Disney Junior has come a long way in the last couple of years, and part of that is due to some recent additions to its lineup. One of those is “Doc McStuffins” and despite the semi-Scottish last name, the leach character is an African-American girl. And dad is a stay at home dad while mom is a doctor. Go diversity!
The premise for the show has shades of Toy Story where Dottie “Doc” McStuffins aids toys that come alive when nobody else is around. Often times it is a medical issue, other times she acts as a social worker.
Now we get the second collection of episodes on DVD – Doc McStuffins: Time For Your Checkup. Included are 5 random episodes from the show’s first season. While each episode is broken up into two separate (and different) segments, it appears the episodes on this DVD are presented as they originally aired rather than separating the segments, which is actually nicer than you might realize. It’s just too bad the episode selection is random.
Gulpy, Gulpy Gators!/One Note Wonder
Tea Party Tantrum/Blast Off!
Arcade Escapade/Starry, Starry Night
Bronto Boo-Boos/Brontosaurus Breath
Doctoring The Doc/Hot Pursuit
“Doc McStuffins” may not be as directly or implicitly educational as other programs aimed at younger viewers, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t without value. First off there’s the issues I brought up in my first paragraph and the positive images this precedent sets. There’s the social interaction examples that appear as the toys interact providing many great talking opportunities for parents and their kids. And finally there’s a focus on health and wellness, an area that doesn’t get much attention in kids’ lives, let alone on television.
As for the individual episodes, I don’t have a favorite, nor do my kids. They like how the different animals have their own personalities (though Stuffy and Chilly are a bit too similar) with Hallie the hippopotamus assistant being a “no-nonsense” favorite. At times individual characters are featured, sometimes with a “guest” toy and others the whole game is featured equally.
With 5 full episodes of content of a solid and positive show, I highly recommend Doc McStuffins: Time For Your Checkup.