Got a couple quick ones here.
First up, is a weekday morning show on Cartoon Network, The Super Hero Squad at 8:30 a.m. Which I liked but offer with caution.
In and of itself, it’s not anything new, except for the sheer breadth of super heroes – pretty much the entire Marvel Comics canon. Well, except for SpiderMan. And it’s set in Super Hero City which is right next to VillainVille. But the bad guys are still trying to take over the world and destroy the good guys, all stuff we’ve seen before. But I think there’s a slightly stronger fantasy element involved with this one than maybe with the original comics and earlier super hero shows, which fortunately, does not come off as lame.
My biggest concern is the early hour the show is on – usually pre-schooler time and this is not a show for pre-schoolers or anyone who isn’t clear on the reality vs. fantasy concept.
In fact, I have a similar issue with Courage, the Cowardly Dog – an older Cartoon Network series that has been re-assigned to the commercial-free Boomerang Network Monday through Saturday at 9 p.m.
It’s a silly, silly cartoon, in which Courage is asked to protect his family, a sweet, uber-positive grandma type and her cantankerous old husband from a host of ridiculous monsters. Courage, of course, is a total chicken, running for the safety of mommy’s lap at the first snap of a twig. But in the end, he does pull it together and rescues his family.
The show does have that whole facing your fears message – which is good. But it also has lots of pratfalls and other cartoon farce violence. So, again, you want to be sure your kid knows that in real life when you haul off and hit someone, that someone gets hurt and cries. Real human beings and animals don’t bounce.
Both of these shows represent a real gray area in the children’s media arena. There is a legitimate argument that such shows contribute to desensitizing us to violent behavior, thus making us more accepting of it. There is also the argument that such shows provide a safe outlet to let kids deal with their fears and overcome scary villains or situations.
I suspect that there is a place for Super Hero Squad and Courage, but that it should only be a small place in a child’s larger media diet. This is why it’s so critical that we, as parents, monitor what our kids watch and participate with them as much as possible.
Anne Louise Bannon
Your Family Viewer
