balance: The action centres on the Pteranodon family: Mom, Dad and four siblings – two boys, two girls. The lead characters are one sister and one brother, and they both lead the action equally. It’s evenly split.

Gender Freedom: There’s no restriction based on gender. The parents are portrayed and participate without gender stereotyping. The show does really well on this front.

Gender Safety: My one quibble is a storyline (it might only crop up once or twice – it’s hard to know, with the number of repetitions in our house!) of the lead girl having ‘a crush’ on a boy who is incidental character. It’s dealt with sensitively and realistically, but I just don’t think it’s necessary at all. She’s only about nine years old!

Social Justice and Equality: One of the lead characters, Buddy, is actually a Tyrannosaurus, not a Pteranodon. He hatched with the others, and was warmly adopted by the family. It’s a down-to-earth, happy adoption story that is talked about every so often. It’s good as a storyline that normalises adoption. If you have a child who is adopted, you may want to preview the show (and chat online with other adoptive parents who know the show) to see how it will compare to your child’s adoption story.

 

4. Doc McStuffins: Imagination and Healing [Female Lead]

You can hardly go wrong with a show starring an African-American girl who is a doctor for toys, whose parents are a stay-at-home Dad and a doctor Mom.

Doc and her stuffed toy assistants solve problems for neighbourhood toys, and teach health lessons along the way.

Gender Balance: There’s an even split, among humans and toys.

Gender Freedom: The thing to celebrate here is that Doc and her mother (and grandmother, too!) are doctors – and African-American – which makes the show a very welcome contribution to our viewing portfolio. Doc is into pink things, and (other viewers tell me) her four-year-old brother Donnie is into toys and games that are traditionally ‘boy’ things.

Gender Safety: Prominent eyelashes to signify gender in stuffed toys (sigh) but otherwise pretty fine. I like that the women have very wide hips!

Social Justice and Equality: Having a Black family at the centre of the show is just fabulous. The family also adopts a baby in later seasons. Doc’s best friend Emmie is white.

5. Charlie and Lola: Kind and Kooky Siblings [Male and Female Leads]

Charlie starts every book and episode with these words: “I have this little sister Lola. She is small and very funny.”

These two very engaging siblings are great fun. Lola is an imaginative livewire, never held back by convention or tradition. Charlie is a kind, steady older brother. They have a lovely way with words.

Gender Balance: The cast is evenly split, with Charlie each having a main friend of the same gender, but having lots of adventures with just the two of them.

Gender Freedom: All the characters do a range of things. The girls are younger than the boys in this show, so that does determine some of the things they get up to, but gender is not a factor.

Gender Safety: No problems.

Social Justice and Equality:  Lola’s best friend Lotta is Black and Charlie’s best friend is of Asian origin.

 6. Miles from Tomorrowland [Male Lead]

We only discovered this when I asked around for recommendations for this article, so I’ve only seen a wee bit of this show.

It’s an astronomy-based adventure story, introducing basic science like gravity.

Gender Balance: Miles is the lead, but the stories involve the whole family: mother, father and sister, too. Loretta the sister is older, which helps even things out.

Gender Freedom: No problems. Their mother is the captain and a scientist.

Gender Safety: No problems noted so far.

Social Justice and Equality: The family is mixed-race, with a caucasian father and Asian mother.

Here’s Common Sense Media’s report on Miles from Tomorrowland (also known as Miles from Tomorrow in the UK).

7. Sesame Street: Educational Muppets

Well, this children’s media institution hardly needs an introduction from me.

One of the first shows to be designed in collaboration with educational psychologists – to the extent that each of the Muppets represents a child at a specific developmental stage – Sesame Street also makes a clear effort to present a range of children, adults, and family configurations.

There’s also a broad selection of grown-up musicians who come and do wonderful songs, some written just for the show. The show is a mix of music, live action conversations between human characters and Muppets, skits and educational animations.

Gender Balance: The Street still struggles a bit because of the legacy of Muppets created in the 1970s, mostly male, who are mainstays. But there are now a bunch of great female Muppets, and live action characters, and I suspect contemporary viewers would find it fairly balanced.

Gender Freedom: Anyone can do anything.

Gender Safety: Fine. There’s no adultification of kids.

Social Justice and Equality: It’s entirely normal on Sesame Street to see people using wheelchairs or sign language. People of colour are well represented, and the American version has regular use of Spanish. Health and social educational messages are so common that you could find a relevant clip on just about anything. Here’s a great compilation of Sesame Street clips where someone is breastfeeding, for instance!

 

8. Bubble Guppies: Cheerful Social Learning at an Underwater Preschool [Male and Female Ensemble]

I don’t know this well at all, and I kind of don’t warm to it personally, so here’s what Commonsense Media says:

Parents need to know that this cheerful preschool series encourages active involvement from young viewers and has wonderful social messages about friendship, responsibility, and solving problems. The Guppies are curious about their world and excited to team up and explore it, and their enthusiasm for learning can inspire kids’ own interest in making discoveries. Catchy music, imaginative play, and relatable stories with positive messages make this a worthwhile show for preschoolers.

I asked my son about it today, knowing he’d seen it a bit a while ago. He said it was a bit scary (he’s four and a half, and on the sensitive side for such things).

Gender Balance: The cast is evenly split.

Gender Freedom: Everyone gets to do everything.

Gender Safety: It’s just a personal peeve, but I do wish animation artists could be more creative than always drawing little girl characters with long eyelashes and long hair. Especially when they’re not human!

Social Justice and Equality: The characters are drawn to represent a range of ethnic backgrounds.

Click here for Commonsense Media’s report on Bubble Guppies.

9. Peg + Cat: Quirky, Witty, Operatic Maths [Female Lead]

Peg + Cat is a supersmart show with clever animation and memorable characters. Peg is an enthusiastic, happy go-getter. Cat is a cat, in every way.

The adventures are all solved by exploring foundational maths concepts, with a bit of opera thrown in along the way. It’s pretty hilarious.

If you’re interested in proper research on how effective Peg + Cat is as an educational tool, here’s a PDF of a cool study.

Gender Balance: Peg is a girl, and Cat has a male adult voice. They hang out with a bunch of other animals, who mostly don’t speak, and encounter different adults and children.

