Viva Pinata (Fox)

This show is pretty fun..... a little curde but not over the top. Its dosen't have a bad message persay just not so nice some times. No violence. Its good a for a 7 year olds and up.

I watched this with my kids over the weekend and really enjoyed it. I'm also familiar with the new game and the two worlds really exist in separate spaces. You do not have to watch the TV show to enjoy the cartoon and vice versa. In fact they are quite different. The game is more concerned with building a garden populated with Pinatas and the management tasks of problems that can arise. The TV show has talking, acting characters which the game does not. Its like watching two separate concepts that share similar worlds and characters but operating at different levels. The writing of the show is clever with lots of puns and humorous situations. Its "aged up" slightly so would think this a series that appeals more to 7-13 year olds, but I'm sure it might even appeal to adults who will get some of the jolks that are a bit over some kids heads. I don't know if this would work for the pre-school set. Its seems like any badly behaved Pinatas end up in a bad way and that seems to hit the right tone. Better written and much more entertaining than Pokemon, I could see this becoming a hit with both younger kids for the bright color and activity and with older kids for the humor. This is something new and interesting in the wasteland Saturday morning cartoons has become. Good to see.

This review looks completely biased, no offense to the writer. You really think it's gonna look like a video game to kids today? The last game that looked like this was Banjo-Kazooie, another Rareware title, and how old is that? As for the "sabotaging" and "cheating", I believe you are referring to the "Horstachio of a Different Color" episode where Fergy, Paulie, and Franklin tried to help Hudson by eliminating his competition. But that's not "cheating", I mean, it's not like they shoved the blackberries down Hamilton's throat or anything. It was his choice. He should have seen it coming. Which is a lesson to kids - never let your guard down. As well, know what grows on a plant before you eat it. Hamilton didn't know what those blackberries would do to him, so he just ate them and became a Zumbug, and not only was he disqualified, but Mabel Moozipan chased him down with her hoe, bringing another lesson - don't eat from others' gardens without permission. As well, Hudson automatically assumed that Fergy, Paulie, and Franklin were betraying him, another lesson - things are not always what they seem. You can actually see lessons for kids to learn if you don't pay so much attention to bad things.