By Arielle Nguyen
When I was younger, I spent most of my days sitting on the living room floor and binge-watching the most classic T.V. channels: Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Disney Jr., Cartoon Network … you name it. I was locked into the crazy additions and rebrands of many shows employed to maintain the attention span of their kids. Sometimes it was the perfect change … something that “Paw Patrol” cannot master.
I was quite the cartoon ace growing up, enough to dedicate this cartoon to memory. “Paw Patrol” features six rescue dogs (for now…) who protect Adventure Bay under the ownership of Ryder. It mostly teaches kids teamwork, responsibility and safety — all moral life lessons to learn. It’s a cute, giggly show with tropes that only a few kids’ shows could emulate, including strangely sized animals and funny villains. However, I’ve also grown to despise it.
Firstly, where’s the variety? Every mission typically features the same three to four pups — Chase the police dog, Skye the pilot dog, Rocky the recycling dog and Rubble the construction dog. What about my favorite firefighting dog and water-rescue dog, Marshall and Zuma? What happened to equality? You live in Adventure Bay, Ryder! Keith Chapman, you created “Paw Patrol”! Did you not miss this detail, which could generate more episodes? Obviously not!
If you’re not going to use two of the original patrol dogs, you might as well rebrand a million times … and add nine dogs and a cat and use them more than you’d ever use Rocky and Zuma. What about my girl, Skye —solemn, self-deprecating cockapoo with a completely pink costume? Of course, Everest the snow dog was added, but she’s not as central as Skye, the only female dog on the main team. Might as well create new subplots, stories and regions instead of using the bay featured in the theme song!
And if you continue this trend, why don’t you add a responsible adult? Ryder, the main human character who takes care of every mission, is a ten-year-old boy. He seems to be the only reliable source of help in all of Adventure Bay (I hear you, kid… “No job is too big, no pup is too small.” Yet. Just you wait.) — the mayor’s only concern seems to be her chicken, the police apparently don’t exist and I’m shocked that the only sailor hasn’t sunk his ship. How about we stop throwing kids into dangerous situations, no matter if they’re real or fake, on paper or on screen?
And yet, it’s a cartoon for kids. I know it makes kids feel independent; a boy around their age has responsibility, and it rubs off on them. The dogs, no matter how annoying, are just dogs, and I bet at least half the audience watching this show has a pet or two. But if you’re going to use cartoons to positively influence your kids, I present to you my newest fixation: “Bluey.”
