Reviewing Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

My son really likes Mickey Mouse -- his very first favorite character. And this is a quality Disney series that should be watched.


Mickey Mouse Clubhouse logo

Every 9:00 AM at Playhouse Disney (here in Singapore, it's still Playhouse Disney, not yet Disney Junior), he will smile as soon as he sees Mickey Mouse walking down the lane and says "Hey everybody!", he lights up! His round eyes also smiling and you can tell that he really, really, really likes him.

That's all well and good I guess. I've been watching the other shows in Disney Playhouse -- yep I got that much time in my hands -- and all I can say is that this is by far one of the "safest" shows for any toddler to watch. Not that my son is a toddler, but.. well, I guess you get my point.

So let's see. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I guess I'll just get down to it and list down the pros and cons (yeah, not all shows are perfect, even this one has its downsides).

The Good

• Colorful and musical. Infants like bright distinct colors and melodies. What's not to like, right Good easy to follow music complete with actions. Good for the sight and the hearing. Just what you need to stimulate your child's imagination and creativity.
• Educational and interactive. Counting. Addition and subtraction. Front, middle, back. Near and far. Colors. Following instructions. This is probably the best feature and, if above all else, the very best reason to watch this show -- or have your kids watch this show. :) Kids can actively participate in each episode. Whether it's answering questions, "helping" the characters out, or just following steps, it's fun for everyone around.
• Promotes good habits and behavior. Particularly for the older kids. It shows just how fun exercise (Mickey's Mousekersize episode), sportsmanship (Donald's Big Balloon Race episode), and generally, helping your friends out (just about every episode). Just a few of the good behavior and habits that the show is showing to the kids.

The Bad

• Occasional bad behavior. You'd expect this from the primary "antagonist" Pete the Cat (Donald's Big Balloon Race, Road Rally), but not from one of the main protagonists, Donald Duck. Some of his behavior is a bit disturbing -- things that you wouldn't want your kid to have. In Donald the Frog Prince episode, Donald the Frog repeatedly hopped on -- practically beating him down -- Pete to stop him from following Daisy. In Goofy the Great episode, he laughed terribly at Goofy for, well, goofing up. In Mickey's Camp Out, Donald stormed away from the others because he doesn't want to share his tent.

That's the only bad I see, so far. I haven't watch all of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes yet. Anyway, maybe it's the disciplinarian and the protective father in me, but I really did not like the some of the behavior shown occasionally. The saving grace for this, however, is that before the show ends, Donald would know his mistakes and says he's sorry having learned his lesson -- at least for most of them.

My advice, then, is to watch out for some bad behavior, particularly Donald's. Don't leave your kid to watch the show alone. Interact with him/her and explain things as you watch along -- it's fun! And, make sure you get to the end so that in case there's bad behavior, he/she will see it rectified and apologized for.

Or better yet, if you can get a copy of the episodes beforehand, watch it first. if you're not comfortable with some of the scenes, don't let your kid watch it.