Gender Freedom: It’s great to see a girl solving problems with maths.

Gender Safety: No problems.

Social Justice and Equality: Peg is white. Her friend Ramone is African-American. There’s a lot of ethnic diversity in the guest and recurring characters.

Click here for Commonsense Media’s Report on Peg + Cat.

10. Dora the Explorer: Problem-solving Latina Adventurer [Female Lead]

This slow-paced, almost old-fashioned (in a good way) show must have been one of the first mainstream American TV cartoons to star someone who wasn’t white. Dora teaches basic problem-solving, Spanish language, and positive, can-do attitudes to very young viewers (it can seem slow and repetitive to older kids).

Gender Balance: Dora is the star of the original series, with her male monkey companion. There’s a spin-off, Go, Diego, Go, starring her male cousin and his sister, having adventures in the rainforest.

Gender Freedom: No problems.

Gender Safety: No problems in the original series. Dora and Friends is a spin-off for older kids, and the body shapes of the children (who are still young) are a little more adultified than I’d prefer for a kids’ show. I haven’t watched it, though.

Social Justice and Equality: It’s great to see a Latina hero in the limelight. Dora and Friends has an ethnically diverse cast, though all female.

Dora is another show it’s impossible to find short clips of to show you (everything on YouTube is a game, not a show). But it’s on every children’s channel in the world, right?

11. Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood: Healthy Earworms for Littlies [Male Lead]

Okay, this is a pretty annoying show to hear in the background. Sorry.

But oh my goodness, do you know how many children have tried new foods at dinner time because Daniel Tiger said so? Or rather, sang so?

Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood is a gentle (boring) show about little pre-school aged animals and humans having very gentle (boring) days together. They encounter very small problems and solve them slowly and carefully, with plentiful reminders of the Lesson of the Day, introduced in a song, and then reprised as a short, annoying musical phrase throughout the show.

Kids love it.

Gender Balance: A male lead with female and male friends and assorted adults. I honestly try never to watch it, but the cast list looks pretty even.

Gender Freedom: No restrictions that I’ve noticed

Gender Safety: It’s all pitched really young, with no problems here.

Social Justice and Equality: The cast is a mix of animals and humans. The humans have different ethnic backgrounds. The show aims to teach social and emotional lessons and seems to be very effective, judging by my son and his friends and how the earworms have influenced them!

For American viewers, this is a spin-off from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, so that might hold extra appeal for adults.

12. The Wonder Pets: Operatic Animals [Female and Male Ensemble]

Three classroom pets have adventures after the schoolkids go home. And break into operatic recitative as they save baby animals from peril. Of course they do!

Lots of programmes for little kids have good messages about ‘teamwork’ but this show goes one further, with a recurring song fragment that was a catchphrase among my son’s friends before he’d ever watched an episode:

‘What’s gonna work? TEAMWORK!’

Gender Balance: The core cast of three is led by female guinea pig Linny. She teams up with the empathetic male turtle, Tuck, and Ming-Ming, a female duck.

Gender Freedom: It’s good to see the male character being the most ‘in touch with his feelings’ and a female leader. No restrictions.

Gender Safety: No problems.

Social Justice and Equality: The voice cast is ethnically diverse.

I couldn’t find a single clip to embed here that wasn’t geo-locked, but head to the site if you’re in the US.

Click here for the Common Sense Media report on Wonder Pets.

13. Sarah and Duck: Charming and Imaginative [Female Lead]

Sarah and Duck is a charming, slightly surreal, gentle show for littlies, with simple adventures and problem-solving.

Gender Balance: Sarah is the lead, Duck is a non-speaking male mallard, and there is a male narrator who interacts with the story and characters.

Gender Freedom: No problems.

Gender Safety: No problems.

Social Justice and Equality: Sarah has pale skin and black hair. The other characters are a mix of human, animal and things like a talking bag. The human characters have a variety of skin colours.

Click here for Commonsense Media’s Report on Sarah and Duck.

 

14. Bluey: your new favourite dogs (female leads)

When I asked in mid-2019 for new recommendations to this list, everyone in Australia yelled in unison: ‘Bluey!’

Here’s @3TomatoesShort from Twitter, waxing lyrical over how good it is:

Bluey has captured the hearts of Australian families, and has a dedicated, sometimes fanatic, fanbase.

This animated show is set in Brisbane, Australia, and follows the lives of a family of Blue Heelers: mum Chilli, dad Bandit, 6 year old Bluey, and 4 year old Bingo, both girls.

Gender Balance

It may sound ridiculous, but it actually took us a couple of episodes to realise that Bluey and Bingo are both girls – and because Bluey is literally blue, it took even longer to convince our 6 year old son. All the dogs in Bluey are just drawn as dogs – no oversized eyelashes, no frilly skirts, just dogs. I couldn’t even tell you for sure which of the supporting characters are male or female – some present in a more masculine or more feminine way, but given there’s a wide range of personalities and appearances, gender doesn’t usually matter, in the best possible way.

Gender Freedom

While all the young pups play together without any restriction from gender stereotypes, the show does have many lovely moments which actively challenge restrictive gender roles. Dad Bandit is a playful, thoughtful, caring and involved father, and many Australian dads have found his engaged and inventive parenting style to be inspiring. Bandit and Chilli both work, juggling parenting around this the way many of us do. Chilli is often in the background of episodes, heading off for a run, to work, or to socialise. It sounds trite, but this small detail means a huge amount to me. It’s one thing to be told that it’s okay for mums to prioritise having time and space for their own pursuits, but it’s extremely powerful to actually see how it’s done, and for everyone around to take it for granted as a normal part of life.

There’s a great episode where two of the kids play Mums and Dads and start out with opposing assumptions about the tasks each should do – but I’ll leave that for you to discover!

Gender Safety

The characters are largely free of visual gender cues, and the cues that do exist are free of any negative implications, I believe. Diversity in the characters’ appearances comes from the depiction of different dog breeds, with character traits not necessarily linked to appearances (so a tough looking dog might take on a caring role, of a cutesy looking dog might go on an adventure).

Social Justice and Equality

Without making a big deal of it, each episode of Bluey gently demonstrates gentle, caring parenting. Conflicts are resolved through role play and empathy, although Bandit’s attempts to explain concepts to Bluey and Bingo through the use of metaphor aren’t always successful, just as in real life.

