Common Sense Media Review
By Emily Ashby
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gentle, nonverbal show incorporates prereading skills.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 2+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
What's the Story?
HOPLA is a Flemish preschool series that centers on a friendly rabbit named Hopla and his assortment of animal friends. Each story is set in Hopla's community, where he introduces tots to learning concepts through his daily activities, from sorting fruit at the fruit stand to organizing chairs by patterns. Background music provides the soundtrack to this nonverbal series, and some stories use it to teach kids about rhythm and song as well.
Is It Any Good?
Hopla is a good example of how sometimes less is more when it comes to preschool entertainment. At first glance, it's hard to imagine how a series without dialogue could possibly capture an audience, but this colorful, visually stimulating series is so well-designed that the absence of talking does little to detract from the show's overall effect. In fact, because there's no dialogue, it gives parents a unique opportunity to narrate and teach on the fly in a way that's tailored to their kids' abilities, whether that involves counting, discussing cause and effect, or predicting what will appear next in a pattern.
Even the stories' brief length can be a benefit if monitoring screen time is a concern. At five minutes apiece, Hopla's episodes can serve as calming oases in preschoolers' busy days, and you'll know that their time isn't being wasted on mindless entertainment.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the learning concepts explored in this series. Kids: Where do you see patterns around you? How can you practice sorting in household tasks such as putting away toys?
Kids: Why do you think this show's creators didn't have the characters talk? Are you ever confused by their actions, or is it easy to follow even without dialogue? How can you communicate without using words?
Parents can build on this show's content through any of the concepts it raises. Work together on a jigsaw puzzle, explore cause and effect through play, and use skills such as counting in everyday tasks. What do these activities teach you that TV can't?
TV Details
- Premiere date : August 27, 2010
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Kids' Animation
- Topics : Numbers and Letters
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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