Common Sense Media Review
Engaging cartoon celebrates playground time.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
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Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 10 parent reviews
Based on 17 kid reviews
Kids say this animated series is a fun and meaningful watch for children, particularly for those eight and up, with lots of humorous moments featuring relatable characters. Many reviewers appreciate the moral lessons presented, contrasting it with more contemporary shows that lack similar values, and wish it were still aired on television.
- funny characters
- moral lessons
- good for older kids
- classic series
- enjoyable for adults
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
RECESS abounds with clever insights into a child's perspective. Whether facing a school bully, a math test, or a forgotten permission slip, the kids band together to solve problems creatively and thoughtfully. Each kid is different, and yet they love and rely on each other's differences. The biggest guy isn't tough at all, but instead a poet and a ballet dancer. A petite girl is the toughest of the bunch and watches professional wrestling. Another girl is a genius but loves kickball, and the one African American main character is a tremendous athlete. The rest of the kids on the playground are given labels, such as Guru Kid, Upside-Down Girl, and the Diggers (twin brothers who dig holes all around the playground), and yet rather than represent generic types, they celebrate children's unique preferences and peculiarities.
Is It Any Good?
The kids' mistakes create the show's most humorous situations, and viewers laugh because they understand the daily ups and downs these cartoon kids go through. The main characters may represent an ideal group of friends rather than a group that might actually be found on a typical playground. But Recess delights in presenting the obsessions of childhood, which kids sadly outgrow as self-consciousness kicks in, as perfectly normal.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the different kinds of people that make up their kids' school. Is it better to try to be all the same, like "The Ashleys," or all different, like the main characters? Which of the main characters does your child admire most? Another potential discussion topic is school rules and the ramifications of breaking them.
TV Details
- Premiere date : August 31, 1997
- Cast : Andrew Lawrence , Rickey D'Shon Collins , Ross Malinger
- Network : ABC
- Genre : Kids' Animation
- Topics : Friendship
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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