The show is honest in portraying the difficulties families can have in getting along, but also shines a bright light on the tiny moments of joy that family life brings. Bluey is an absolute joy, and stand up to repeat viewing without becoming irritating at all. That’s been thoroughly tested, because it holds the record as the most viewed show on the ABC’s streaming application.

It does a brilliant job of acknowledging the tedium and exhaustion of parenting (I *love* Bandit’s little groan, each time the kids nominate a particular game to play), while gently reminding us of the love and joy we can find in simple family games.

[A brief interruption!]

I have a few more shows to recommend that don’t perfectly pass the Maisy Test, or are slightly problematic in other ways, but might still be worth considering, for various reasons.

Just before we get to them, I wanted to mention that I’ve just started a Patreon account. If you’ve found this article thoughtful and useful, and would like to support me to write more stuff like this, head on over. You can leave your suggestions, vote for what the next article will be, and make my writing possible. Thanks!

 

I don't take advertising or sponsorship for anything on Sacraparental. A new way you can give me time to write this kind of article is through Patreon. Come on over and have a look - you even get some behind-the-scenes stuff :)

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming!

Honourable mentions: These shows also pass the Maisy Test (or almost do) but I have other reservations

1. Bo on the Go [Female Lead]

A girl and her sidekick overcome obstacles by doing various physical activities that viewing kids are invited to join in with. That’s it, really. I find it super boring, but kids find it fun to be invited into the action.

Bo on the Go passes the Maisy Test but adds nothing else to the world of television – except an attempt at getting viewers off the sofa.

One more warning is needed for this show: the central gimmick is that our kids can contribute to Bo’s success by doing their own running or jumping at home. This means the show actively sends the message that the TV world is real and fictional characters can communicate with kids. In our house we’ve been quite keen on helping out little ones distinguish between ‘real’ and ‘pretend’ in all parts of life, so we had to choose between undermining that distinction and undermining the show. We chose the latter, which meant he was much less interested in doing the prescribed exercise!

Gender Balance: Bo is a girl and her dragon friend is a younger boy. There’s also a male wizard who gives advice and sets challenges.

Gender Freedom: No problems.

Gender Safety: No problems.

Social Justice and Equality: Nothing to note. Bo has blue hair, pale skin and blue eyes. The dragon is green and I don’t feel confident identifying Wizard’s ethnicity, but he has a sort of American-trying-to-sound-slightly-posh-and-English accent.

2. Mouk: Touring the World [Male Leads]

Mouk’s a slightly odd mix of a show, originating in France, based on books. Mouk and his friend Chavapa travel the world having adventures in different lands, in a way that expands kids’ understanding of world geography, customs and culture, and zoological diversity.

Its two leads are both male, so it doesn’t pass the Maisy Test, but as part of an otherwise balanced library, it makes a good contribution.

Gender Balance: The two leads are both boys – though it is, frankly, hard to tell.

Gender Freedom: They meet a range of male and female characters in their travels.

Gender Safety: They’re animated animals with no obvious gender markers.

Social Justice and Equality: Exploring the world is a great thing for progressive values! Common Sense Media rates it very highly for positive messages, educational value and role models, as Mouk and Chavapa are curious and kind, and have respectful, joyful interactions with characters from all kinds of places.

3. Wild Kratts: Biology and Adventure [Male Leads]

If my son could watch only one show for the rest of his life, he would probably choose Wild Kratts. For three reasons it doesn’t quite make it into my category of unqualified recommendations: 1) It only narrowly passes The Maisy Test; 2) the characters are all adults, which (in this case at least) makes it less suitable for younger kids; 3) there are ‘bad guys’ who our heroes have to thwart – they’re usually trying to kill endangered animals and use them for fashion or gourmanderie, so again, this pitches the show a bit older; and 4) the sibling banter and other teasing between characters is just on the edge of what I find acceptable in a kids’ show. We have had to do a lot of unpacking of this stuff with our little guy.

I’ve also very recently discovered that the African American mechanic and techie, Koki, is voiced by a white actor.

So why bother at all? This show has had such a big impact on my little guy’s understanding of biology and ecology that it deserves a mention, and plenty of families will find it appropriate for their kids.

Gender Balance: Wild Kratts only narrowly squeaks in on this front. The two central characters are Chris and Martin Kratt, based on real-life scientist brothers who have made a range of kids’ science shows. In this one they’ve turned themselves into cartoon characters, and it can’t be ignored that they are both white males.

The characters Chris and Martin are the core of the show, but they are part of a group of five, who all get their own fleshed-out characterisation. Aviva, a super-smart woman of colour, is the inventor/engineer who makes all the amazing devices the team use to save animals. Koki, another woman of colour – she’s African American – is the computer expert of the team. Another white male is the slightly anxious pilot.

One very good thing, though, that gives Wild Kratts just enough points to pass, is that the animals – there’s a different species featured each episode – are female as often as they are male, which is decidedly not true in most kids’ media, where unnamed animals are usually assumed to be male.

Gender Freedom: Anyone can do anything. The techies are women, and both male and female characters are a mix of able and flawed.

Gender Safety: The characters are all adults, with adult figures and adult attitudes. I wouldn’t recommend this show for young children, for that reason – and there aren’t usually any children in it.

Social Justice and Equality: There’s racial diversity, and a central concern for ecological conservation and learning. The characters also travel all around the world, exploring different environments and ecosystems.

4. Beat Bugs: Animated Beatles Musicals, Of Course [Male and Female Ensemble]

This is a pretty new show on Netflix, created by an Australian Beatles fan.

Its gimmick is that there are Beatles songs woven into the stories. So far they seem to be wedged in with a crowbar and the storylines aren’t very interesting, but it’s pleasant to have on in the background if you like the Beatles! I’m not including this in the ‘highly recommended’ section simply because the story content isn’t that great. Just kind of bland.

Gender Balance: The core cast of five insects includes a female leader, a male scientist, a male adventurer, an enthusiastic female toddler and a male comic (watch the featurette below for an introduction to the characters), though I had a hard time telling the genders of the characters just by watching.

