Squirrel Boy

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Obnoxious pet leads boy in mischievous escapades.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that while the "peer" in this show is a pet squirrel, he uses strong pressure and some fast talking to influence his young owner's actions. The boy, who on his own has good intentions, finds himself in unexpected messes because he ignores his instincts and heeds the advice of his annoying friend. On the upside, each adventure offers a lesson in following the rules and respecting a friend's feelings.

  • Mr. Johnson is involved in his son's life and keeps close tabs on what's happening. He allows his son to make his own decisions (within reason) but is always there to handle any fall-out. Meanwhile, though, Rodney constantly exerts peer pressure on Andy.
  • The duo's schemes sometimes end in typical cartoon explosions or falls from great heights, but no one is hurt.
  • Not applicable.

What's the story?

Cartoon Network's SQUIRREL BOY takes viewers into the home of 10-year-old Andy Johnson (voiced by Pamela Adlon) and his best friend and talking pet, Rodney J. Squirrel (Richard Steven Horvitz). The two buddies join forces and embark on adventures throughout the neighborhood, sometimes accompanied by Rodney's squirrel friend, Leon (Tom Kenny). Unfortunately for Andy, Rodney's existence understandably grates on the nerves of Andy's dad, Mr. Johnson (Kurtwood Smith). Not only does the squirrel engage Andy in constant mischief, but Rodney also lives with the family, eats their food, and brushes his teeth with Mr. Johnson's toothbrush (though Mr. J doesn't know about that). But despite his frustrations, out of compassion for his son, Mr. Johnson never gives the annoying pet the boot.


Is it any good?

 

While kids will no doubt enjoy the duo's crazy antics, Andy's willingness to repeatedly succumb to Rodney's pressure may frustrate parents. The absence of any other friends (human or rodent) in Andy's life makes this weakness all the more obvious.


Explore, discuss, enjoy

Families can talk about handling peer pressure. How should kids respond when a friend wants them to do something they know is wrong? How do you feel when you're the only one who says "no"? Parents also can discuss how friends can resolve differences of opinions. How can you express yourself without hurting each other's feelings?


This review of Squirrel Boy was written by
Teen, 13 years old
April 2, 2010
 
Red-Head's Head shape drives me nuts. . .
It isn't the worst show. The only complant from me is that the main characters head drives me nuts!

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Kid, 11 years old
August 22, 2009
 
What other families should know:

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Kid, 9 years old
April 9, 2008
 

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Maybe for older children
I find this show far too obnoxious for my almost 6 year old. The langugage is too harsh, especially if you are trying to teach your kids to be polite and respectful of others. I also don't see much value in the plots beyond mindless entertainment.

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Kid, 11 years old
May 2, 2011
 
I kind of miss it but it is very dull
BORING!!!!!
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Teen, 13 years old
September 15, 2010
 
What other families should know:

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Kid, 11 years old
August 1, 2010
 
Mwa Ha Ha Ha Ha

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Teen, 13 years old
May 4, 2010
 
I think its boring, but I don't 'hate' it. Andy's head strikes me as odd. I don't usually judge anyone by looks, but the head? Doesn't he have any migranes? Ouch!
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Adult
March 6, 2009
 
it's "Catscratch" but for Preschoolers
I would rather watch CatDog. I would rather watch Barney & Friends. I would remove my Kidney to a sick person. Anything but this. This show is truly the poor man's Catscratch. Concepts taken at the last minute counts for a horrible story, and this show's concept is an example of one. A bunch of bad people fighting a bunch of good people? Not only has this concept been used since Ancient Times, the creators didn't put any originality into it, making it a dull world where evil stays in the wastelands while good stay in the pretty lands. I know stories that are more classic than this, but at least they have originality in them. What a cliché! Characters are unappealing and have no personalities. It's as if they're robots programmed to have one human trait. A tough talking PARROT who gets his butt handed to him every time. A naïve SQUIRREL. A smart yet graceful Female Squirrel. And let's not forget about the old and wise Gorilla-Man who is a mentor. Not only are they stereotypical, they also have unimaginable names. A Blue-Squirrel called Leon. The Monkey-man called Kyle. And of course, a Red-Squirrel called Rodney. And these are just the main protagonists. The antagonists are just as bad as their counterparts are. Kyle, the main Antagonist, is all brawn but no brains. He sounds tough, but like the Parrot, he gets his butt handed to him on some episodes. His minions, Salty Mike (The Parrot) & Oscar, are even stupider than he is. Plus, they talk slowly. But above all, the whole idea of having monkey bullies in the story is a reason to call this story derivative because of Reggie Bullnerd and his minions on Chalkzone, who, obviously, have the same name. They even look like Chalkzone's monkeys bullies except Squirrel Boy's have a higher fore-head. And last but not least, let's talk about the Ranger Stu. What Ranger? He looks more like a Depressed Gorilla than a Forest Ranger. Plus, the Ranger is the smart one of the bad guys. Another stereotypical character. only twice did I see the The Gorilla-man gets his revenge on Rodeny, but instead Kyle his minions to fight for him. At least King Dedede got his Ass up & tries to defeats Kirby. Dialogue doesn't fit with their characters. When I look at salty-Mike and imagine him talking to me, would I think of him talking in a macho voice. Hardly! A Parrot is supposed to be gentle, but instead he's out of character with his voice. Same thing for Kyle. Kyle sounds like a Squirrel and not like a monkey. Ranger Stu sounds more like a wise man than an evil villian. It looks as if the producers picked inexperienced voice actors at the last minute, making the non-characters feel akward. Artwork looks like a last minute project. For a cartoon, I sure do see that they made it look like Flash. In fact, the only thing you see is color. Colors are dull and look washed out, with no shades to provide depth to the artwork. Animation looks cheap since the characters act more stilted and robotic than actual people do. The creators must have mashed a bunch of shapes together to make a charater. Overall, the artwork is uninteresting. But the plot hurts the story the most. Let me tell you the story. What story? All it consists of "Diss & Make-Up." episodes of these, equaling of nothing. If a show is supposed to be a slacker comedy story, then show the story. Don't give me two 11-minute episodes that composed of the same plot: Rodeny & Any does something stupid; The Bullies put Rodeny into a situation; Rodney must fix the mistake and must beat Kyle and Salty-Mike; Rodeny feels foolish at the end; making him more boring; end of story. That's how some episode plays out. In other words, it's like one of those Preschool cartoons or Tak & The Power of Juju. There's no story, so we won't know if Ranger Stu will defeat the main charaters or if any of the characters die or even if there'll be a new villain. The Heors animals get beat up by the bullies until Rodeny must fix the mistake, even though Rodeny is The main charater, dumb, and inexperienced. He actually figures out how to save his friends! That's not only a cliché and makes the show even more dumb, but it makes Rodeny a Rudy Tabootie. And we know how much we hate characters like that. Squirrel Boy is like a frame story (a story within a story) like Baby Looney Tunes, but more stupid (although Baby Looney Tunes is stupid too when it comes to plot.) Overall, this show shouldn't deserve those high ratings once you think about it in a literary viewpoint. Any show (that is good), to me, is better than this. This is truly a show made at the last minute. In fact, Cartoon Network probably put this on just to fill in the time slot and make money off the viewers who don't know what makes a good story. Like I said, this is the poor man's Catscratch.

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Adult
February 17, 2009
 
My favrote show ever
I really like this show some kids might like it some may not. There is some bad stuff in it butt it is okay.

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This review of Squirrel Boy was written by
This review of Squirrel Boy was written by
 

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