Tags
children, Disney Junior, family, fun, Gaspard and Lisa, humor, Jim Chaney, kids television shows, parenting, The Wordslinger
After my recent review of Disney’s Doc McStuffins, the girl with the God complex and absentee parents, I received several requests for another installment. While those requests came mainly from myself, I can’t very well disappoint the fans, now can I? So today I bring you another review of a children’s program; this time the TV adaptation of a well-known children’s book series “The Misadventures of Gaspard and Lisa“.
Gaspard and Lisa follows the daily shenanigans of two young puppies in Paris. Yes, Paris…as in Paris, France. When I first came across this show, I found the setting odd, but it stays true to the original book series so I suppose I can deal with all the talk of baguettes and cheese. Before I go any further, I must also mention that up to the moment when I began this post, I didn’t even realize that the characters were dogs! There is absolutely no mention of them being dogs, they do not do doggie-type things, and quite frankly, the animation doesn’t do them any favors. In fact, prior to this post, I thought the two little Parisian pups were actually rabbits!
Anyway, their status within the animal kingdom, while still up for debate in my opinion, is not the only issue I have this show – though it is the most concerning. You see, Gaspard and Lisa (along with their respective families) are the only non-human characters on the show. This is not your typical pre-school aged cartoon about animals that talk. This is a show with two rabbit families…I mean dog families (damn you ambiguous animation) and a world full of people interacting with each other…and NO ONE THINKS THIS IS WEIRD!?
The puppies go to school with human children, have lunch with human friends, and treat other animals as animals (rather than their peers). As far as I can tell, the story is not set in the distant future where talking animals are the norm, so why is everyone alright with this? This elephant in the room that no one talks about really bothers me, probably more than it should, so I’ll move on to some other glaring issues with this show.
The general story-line of each episode follows this basic path; Gaspard and Lisa have some sort of “adventure” which involved a problem that eventually leads to a solution. Typical children’s programming which I have no problems with. What does concern me, however, is their vocabulary choices. At the age of six (which is the documented age of these kids/puppies), a child should be able to understand the difference between accidentally letting go of a balloon and…say…accidentally burning down a house. Like, if you asked a kid on a scale of 1-10 how those two “problems” rate, you’d probably get something like a “3” and a “7”. Obviously skewed…but reasonable in the eyes of a six-year-old. However, no matter how small the problem, Gaspard and Lisa always react the same way…with the word “catastrophe”.
I just feel like their parents need to give these kids a little perspective, you know. Take them to a homeless shelter, have them volunteer with the Red Cross; show them what a real catastrophe looks like. Then maybe the next time their rubber ball bounces away from them, they’ll react more appropriately with a simple shrug of the shoulders and a “At least we still have our health.”
Now I try my best to get past the whole “talking animals in a world of humans” thing, but the show’s creators/animators don’t make it easy. Each and every episode, Gaspard and Lisa don their signature blue and red scarves…and nothing else. Gaspard’s father? A tie…and nothing else. Yet all the human adults and children with whom these pint-sized puppies interact with on a daily basis are in full garb, as society dictates. Why is it that the dogs are immune to these cultural and societal rules? If we are to believe that their presence in a world of people is perfectly natural, shouldn’t they also be dressed appropriately? I’m not trying to pull the species card here, but come on guys, give me a break!
So in conclusion, what we are presented with here is a story of two animals with very little perspective on the real world and no respect for society’s standards, having daily adventures with human beings as if it were perfectly normal. Again…NO ONE THINKS THIS IS WEIRD! The world of children’s programming…isn’t it great?
Maria said:
Yeah and Gaspard and Lisa’s mom only wear necklaces, the only time I saw them in clothes was an episode when Lisa’s mom was pregnant which she wore a dress and after the baby was born she wore only the necklace again why not keep the dress who knows it’s all just very weird.
Dustin said:
Oh man thus is great! So funny please do more of these. My wife and I always point thus kind if stuff in the cartoons. Our baby loves it so we have to find a way to enjoy it to. Thanks for your funny take.