Gender Freedom: I haven’t spotted gender restrictions so far but it’s early days. Let me know if you’ve watched more! I find the characters quite clichéd in other ways though, like the ‘brainy one’ who stutters timidly while using big words. It kind of feels like it’s not just the music that was written in the 1960s.

Gender Safety: No eyelashes or adults waists for the female leads – hurrah! The guest characters might be a bit more gendered.

Social Justice and Equality: Ethnicity isn’t obvious in the insect-based characters. Commonsense media rates it highly for positive messages.

Please consider this a warm invitation to follow me on Facebook for daily links, resources and Sacraparentalish tidbits, on Pinterest for link-plantations (including these Gender Politics and Change the World boards) and on Twitter for a range of ranting.

And some related posts you might be interested in:

The original post introducing The Maisy Test

‘Colours are for everyone’ + 38 more handy phrases for feminist parenting

13 TV shows with strong female leads (for adults)

My feminist parenting humiliation (for laughs)

 

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95 comments on “13 Fabulous Kids’ TV Shows that Pass the Maisy Test and Have Other Great Features, Too”

  1. Chloe Reply

    I’m curious what you think of the Backyardigans. It’s one of our favorites. Also, I’ve noticed in Dinosaur Train that the female pterodons have longer eyelashes. That makes me not want to watch it.

    • thaliakr Reply

      Hi there!
      Yes, totally agree about the eyelashes! I hate that! I mentioned it in the article for several other shows, and agree with you.
      I mostly hear the shows more than watching them myself, which probably helps with ignoring the eyelashes 🙂
      I’m glad you like Backyardigans. Several people recommended it so we tried it out and I ended up omitting it – though it certainly passes the Maisy Test – because it seemed to me to skew a little old in storyline and script. I ended up not being that comfortable with my nearly five year old watching it so I left it out in the end – but these things are so often a matter of taste, aren’t they.

  2. Hannah Moncrieff Reply

    I would also like to suggest Dirt Girl. It passes the test in my opinion (though both leads are whitec which is a shame) and would be worth considering. It is shown on Australia’s ABC channel.

  3. Windi Hornsby Reply

    Would love to add Stella and Sam to this mix – was happy to see many of our favorite shows on this list!!

  4. Colleen Reply

    Great list, thanks. I have to add the Jim Henson-inspired Fraggle Rock take off: Doozers. It really speaks to my son, the boy/girl Pod Squad gang is called on to fix various problems and quandaries in their little community; Chief Doozer or mayor or whatever is one of their moms. It’s also a good display of perseverance; their first solution usually fails and they keep at it and figure out how to save the day another way. Annoying to some degree (especially when you find yourself singing the main theme song in the shower) but episodes are 13min., bonus in my world where I’m constantly trying to limit screen time.

  5. Angela symes Reply

    We love Poppy Cat in our house. It has a female lead (Poppy who is a cat) and she takes her friends (a rabbit, dog, mouse, and owl) on imaginary adventures. Their friend Edgar the badger is always gettiung in their way and is a little rude and standoffish, but obviously wants to play in a different way with them. Poppy always seems to find a way to play with him too, and without getting frustrated by him. It was originally a British show, but the US version had dubbed new voices for the characters.

  6. Jo Reply

    I find the girl’s long hair and colour schemes in bubble guppies very off-putting to be honest, but great to see so many of the ones we love here, especially puffin Rock and dinosaur train. Looking forward to checking some of these out, thanks.

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  8. S Reply

    Great recommendations. We just checked out Wonder Pets today after reading this and my 4 yo loves it! Check out Zoboomafoo if Wild Kratts has too much scary stuff for your little one. It’s a great show by the Kratt brothers, but geared for younger kids. My 4 yo won’t watch Wild Kratts because it’s too scary. Though the female characters are definitely lacking in it!
    Also Kate and Mim-Mim is a good one for an adventurous girl cartoon appropriate for little ones, though all the human characters are white. Earth to Luna is a Brazilian show that’s been dubbed into English– it’s focused on science, with quite a few episodes on space, which my 4 yo loves! Nina’s World (Latinx family) and Lily’s Driftwood Bay have also been recommended to me, but I haven’t watched them yet.

  9. Zardeenah Reply

    Have you seen Maggie and the Ferocious Beast? The lead is a girl, but most other characters are boys. However! She is a powerful lead and the males are very in touch with their feelings. 3/4 on Maisy Scale

    Little Bear is also fantastic. Generally a 3/4 (male lead doesn’t help here), but unfortunately all of the humans are white, so I’d tag those episodes lower. Body positivity and gender freedom is high, and it’s super mellow and not irritating.

  10. CJ Reply

    Steven Universe! It’s geared for a wide age range, but with your criteria I’d suggest it for 5+, but best for 10 – middle/high school. It has silly episodes and songs, but deals fantastically with hard social problems. The main character is male, under the care of three genderless, but female-presenting heroines. It can be found on Cartoon Network/Hulu/iTunes. Definitely worth a watch, even as a parent.

  11. Lulastic Reply

    Oh wow I love this analysis Thalia! It is SO GOOD. Thank you for putting it together. I try not to be too hardcore at selecting Ramona’s viewing but I definitely try and encourage more Doc Mc Stuff than the others…

  12. Miriam Reply

    Really great resource, thanks 🙂 A personal pet peeve is just how many kids’ shows are all American accents. I guess that’s another vote for puffin rock!!

  13. Eowyn Reply

    I’m pretty sure that the scientist from Beat Bugs is female. And not stereotypically girlie. So there’s that.

  14. Hannah O'Keefe Reply

    I love Sarah and Duck and also Puffin Rock but I feel that having an omniscient male narrator undermines the female characters. I think something relating to the narrator should be added to the Maisy Test for Sexism as the unquestioned voice of the all-knowing, all-watching male is hauntingly familiar to women.

    • thaliakr Reply

      That is a really good point. I certainly noticed when I was tallying things up that there were several shows with female leads that had male narrators. But I can’t think of any the other way around. In fact, I can’t think of any female narrators off-hand at all! [Edit: just did some research, and have found one so far: Caillou.]

      So what’s the list so far (female lead and male narrator)?

