Common Sense Media Review
By Emily Ashby
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
'80s cartoon reboot offers laughs, friendship for kids.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Popples
What's the Story?
POPPLES is set in the vibrant land of Popplopolis, home to unique creatures called Popples, who are fuzzy and rotund and who get around by curling into balls and rolling away. The story follows five Popple pals -- Lulu, Sunny (Wendee Lee), Bubbles (Cassandra Morris), Izzy (Cindy Robinson), and Yikes (Grant George) -- as they team up for fun and adventure in and around their tree house hangout. But these friends find that with adventure often come sticky predicaments and a lot of hilarity, and when they compile their big ideas, the laughs just keep on coming. Luckily these friends always manage to work out the kinks just in the nick of time, returning things to normal in time for some other form of mayhem to erupt.
Is It Any Good?
Modern animation techniques give new visual pop to these iconic '80s characters, endearing them to a whole new generation of kids who will love their energy and unique personalities. The Popples are unusual creatures, sort of bear-cat-marsupial hybrids with unnatural coloring and long tails that end in pompons. In other words, they're the stuff of little kids' imaginations, as is their inviting world where just about anything is possible.
Popples doesn't set out to teach kids anything beyond the virtues of friendship and the value of appreciating others' special qualities, but sometimes pleasant stories with solid social messages are enough for an animated series. Because this one is pretty hastily paced, kids will have an easier time following the stories than preschoolers will, but the show is fun to watch nonetheless.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the appeal of imaginary creatures such as the Popples. Why is it fun to think about realities different from our own? Does doing so change your impression of the real world?
Are the Popples good role models? Are there any characters on the show whose behavior isn't positive? Can seeing bad behavior on TV serve a good purpose for viewers? If so, how?
Kids: If you invented a character or group of characters for a TV show, how would they look? What qualities would they have? How would their world be different from ours?
TV Details
- Premiere date : September 13, 1986
- Cast : Erin Fitzgerald , Wendee Lee , Cassandra Morris
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Kids' Animation
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Friendship
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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