Le Anne Ackerman said:
They are not dogs per se. They are plush (or “stuffed”) animals. Dogs tail & face, bunny ears and eyes, and teddy bear bodies.
Tim said:
Sometimes the parents on the show put perspective on them yelling catastrophe. One of the more disturbing issues on the show, in an episode Gaspard and Lisa get a pet dog. Yes the dogs that live among us have a pet dog.
chris said:
My 16th month old loves this show as well as her 60 year old grandmother so you need to relax and enjoy the show and stop obsessing it. All of Disney junior is great for the little ones.
Le Anne Ackerman said:
My 2 1/2 year old has watched them over and for about a year, too. It’s her favorite. I think the main thing that disturbs parents is Dog or Bunny?
Christie Clark said:
So funny. It really bugs me too. My husband and always talk crap about this totally backwards cartoon. At least we aren’t the only ones.
Jennifer Schweinsberg said:
I can’t believe that with all the things wrong in the world today that people are actually taking time to pick apart children’s cartoons. This is pathetic behavior at its best. Truly sad to see!!!! Grow up and complain about something that actually matters!! People never cease to amaze me.
sportsjim81 said:
And yet here you are taking the time to condemn someone for writing a satirical blog post that is quite clearly sarcastic. Surely you can tell when someone is making light of something? Hmmm…perhaps not. People never cease to amaze me either.
Dustin said:
Here, here. Well said.
Le Anne Ackerman said:
To each their own. Sounds like you may be upset with yourself on how you spend your time.
sportsjim81 said:
Haha, hardly. I spend time watching kids shows with my children. How could that be upsetting. Love that you came back for a follow up comment though, joking about a kids show must be your pet peeve or something
mamafab said:
I’m pretty sure LeAnn’s comment was in response to Jennifer, not you. That’s why her comment is on the same hierarchy level as yours.
Le Anne Ackerman said:
Yes, thank you, mamafab. It was in response to Jennifer.
fabiola said:
Please do the little Einstein that show is the worst ever love their song
Linda Barta said:
They’re dogs?!?!
dfdfd said:
My wife and I noticed the same things and think it’s hilarious. This show is great. I haven’t seen children this authentically portrayed since Cosby–especially the older siblings: Victoria and Charles. I don’t know for sure, but I assumed that Gaspard and Lisa were dog/rabbit/people to avoid them being black, white, or brown children. This way all children could relate to them. I also assume that’s the same reason for the lack of detail in their body details. The animation of the other characters is pretty isn’t bad. If the OP isn’t being serious then it’s really funny, but it’s difficult to tell. To a child anytime they might get into trouble qualifies as a CATASTROPHE!
Jharbin217 said:
This is great! I love this author. My wife and I were in years reading this. We have had similar conversations but this is great. Please do Sophia the First or Charlie and Lola!!!!
Jharbin217 said:
We were in tears….not years.
Lindsey said:
All these things irritate me when watching this show with my 2 year old. However the show I find to be the biggest offender is Max and Ruby who have no parents, just a grandmother that lives across town and everyone else has parents that are uninvolved in the kids lives. Drives me crazy!
Rd said:
Anyone think it’s weird that they are dogs who have a pet dog?
jennifer said:
This is the best show in the world! I am in love with the characters and watch it every day! I have no children but this show makes me happy! It is so sweet!
Cle said:
I think they are supposed to be stuffed animals that are alive. Hence the difference between them and dogs. That also explains why they are dogs with bunny ears. My little girl loves them. Wish there was a Gaspard and Lisa english dvd for sale.
Rachel Booker said:
I think you need to review Max and Ruby, a show about brother and sister rabbits. Ruby is 7 and Max is young enough that he does not yet put 2 words together to form a sentence. While their widowed grandmother live across town, Max and Ruby apparently live alone, with no parents to care for them. Ruby does all the cooking, cleaning and childcare, yet she is abysmally stupid, never seeming to recall that Max’s single word statements and actions always contain the information needed to solve her problem of the moment.
