I forgot to mention earlier that this series at least believes that it's a decent, kid-friendly James Bond parody, and that every single episode is named after a Bond film. Paw Pilot will then sing a song that "spoofs" a James Bond movie title. Oso then asks Paw Pilot what the "Code Name" for the special assignment is. Paw Pilot will then sing the *exact* same song in the *exact* same way in every single episode, with the only difference being in the steps that she gives to Oso changing each time. But first, he asks Paw Pilot for the "Three Special Steps" that he'll need to complete his assignment. Dos then tells Oso about the "urgent situation" involving whatever child Oso is supposed to help, so the teddy bear immediately springs into action. Oso then talks with his boss, Mister Dos, who's so secret that no one can see him. Paw Pilot comes across to me as somewhat creepy, as she's essentially just a bouncing head with big eyes who contacts Oso on his communicator. Cut back to Oso, who's having trouble with his training exercise, when all of a sudden, he gets a "Special Allert" message from Paw Pilot. This is always done with the EXACT same animation in every episode. In any case, this little spy camera bug thing sees the kid in "trouble," and automatically sends a message up to a satellite in outer space. It could be that Billie doesn't know how to tie his shoes, or that Jane doesn't know how to make a salad. We then cut away to some random kid somewhere in America who has some sort of *very* small problem. Oso, however, is something of a bumbler, so he tends to forget what he's been told to do. Each episode begins with either Agent Doty or Agent Wolfie introducing him to a training exercise and giving him very simple instructions. Special Agent Oso, a teddy bear voiced by Sean Astin, is in training to become a secret agent. Here's what happens in each 11 minute cartoon. Every episode, and I mean *every* episode, is *exactly* the same. But "Special Agent Oso" takes that formula to an extreme. It doesn't bother my daughter, but it creeps me out every time I see it, for some reason.Īlright, alright, I am perfectly aware that this show is made for little kids, and that little kids enjoy their show shows having a formula and all of that. I also agree with the other reviewer who commented that Paw Pilot's "floating head" is rather creepy. Over time and repetition (which we parents experience with years of all the children's' shows), I have found Oso's bungling and well, I will say it: stupidity so annoying, I often leave the room when Special Agent Oso is on. That might be a great learning tool for the "rescuee", but why does Oso get a medal for bungling each mission? Rewarding children for trying their best rather than only for perfection is great, but is Oso really doing his best? He seems careless to me, and his efforts to learn seem half-hearted. In fact, in most episodes, the child ends up showing HIM how to accomplish the task. Oso is not very bright, clumsy, forgetful, and doesn't really help anyone. Sometimes I chuckle at the Bond-inspired mission code names, but the humor is lost on my daughter, and I sometimes have difficulties explaining it to her-I don't want to be talking about a "golden gun" while we're watching a children's show about a teddy bear! I am also not quite comfortable with the message the show sends to its young viewers. This is the standard that was set more than 40 years ago by Sesame Street. I think the repetition, colorful characters and catchy songs are great for its target preschool audience, but like other reviewers have said, they could have done a much better job making the show entertaining for the preschoolers' older siblings and parents. I think most of the things that Oso attempts to do are duties of parenthood and are certainly more pleasant and rewarding than changing diapers, so why are the parents neglecting to perform these duties? On the other hand, I personally benefited from the episode on how to use chopsticks which actually was a bit too advanced for the show's audience, I believe. Why would a child who talks like he is school-age not know how to color? Why is it an "emergency" for him to know how to color by the time his father comes home? Why haven't his PARENTS taught him how to color? We voice similar questions with many other episodes. This one, however, raises questions for my daughter and me both. I am thoroughly familiar with my six-year-old daughter's favorite shows on Disney Jr, Nick Jr and Sprout, and love most of them.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |