Donkey Hodie
By Ashley Moulton,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Funny puppets teach problem solving in Mr. Rogers spin-off.
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Donkey Hodie
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Based on 4 parent reviews
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What's the Story?
Donkey Hodie reimagines another one of Fred Rogers's whimsical puppets and brings the town of Someplace Else back to life. The original Donkey Hodie from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood is now the grandpa on the show ("Grampy Hodie"), and the star character is his granddaughter, Donkey Hodie. She's got a can-do spirit and believes she can overcome any problem with help from her friends. Each episode focuses on a different vocabulary word that comes in handy when trying to work through a problem, like "frustrated" or "fair." Donkey might have to problem-solve how to coax her Grampy's pet elephant to take a walk, or how to figure out a fair way to decide who gets the first ride on Harriet's "Bouncerino" invention. She gets ideas from her friends Duck Duck, Purple Panda, and Bob Dog, and tries out all the ideas (to sometimes hilarious results). Even when things go wrong, Donkey Hodie keeps trying and trying until she achieves her goal.
Is It Any Good?
Like Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Donkey Hodie extends the world of a Mister Rogers' Neighborhood character into a full series. Also in the vein of Daniel Tiger, each episode features a song that doubles as a takeaway for the kid viewers at home. But where Daniel Tiger episodes features everyday problems that are very relatable to kids' lives, every Donkey Hodie episode centers around a completely fantastical problem that could only happen in the world of Someplace Else. The lesson of the day is presented in a straightforward way that will help kids apply the same strategy to their own lives. Each episode is also chock-full of visual gags and physical humor that preschoolers (and at times, grown-ups) will find hilarious. Donkey and her friends are very silly and likable puppets that kids will enjoy hanging out with. Kids will enjoy the laugh-out-loud antics of Donkey Hodie, and grown-ups will appreciate that she is teaching kids to persevere and overcome obstacles.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Donkey Hodie's perseverance. When she tries to solve a problem, she doesn't always get it right on the first try. Has this ever happened to you?
When Donkey Hodie is trying to figure something out, she asks for help from her friends like Purple Panda, Duck Duck, and Bob Dog. How do they use teamwork to solve problems?
They use lots of music in this show. Have you ever learned something from a song? When are some times singing that song might help you?
TV Details
- Premiere date: May 3, 2021
- Cast: Frankie Cordero, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, David Rudman, Peter Linz, Haley Jenkins
- Network: PBS Kids
- Genre: Educational
- Topics: Adventures, Horses and Farm Animals, Puppets
- Character Strengths: Perseverance, Teamwork
- TV rating: TV-Y
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: December 16, 2022
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