Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this animated spoof of the Olympics features nothing objectionable for most young viewers. Overall, the level of competition and the "battles" between the good guys and the villains are innocent and lighthearted.
Families can talk about competition. How can competition motivate you to achieve your goals? Can losing be just as rewarding as winning? How? Why does cheating never work for The Really Rottens? What does it mean to be a good sport? Why is it important to be a good sport?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Deirdre Sheppard
LAFF-A-LYMPICS originally aired on ABC from 1977-1979 as an animated tribute to/spoof of the Olympics. It featured 45 Hanna-Barbera characters organized into three teams: The Scooby Doobies, The Yogi Yahooeys, and The Really Rottens. Team members include classic characters like Captain Caveman, Scooby-Doo, and Yogi Bear.
With their funny takes on off-the-cuff Olympic sports, The Scooby Doobies and The Yogi Yahooeys are the "hero" teams, always enthusiastic and willing to lend a helping hand. The Really Rottens, on the other hand, are downright baddies most of the time, but their cheating ways always end up hurting them in the end.
Even though Laff-A-Lympics (also known as Scooby-Doo's All-Star Laff-A Lympics) is goofy, kids can still walk away with many valuable life lessons. The Scooby Doobies and The Yogi Yahooeys are great team players. Not only does each team respect its own members, but both groups have admiration for each other, even though they're competing for the same title. These two teams prove that not all competition has to be cutthroat and demonstrate that being a good competitor means playing to win while still treating your opponents with respect.
Also, the series has some thoughtful messages about cheating. The Really Rottens cheat often, and when they do, they finish last. But on those rare instances when they play fair, they win.
Kids will enjoy guest appearances by characters like Fred Flintstone (who sits in as the commentator). In general this series (which still airs in reruns) is cheerful and frivolous -- a nice change from other cartoons that depend on violence and innuendos for a chuckle.
Enjoy Laff-A-Lympics? Be sure to check out Scooby-Doo Where Are You and other classics by Hanna-Barbera.
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ViolenceMinimal compared to other cartoons. |
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Social BehaviorThe characters demonstrate great sportsmanship. Those who cheat never win. |
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