      Puffin Rock
      Sarah and Duck
      Maisy
      Peppa Pig (hate that show anyway! 🙂 )

      There’s some discussion here of narrators in general, and a passing mention of kids’ tv (from the 1980s!) – every single one is male.
      https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2010/aug/09/voice-over-narration

      Other male narrators (not necessarily female leads):
      In the Night Garden
      Danger Mouse
      Thomas
      The Clangers

      • Hannah O'Keefe Reply

        Thanks for doing the extra research 🙂 Definitely a little disappointing knowing there are pretty much no exceptions to the rule of the male narrator. Such subtleties highlight how challenging it is to bring an authentic female story to our children. In my opinion, female characters are not the only important consideration, especially if they are answering to a male voice. Our culture really needs a shake up!

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  16. Emily Reply

    We love Tumble Leaf on Amazon Prime streaming! All animal characters, male and female including the main character’s female friend Maple, who is a mechanic type. They discover a new everyday object each episode and have some related adventure in using it or discovering a new use for it. It’s very slow and sweet.

    • Emily Reply

      I will add that Maple is pink while the main (male) character is a blue fox. But otherwise she doesn’t appear traditionally “girlie”.

    • thaliakr Reply

      Thanks for the recs, Emily!

      My little guy is constantly asking if I can go and research something new for him to watch 🙂 I’ll check these out for him!

  17. oatsKearns Reply

    Kazoops has a really great family dynamic in it – refreshing I would say. A lot of good open gender role decisions that come across quite naturally.

    Also, until you mentioned it I had thought Crick from the Beat Bugs was female, but apparently not. I think it is a good demonstration of gender fluidity though since the markers one tends to look for comes from a binary to begin with!

  18. miked Reply

    Miss6 and Master8 have recently been enjoying “Annedroids” – http://annedroids.com/

    Possibly a bit old for 3 year olds, but ages 5 – 11 probably catered for (depending on the child).

    The first two series of the show ere recently available for streaming on 3Now in NZ, but looks like they just expired unfortunately (or I’d post a link)

    Show centres around 3 main characters (2 female, 1 male) and covers themes of: robots & androids, friendship, science, adventure, problem-solving, challenging gender stereotypes, growing up etc.

  19. Sarah VanderVort Reply

    What about Chuggington, since you mentioned Thomas? It has quite a few female trains, with KoKo being one of the main three trainees (she is adventurous and also the fastest). The train depot announcer and their teacher is female. The humans on the show are both male and female if different nationalities in jobs that push gender norms. The main researcher/ doctor us female. There is a female repair/ mechanic assistant and a female works in the rock quarry. They also have a male nurse. I think it passes the Maisy test.

    • thaliakr Reply

      Thanks for that, Sarah. I didn’t include Chuggington only because my husband and I really hate it – but that doesn’t mean anyone else has to! We find it unhelpfully moralistic – there’s always bad and good behaviour that gets punished or rewarded in ways we’re a bit uncomfortable with. But yes, it sounds like it’s fine on the Maisy Test!

  20. KelGel Reply

    We love Octonauts. I suspect the 2 female characters are added in later but all the water based wildlife the Octonauts help are mixed genders and true to natural science. I have had to go away and look up Siphonophores and Sea Pigs as the science is so fascinating.

    The captain (polar bear), medic (penguin), explorer (cat), and biologist(sea otter) are male and the engineer( rabbit)and photographer (dog)are female. But they all have different natures and strengths and weaknesses. I suppose it wouldn’t pass the Maisey test though, would like to know what you think?

    • thaliakr Reply

      Hi KelGel,

      My kids adore Octonauts, but I don’t think it passes the Maisy Test. There’s some discussion of it in my original Maisy Test post here: http://sacraparental.com/2015/07/14/sexism-in-kids-tv-shows-and-movies-what-to-look-for-and-what-to-do-about-it/ – both in the post and the comments.

      I do like that the female characters have non-gender-conforming jobs, but I think on any measure, the three main characters have to be the Captain, Kwazi and whatsisname the other one who is male too. If you watch the opening credits, it’s those three that have their pictures in the circle of the logo.

      So I don’t think it quite passes, but I also am fine with my kids watching some shows that don’t, if there’s a good reason to – like, in this case, a) they love it and b) they do get great science from it, as you mention.

      Thanks for your comment!

      • Red Reply

        If we want to truly get rid of sexism in all of our shows, we have to be more strict with what is okay and isn’t okay to watch. That means that sexist, science shows shouldn’t get a pass either. We cannot keep putting social justice on the back burner, it is what is holding humanity back. We should also check our sexist language while we’re at it, too. Use female/male as opposed to male/female, etc.

    • Meredith Reply

      I thought it was interesting that in the original Octonauts book, Kwazii was a girl. We’ve told our daughter that Kwazii is transgender.

      • Sarah Reply

        My two girls have always referred to Peso the penguin as “she” and we just never corrected them – he’s certainly a sensitive, sweet character and yet brave in a crisis. There does appear to be some fluidity in the gender of the octonants, as the girls aren’t too girly too, but I agree that on balance it is male-centred. I love the idea of Kwazii being a transgender pirate… that works!

  21. Jennifer D'Antonio Reply

    Thank you so much for compiling this list. There are some of our favorites on there and some ones that look great to try. I have 3 boys & I think it’s just as important for them to watch shows with these requirements. I just wanted to point out to you that you should research the origin of the word “Caucasian “. It is actually quite racist. Here is one article about it: https://www.good.is/articles/the-last-country-to-still-use-the-term-caucasian

    Just thought you would like to know & hopefully refrain from using it.

    • thaliakr Reply

      Thanks for that, Jennifer. In New Zealand I always say ‘Pākehā’ for people of European ancestry – ‘white’ is often considered a more offensive term here, though of course everyone has different preferences.

      So I was struggling a bit for what words to use to cause least offence across a range of countries. I’ll cross ‘Caucasian’ off my list!

  22. Nikki Reply

    I love the Canadian cartoon Ruby Gloom. Female lead, loves her friends and has adventures, variety of mixed gender characters not seeming always playing the stereotypical roles. May be a little better for slightly older children.

