Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
This story was originally published on December 18, 2019.
It has been updated to include more shows just in time for those long, school-free days of summer.
Shows are listed by episode length.
Does the gibberish teach children to use their imagination and practice reading body language and context clues?
I cant say for sure.
But it does make for a cute, relaxing watch.
The shows like one of thosesensory dancing-fruit videos, just with a bit more plot.
Who could be mad at that?
Breath mints, rubber bands, LEGOs, balloons, canned soup.
Youll never look at mundane consumer products the same way again.
in lots of different ways and somehow manages to be beloved by nearly everyone.
But fear not Blueywill get them eventually.
But hes alive andfree to loveand grow and be.
Thats all to be expected.
Also, Toad having a dedicated sad time of day is just relatable.
Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Hes so anxious for the humpback whale with no family.
Hes so overjoyed when an animal is healed.
Plus, and this is no small thing: Its closing musical number absolutely slaps.
The number of shows that can do those things and also be legitimately endearing for parents?
For toddlers,Shaun the Sheepworks because of its simplicity and brevity.
The thing I cant get over is how wellShaunworks for me, too.
I hope my kids want to watch it forever.
So far, so good.
If the show were just a cleverly referential fantasy, that would probably be enough.
(Or lets be honest, YouTube and TikTok).
Every second is delightful.
The Owl Housebegins when 14-year-old Luz Noceda falls into the magical world of the Boiling Isles.
But I love Phineas.
He never stops talking.
Yes, okay, fine hes sort of like me.
Like, you never see him buying it.
Ferb doesnt say much, but he also helps.
They create inventions that should take a year, and it takes, like, only one day.
Phineas and Ferb also have a pet platypus named Perry.
Perry is always fighting against his archenemy, Doctor Doofenshmirtz.
(After a while, the show starts referring to all his contraptions, generically, as inators.)
But the running joke is that he is incompetent not just at science but at being evil.
He often foils himself through decent acts and is insecure about his thwarted career ambitions.
Actually, hes not even trying to dominate the world, just the tristate area.
Eddie:Hes not evil.
Hes just had a tragic life.
The mix of high and low, the dense layering, informed my own sense of humor.
Admittedly, he was too young for most of it.
My favorite one is How do people catch a cold?
(Spoiler alert: If a virus gets inside your body, thats how you catch a cold.)
Be honest: Did you know all of that?
Pre-Storybots,I probably could have gotten white blood cells and viruses but definitely not all the other details.
I think the How do airplanes fly?
episode might have taught me … rudimentary physics?
The judges are gentle with their criticism and sentimental with their praise; the contestants support each other.
I remember not wanting to turn it off, then thinking,Hey!
This show is wholesome.
Its about creative passion and self-belief!
Maybe he can just watch it with me for as long as he will pay attention.
And then:Wouldnt it be nice if he grew up to be a baker?
It took some training, but now that my son is 5, we are both all in.