The grumpy old bloke said:
I have to agree with most of the views here that this show is pretty weird, my biggest issue other than the semi clothed participation of talking dog / rabbits on human society is this. The show is said to be set in Paris, based on a French children’s book series where everyone has French names and occasionally uses the words baguette, bonjour etc.
My question is; Do any of the characters actually have French heritage or is it just some covert British identity protection / relocation program? Has anyone heard a single French accent used on the show? All the voices are West London / Lancashire / Yorkshire with the odd Irish and Welsh accent thrown in to really screw things up.
I am all for multicultural education for the under 5’s but why mess with their brains at such an early age!
spec4 said:
To all of those who feel that the author is taking this cartoon too seriously, have you ever heard of the literary device known as satire? I would guess not. Anyway, brilliant review! My daughter watches this and I couldn’t determine if they were dogs or rabbits because they’ve interacted with both species on the show. I guess it’s some Doctor Moreau-ish theme going on here! Ha ha!
dfdfd said:
dd
RIah said:
I really don’t like this show. I don’t like how there is absolutely no discipline whatsoever for the misbehavior. For example: an episode where Gaspard and Lisa went into their fathers office when they were told not too. They went in to help Gaspards father find a missing paper, they ended up making a mess, but all was well because they found the paper. I want my son to know no is no. I mean what if something was dangerous in the room??
Lisa said:
I think you are weird!
sportsjim81 said:
and i think you are a bunny!
Gaspar said:
Nobody’s mentioned that they have American accents in France.
ManlyMan said:
Hello my name is ManlyMan
I’m sorry I accidentally pressed send again. I guess I still do not know how to work one of these apple products. Yo, any who, As much as I love the show Doc. McStuffins, My daughter Girly-Girl and I have some mind triggering questions. Doc only has a degree as a general practitioner/surgeon to toys. She clearly does not have a degree in toy psychology. Yet, she has the gaul to practice toy psychology on her first toy cellphone in the episode “Loud Louie.” I’m sorry if I didn’t use the word “GAUL” correctly, I never went to college. Any who, the cellphone doesn’t have a fixable problem, he clearly has a physiological problem, not just Superlouditis. Plus, when Hallie Hippo brings out the big book of boo-boos, it make you only think of external boo-boos not cerebral hematomas. ManlyMan= ManlySamart!!!! 👍And, when all of the toys and Doc were playing telephone, It was mean when the snowman jumped because Louie was talking loudly when he was supposed to be whispering. That is a very bad example of role modeling. I think that children, or the toys, should just accept the other toys for they really are. Lastly, I think that it’s really weird that when people were voting for their favorite toy, Lamby won. I mean, I personally think that the snowman should have won because he’s kind of funny.
ManlyMan said:
Hello my name is ManlyMan
I’m sorry I accidentally pressed send. I guess I do not know how to work one of these apple products. Yo, any who, As much as I love this show Doc. McStuffins, My daughter girly girl and I have some
ManlyMan said:
Hello my name is ManlyMan!
As much as I love the show Doc McStuffins I’ve encountered some interesting reviews from the episode “loud Louis.” For example my daughter Girly-Girl
cate said:
Soooo funny! That’s always bugged me too! Like today I watched the episode where they had to watch their teachers dog. She gave the dog commands such as “sit” I thought for a moment it would be great if they sat as well….since they are dogs and all, but apparently there are different levels of dogs too. Then I thought, “wow, I can’t believe I sit here the whole time my son is watching this show trying to rationalize” and then convince myself the two dog families are a result of some bizarre experiment. The end.
Maddie said:
I am not a fan of this show. I feel as if Lisa is extremely manipulative. She’s always starting something. They cause alot of the problems and then find a way to solve them. It’s just a weird show.
Mr. Smith said:
Wow, taking this cartoon a little seriously don’t you think?
Is the animation odd, their “species” ambiguous especially in light of Gaspard wanting a pet dog… Yes. But it is a 2-3yo children’s show that is trying to foster imagination while teaching basic life lessons (I’ll attempt to forgive the fact that it is based in France since the characters are pretty polite to each other).
If you really want a children’s show to pan, start with Sponge Bob. There is no single aspect of that show that is worthy of viewing by adults, much less impressionable children.