  23. Juan Reply

    Thank you so much! Great list! I’ll be “trying” each one of them with my three year old. By the way, her all time favorite is Masha and the Bear. I enjoy it as much as her. Magnificent animation (among the very best currently available) , great music and very entertaining. We watch it in the original Russian: the plot is easy to follow (the only talking character is Masha. All the animals surrounding her well, they growl, squeak, howl or otherwise express themselves with their own sounds. And what about Peppa? I believe it passes the test. I like the child – like drawings. I would also recommend, although it doesn’t really pass the test, the new version of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: I was strongly prejudiced against it, but I had to admit that it’s way better than the classic, overrated rodent. It’s still centered around the male lead, but Minnie and the girls are less of an accessory than before.

  24. Jenn Reply

    The new Netflix original show called Julie’s Green Room is fantastic. It features children (muppets) of various ethnic backgrounds, as well as one who uses a wheelchair, and a duck who speaks, but not English. It’s like The Muppet Show meets Glee updated for 2017.

  25. Molly Reply

    I know you’re focused on programs for younger children, but since it came up in the Dora highlight, I did want to offer a different point of view on body type. If I recall, Dora and her pals in Dora and Friends are supposed to be early teens or leading up to it with a target audience that nears double digits. Many of Today’s young girls are dealing with puberty around those ages. My daughter (now 13) had her first period just prior to her 11th birthday. She had breast buds apparent at 9 1/2. Showing a character at that age range with a more “adult” shape isn’t necessarily adultification as much as depicting a body type many 10-11-12 year olds can identify with. It’s been a while since we watched programming for young kids. I’m sure some of our old favorites are on streamed catalogues and wonder what you think of shows like JoJo’s Circus, Bob the Builder, and Super Why.

    • thaliakr Reply

      Hi Molly,

      That’s a great point about the age. I hadn’t thought of Dora and Friends being that old, but if that’s so, you make a good point.

      I don’t know Jojo’s Circus at all, but Bob the Builder fails for sure – almost everyone is male. I’ve hardly watched Super Why. The male protagonist is very much the centre, though, right? He does have evenly mixed sidekicks. What do you think of each of those shows, as you go through the Maisy Test checklist?

    • Red Reply

      We should remember that many pubescent kids absolutely hate the way their bodies are changing, they may not identify with these changes and it is happening against their own wills. Let’s not forget that puberty happens even when you don’t want it to, and makes unwanted changes like menstruation. The pubescent girls on TV may have similiar bodies to their pubescent female audiences, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll identify with these characters because of their bodies. We don’t identify with characters for their sex alone, do we? Why should they? Remember that there are female professional bodybuilders out there. Let’s not continue to force specific body types on the genders. It is very much possible to be sexually mature and yet not identifying with secondary sex characteristics such as breasts. It also doesn’t automatically imply homosexuality, either.
      A fictional female character starting puberty doesn’t need to look like she is, and I’m honestly getting so sick of seeing these girls possessing curves in addition to budding breasts. We don’t see the boys’ groins budding through their pants, do we? Why is it appropriate to sexual these pubescent fictional girls this way?

      • Red Reply

        Please do not delete my comment, this is a very important part of social justice. Pubescent fictional female characters that possess that hourglass shape is sexualization.

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  27. Megan Reply

    This is a great list and has several of our faves (Doc McStuffins, Peg + Cat, Sarah & Duck). I’d be curious about your thoughts on Team Umizoomi.

    • thaliakr Reply

      I thought it sort of passed and I have let my kids watch it, but I don’t think it’s a brilliant example. The two bad guys are both male, and one even has a sort of faux British accent which American cinema loves to use for bad guys!

  28. y janssen Reply

    Hi , thanks for the list! i’m glad some of the shows also air on Dutch TV :).
    What do you think of this show: Igam Ogam. It’s about a prehistoric girl living on a planet with ‘papa saurus’, her male monkeyfriend Roly. She is very adventurous, silly, full of mischief and bright. She’s white, and there are no other people around so it’s not very multicultural. but there is a female narrator and it was my daughter’s favourite show when she was about 3 y.o.

    • thaliakr Reply

      I don’t know the show, but one thing I like about your description is that there is a female narrator. Almost all shows starring girls that have narrators have MALE narrators, which I think is in itself problematic.

  29. Heather Reply

    Not sure if anyone has suggested it yet but check out Kate & Mim Mim and Animal Mechanicals

  30. Smylers Reply

    Great to see this — I think ‘Maisy’ is way underrated! Few parents I know seem to appreciate how good that programme is — possibly because the BBC no longer repeats it in the UK, it being 4:3 aspect ratio rather than widescreen.

    Other suggestions: ‘Alphablocks’ has 26 characters (unsurprisingly), seemingly about half male and female (I haven’t bothered to count, but there’s plenty of each), with a wide range of personalities between them. It also taught our then-3-year-old to read, which was accidental on our part (the toddler picked the programme, not us).

    New this year is ‘Numberblocks’, along the same lines. 10 characters, which our now-4-year-old tells me is 6 girls and 4 boys. Numberblock 8 is pink and male.

    ‘Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs’ may not quite pass the Maisy test (I think most of the dinosaurs are male — something imposed on the TV version when giving them voices, because in the original books (with the slightly different title, ‘Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs’) the dinosaurs’ gender doesn’t crop up), but in terms of human characters, Harry’s best friend is a girl called Charlie, who goes adventuring with him, and dresses suitably for playing in mud. Moreover, Harry lives with his sister, Mum, and Nan. There’s no mention of a dad: it’s simply accepted as completely normal that some households may not feature a dad. In the books this means you get to see Mum doing stereotypically male things, such as washing the car — hopefully you do in the TV programme too, but I now realize I haven’t actually being paying enough attention to know.

    And ‘The Magic Key’ — based on the Biff, Chip, and Kipper learning-to-read books — features boys and girls of various skin colours all joining in with adventures. Again, not widescreen, so no longer shown by the BBC.

  31. Smylers Reply

    Another reason I’ve just remembered for why I like ‘Maisy’ so much: the associated merchandizing is reasonable.

    It’s nice when a favourite programme has some associated products your child can have. We’ve been delighted with a cuddly Maisy soft toy, a big Maisy wall calendar, and a Maisy card game (which involves matching colours and numbers, and turns out to be a surprisingly good game — really useful for taking on trains, to cafés and so on). Soft toys, calendars, and card games are all things we’d have in the house anyway, so we’re happy for them to be Maisy-themed.

    Whereas so many other programmes have associated products that we need to steer our children away from. ‘Peppa Pig’ and ‘Thomas’ both have sugar-containing yoghurts, at toddler-height in the supermarket, while the sugar-free organic ones are at parent-height. And ‘Peppa’ does separate girls and boys wellies: George Pig for boys, with text about being ready for jumping in puddles; Peppa for girls, with text about looking pretty. There are ‘Paw Patrol’ T-shirts which feature 5 of the dogs, the only one missing being the one token female. Mr Men and Little Miss have separate jigsaws, so you can pick one with only male characters or only female (and corresponding blue or pink borders on the boxes). And so on.

    So plaudits to ‘Maisy’ for being safe for our children to like without making shopping more awkward.

  32. Perdita Reply

    I’d also add Hey Duggee as an honourable mention. Big hit in our house. Duggee is male as is the narrator but the ‘squirrels ‘ are balanced, the story isn’t split on gender lines, they are all equally involved in adventures and the large supporting cast are a good mix.

    Added bonus one of the children is adopted, one has behavioural issues but is never made out to be the bad or naughty one, and there are lots of in joke references for the parents to giggle at (Donkey Kong, Life Aquatic, Top Gun etc)

  33. Cat Reply

    Yes yes yes to Hey Duggie (from BBC). And another from CBeebies (although not a cartoon, sorry) is Katie Morag – superb adaptation of the brilliant series of books based on the author’s experience of bringing up her children on a wee island in the Scottish Hebrides. Free range childhood * sighs wistfully*. And Katie’s island granny – fabulous subversive older female role model. Probably for the age 4-5’s upwards.

  34. Katrina Reply

    Hi. There hasn’t been any mention of ‘Raa Raa The Noisy Lion’ from CBeeBees. We haven’t watched it for a while but the kids always enjoyed it. Raa Raa is the male lead with a bunch of jungle animal friends. We think two of the six might be female but it’s not at all obvious. The standout for me has always been the female narrator with a gentle Scottish accent. So I thought it may be worth you checking out for the female narrator alone.

  35. Chelle H Reply

    “Twirlywoos” is another one you might like to consider – it has a female narrator, an even gender balance of characters and tasks that the characters do, and no pink in sight for the female characters! Mum is purple though….

  36. Chelle H Reply

    I would also be interested in your thoughts about “Guess How Much I Love You” – I do think the main character of Little Nut Brown Hare may be male, but I’m not actually sure as they seem to not use gender pronouns too often in it anyway. Each animal is named by their physical characteristics – Little Red Fox, Little Blue Bird etc. Little Nut Brown Hare’s best friend is Little Fieldmouse, who is female, and there is an even split of genders and activities in the peripheral characters too. This show also features a female narrator, and what I also think is great, is that Little Nut Brown Hare’s father, Big Nut Brown Hare, is the primary – and indeed, only, nurtuer and carer. As such he is shown doing domestic duties for his child in each show, and he is also extremely sensitive to the characters’ emotions. The show ends every time with Big Nut Brown Hare telling his child how much he loves them, and snuggling down with them to sleep. Plus it’s a good introduction to biology, nature etc to boot!

    • Brooke Reply

      Oh yes I agree with this. Such a lovely show, we like the books too. So gentle 🙂

  37. Danise Elijah Reply

    Wild Kratts is one that is super popular with my boys. However, I was surprised to find that they have an all white cast, despite the Black and Latina characters!! So frustrating. Seems like the real life Kratts are just trying to pay lip service to diversity.

  38. Becs Reply

    I have just found this blog and am so pleased there is so much out there about this – I have a 2 year old daughter and it is increasingly driving me insane that there is so much gender bias in programming aimed at her. I’ve also noticed it with breakfast cereal, I can’t name one with a female character, whereas you have: coco the monkey, the frosties tiger, the rice krispie elf things, and others, who are all male, or it is assumed they are male (in my opinion). The messages are just so damaging to girls, it makes me so sad.

    Thanks so much for this blog, I’m so glad I’ve found it!!

  39. cris Reply

    What do you think about Storybots on Netflix? I love the idea that the bots live in the computer, but have to go out into the world to answer real kid’s questions. The bots are are of mixed genders based on voice, but there are no pronouns as far as I can tell. The live action kids ( who appear on the other side of the computer screen asking the questions that the bots have to answer) – seem well represented in terms of color and gender ( and all are adorable ). My 5 year old son LOVED this show earlier this year, but has since gotten turned on to problematic “action” cartoons like Ninjago.

    I recently found out about “Burka Avenger” which seems awesome ( I only watched a short clip ) but has subtitles for now ( hoping it gets picked up and dubbed in English) . Although my kid will probably still enjoy watching the animation, can you think of any action-y cartoons that come even remotely close to passing the Maisy test? I am hoping he can turn on some of his friends ( and their parents) to cartoons that aren’t so cringy.

    Thanks for this blog, such a great resource!

  40. Clare Reply

    Could you please track down and watch the first ever episode of The Smurfs? You’ll get a whole article just out of that. Trust me. It’s unreal.

  41. Elizabeth Reply

    Thanks for this list! I just wanted to share a few reservations I’ve had with Sesame Street recently. I’ve watched some episodes with my 2.5yr old and while she always loves the Elmo’s World clips, some of the other parts of the big show have really bothered me and/or her. First, she gets very upset when Cookie Monster always eats the letter of the day, no matter how much Prairie Dawn protests (“it’s not a cookie!”). And this always leaves Prairie Dawn crying. She usually asks me to skip these segments.

    In one episode we saw a Bert & Ernie segment in which Bert wanted to sit and read quietly, then Ernie burst in with a big idea and invited all these animals over. Bert kept saying, “No!” and “I just want to read!” and then Ernie exits the scene and Bert is left with all the animals. I don’t know where *consent* fits on the Maisy rating scale, but I really am bothered by the disregard of both Cookie Monster and Ernie to the other characters in these segments. And it’s not that they didn’t hear or understand the other character. They often said, “Yes but … ” or variations on that. I get that there is some humor the show is trying to give in these segments, but it is way over my daughter’s head and it rubs me the wrong way even though I get it. I’m trying to teach “no means no” to my daughter and feel segments like this undermine it. UGH.