SHAY said:
I agree Mr. SMITH!
Chelseea said:
This is like Family Guy. Brian is the only dog that talks and nobody finds this weird. He also only wears a collar, as that is all dogs wear.
thomas said:
i spent 11 days in a psych ward because of this show. it just does not make sense. they are the only talking animals. and they have pets. it just blows my mind. blows my mind.
Shalanda said:
This show just freaks me out! Come on it’s just like Mickey mouse clubhouse… how come Goofy and Pete can talk but Pulto can’t? They are all dogs!! Disney blows my mind with these shows!!
Vernon said:
Pete is a cat
Rachel Booker said:
And Goofy is a wolf.
S Roff-marsh said:
My two year old girl adores this show … Hence why I’ve been trying to find it on DVD as ABC has ceased playing it . There is no way these bunnies are puppies !! Gaspards grandmother has a Labrador as a pet !! Hehe it makes No sense but my girl LOVES it. .
Mrs N said:
Gaspard and Lisa are actually “neither rabbits nor dogs. They are residents of Paris.” according to the official website. If one can see beyond their appearance, they (and their families) are just like us. Conventional logic and reality don’t usually apply to children’s programs anyway. Why should we limit imagination? What I love about this series is the focus on friendship and love, and the morals children can learn from each episode.
Brenda and Tracey, I don’t think they’ve released the DVD in English yet (though there’re French and Japanese versions). If you are after their merchandise the best bet would be eBay and Amazon. I couldn’t find their merchandise while in France (their home country) – toy stores didn’t stock them and not many people had even heard about them! Yet I came across some of their stuffed toys and bits and bobs in my travels in Asia. Weird.
My family and I love Gaspard and Lisa to bits and don’t want to change anything about them! 🙂
Brooke said:
I also find the “bunnies” with a bunch of humans in Paris very odd. This show makes no sense to me. My daughter like Mickey Mouse clubhouse and some of the things on that show are beyond ridiculous as well.
Brendon said:
I was wondering what animal they were and I am still not convinced. If they are dogs then why do people in this cartoon also have pet dogs, on leads, that don’t talk but bark? I am sure that I have seen an episode where even Gaspard himself wants a dog, and yes, it ends up being a catastophre.
brenda pinney said:
Where can you buy dvd’s of gaspard and lisa my son loves them and can’t find them anywhere.
Erin said:
Hahahaha. I found your blog post by searching “what are Gaspard and Lisa”. I too thought they were rabbits and my husband said they aren’t rabbits they just “are” because he couldn’t come up with them. I do love this little show but so WIERD that they are the only non-humans.
Tracey said:
My three year old daugther loves this show, but I am unable to find books, DVD’s or toys for Gaspard and Lisa. Does anyone know where I can purchase these items?
rayna said:
I don’t understand how they are dogs! I saw an episode with my two yr old in which gaspard had to “puppy sit” for a neighbor. The puppy looked like a puppy, leaving me with one question: if THAT is a puppy, what on earth are gaspard and lisa supposed to be!?
Cathy Bernstein said:
My 9-month old son controls our TV so it’s wither Disney Junior or Sprout. And LMAO..your posting was the BEST!! I was just debating with my hubby over whether or not they’re dogs or rabbits! and we started saying “catastrophe!!” for everything… love the nutty children’s programs out there.. you must have seen Small Potatoes..oh and those weird Blockheads shorts that come on Disney around 5:30pm before Jake & the Neverland Pirates!! (those pirate actors who do the live action around Jake…BRILLIANT careers!! we envy those guys;)
John Erickson said:
This is yet another unrealistic, ridiculously improbable attempt at children’s story telling. Such capitalistic tripe!
Whoops! Excuse me, “How To Train Your Dragon” is on. Now, where’s my “Dragon” T-shirt and stuffed Toothless? 😉
Ms. Vic said:
You’re taking this whole thing a little too seriously aren’t you pal? I’m starting to worry about you. Love the post though!
Tori Nelson said:
Pantless dog bunnies speaking French and shunning their animal brethren? Too much. It’s all too much for me!