    And in case you were wondering, these weren’t just old clips, they were included in recent episodes (available in full on youtube, so I don’t know when they aired on TV). Wish they had left them out. I love Sesame Street otherwise.

  42. Erin Reply

    I loved reading your article and seeing so many other like minded parents here. I’ve been so annoyed for years now with the TV shows on ABC 4 kids in Australia. Loads of male centred cartoons, and those with females usually have the old Harry potter routine with 2 males, 1 the leader and 1 the goofball, and a smart female. I.e. Peter Rabbit, PJ masks and Floogals. Though a female superhero is great to see in PJ Masks. However, add to your list Dot, a techy girl lead, and Ready, Jet, Go. Male lead, though has very strong female characters in the children, and the mums! I love that the children’s mums are a scientist and a programmer, and the main character’s mum drives the space ship while the father cooks at home. And there’s loads of respect between them. It’s my dream to develop a kids program with an awesome mum at the centre, like Fireman Sam, except Police Officer Pam or something. 😉

  43. Joanna Paul Reply

    Now that my daughter is a bit older (2.25) I’m stoked to have remembered this resource! So many of these in the list or comments are on Netflix, but would never have known to give them a go. Thanks so much 🙂

  44. Stefanie Sasinek-Roil Reply

    My kids are all teens and adults now, but I remember being really impressed with “Wordgirl” and “Between The Lions” on PBS when I was babysitting toddlers.

    Peppa Pig irritates me because of how much fat shaming there is in it.

    Wild Kratts was intended for kids who had outgrown Zaboomafoo and Kratt’s Creatures (which is intended for older toddlers/preschoolers). My 14 year old still regularly watches and enjoys Wild Kratts, so it DEFINITELY skews to older kids.

    We loved Backyardigans (I have a background in dance and my husband has a degree in theatre) because of how well they use dance as a storytelling tool.

  45. Grace Reply

    I live the Netflix show “ Spirit Riding Free”! It has three female leads, one of whom is African American, and one is biracial. They go on adventures together with their horses and save the day! Their friends are a good mix of boys/girls, and the show encourages learning and adventure, as well as friendship. It definitely deals with some scarier themes and older situations though, and is aimed more at school aged kids. There is a villain who steals a horse, wolves that chase the kids and other situations like that. The main character, Lucky, likes to wear pants even though she’s “supposed” to wear a dress and the show discusses that it’s ok, even good, for girls to get messy, and be adventurous and rambunctious. It’s very cute and the kids love it!!

  46. Cam Reply

    Really great article, I’m curious what you think of a show called Martha Speaks? It seems to be a great show for kids and I think it passes the Maisy test.

  47. Pingback: Media that affirms our Divinity | In Love Consulting

  48. Alix Johnson Reply

    I like this list and happy to see most are shows I am happy to let my girls watch.

    It’s the any info on these 3 shows that they enjoy?
    Peppa Pig, Octonauts, & Spirit the mustang? (I have a range of ages so some shows are for my big girls only).

    TIA.

  49. Kimberley Jamieson Reply

    Hi. Have you seen the Australian animated series ‘Bluey’? The lead character (and her sister) are female Blue Heeler Dogs. You wouldn’t know unless you pay attention though. Like Puffin Rock, they don’t have any ‘feminine’ features (long eyelashes or rediculous bows etc). And their voices are real kid/girl voices which can sound ambiguous as kids of both genders often sound very similar. The show is based around the two girls and their stay at home dad. Which is also a change, he is capable and fun and involved. The girls are playful and cheeky and a bit crazy. Very non gendered all round. I guess the only critics could be that the mum is a peripheral character (although she does leave house for work) and she is more serious while dad is very hands on and silly/playful. I love it though. It was hard to convince my daughter (5) that Bluey and her sister were actually female. She has already been trained to recognise female characters by unrealistic physical descriptors or sweet/diminutive character traits. Have to watch and listen very careful to hear dad say ‘your sister’ or someone say ‘there SHE is’. Anyway, it’s a pretty adorable and fun show and for me, very realistic with how my daughters are (read: crazy and boisterous)

  50. Amanda Reply

    Both doc mcstuffins parents work. There is litterally an episode where they go out to eat cause dad is working late

  51. Red Reply

    An equal balance of girls and boys in a show is not enough, since not every character shows up an equal amount of times. See major vs. minor, vs. supporting characters. It doesn’t even matter if most of the characters in a show are all girls, it’s only fair. As long as these shows are not sexist and oppressive to girls. Boys have plenty of shows that feature an all-male cast. There are so many shows out there targeted at boys, that girls would love to watch. Notice how the shows that are aimed at just girls are limiting, and just follow girls’ gender roles. Boys have all of the fun, and girls get all of the chore.
    A problem I see is that we rarely get to see a girl do any weightlifting at all, an example is in the show Arthur. The kids set out to make the biggest world-record-breaking pie of pizza, and when it came time to spread the pizza flat, three boys and only ONE girl helped to. Note that the girl is Francine, a “tomboy”. Girls could be just as physically strong as boys, there is NOTHING in their way. Only oppression.

  52. Natalie Reply

    We love Dora the Explorer! The original ones, not the rubbish new ones where she appears to have hit puberty and decided to conform to the worst gender stereotypes. A brave and independent girl in shorts and trainers goes on adventures with her best friend (male) and a selection of other brave friends (female and male). Also variation in skin colour that’s unusual for children’s animation, and characters who are bilingual or speak only English or only Spanish. Both her parents show up from time to time and are equally likely to be involved in what she’s doing. I am at least grateful to some of the more shockingly stereotyped ones for triggering useful conversations with my children: why do you suppose the female Octonaut isn’t in the credits and why does she always stay behind while the others go on rescues? Why does Wendy wear a miniskirt while building (and have you seen the episode where Bob decides she can come and work with him as a builder because she’s really good at answering the phone and making appointments)? And don’t get me started on Thomas the Tank Engine…

  53. Katie Ashton Reply

    I’d love to know your thoughts on Hilda! It’s a newish show on Netflix and kind of magic.

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