Parents' Guide to

Sunny Day

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 3+

Gentle salon-set preschool series has iffy gender messages.

TV Nickelodeon Kids' Animation 2017
Sunny Day Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

See all
age 6+

Based on 12 parent reviews

TeeRenee
TeeRenee Adult
June 13, 2020
age 2+

Lacking severely in hair type diversity.

Lemme start by saying that I am aware there are brown and black girls in the cartoon. My problem is that there are no main female characters with natural (kinky, coily, ziggly) hair, nor do we ever see it get styled in various ways. There is straight hair, and loose wavy hair, and slightly wavier hair, and that’s it. There is one Black boy with natural hair like mine, but it’s cut short and he never gets anything done to it. And what’s worse, on the little ‘Style Files’ shorts where they show a real stylist doing a real little girl’s hair, the closest to natural hair we see is a little biracial girl with wavy hair that is closer to caucasian hair than to anyone with 50% or more African ancestry in their blood. My problem with this is that it basically erases the existence of Black or brown girls with tighter curls or coils. And having grown up without seeing more than a handful of girls who looked like me, it really cut into my self esteem and made me feel invisible when I was younger. The show itself isn’t that terrible, it’s a little girly, but hey. Some people are girly. Fine. I just want to see a wider range of hair types and things being done with it. If you do a simple youtube search for ‘natural hair styles,’ you get a plethora of various hair styles. If it’s a problem of the stylist not knowing how to do natural or textured hair, get a stylist who DOES know how to do so. There are many stylists of any ethnicity who can do anybody’s hair. And the possibilities of fun and quirky hair styles is unlimited because of how gravity-defying natural hair can be. Thanks for reading this comment.
1 person found this helpful.
John J.
John J. Parent of 4-year-old
August 11, 2023
age 18+

actual dogshit

As a forklift certified femboy, I must say that this show sucks cock and balls and dick and nuts and penis.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 12 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In the animated series SUNNY DAY, Sunny (Lilla Crawford) has her own salon where she solves her customer's problems every day with the help of her best friends and co-workers: hair colorist Roz (Élan Luz Rivera), receptionist Blair (Taylor Louderman), and her talking dog, Doodle (Rob Morrison). Sometimes the SUNNY DAY crew have problems of their own, too -- sometimes they even fight. But with a little hairstyling magic, and some supportive friendship, everything works out in the end.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (12 ):
Kids say (10 ):

Easygoing, nonthreatening, and drawn with a pink-and-purple palette that will appeal to young viewers, this mild animated series is an OK choice for preschool viewers. Princess-mad young girls will definitely enjoy it. That doesn't mean Sunny Day is ground-breaking or great -- in fact, the squealing and twirling and cupcake-baking may make parents roll their eyes a little. But for young viewers who like their entertainment super sweet, this series has serious appeal, and so do its characters, bedecked as they are with flowery, fancy clothes and multicolored hair.

The problems they face tend toward the sweet, too: a local princess who wants a look at the hoi polloi, a topiary tree contest that goes awry, lost puppies, friends who keep stumbling until they learn to work together. It's all the kind of stuff you've seen before on animated shows like Strawberry Shortcake or Care Bears (and done with more skill on series like My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic).

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why Sunny Day uses a pastel-and-brights color scheme. Who is it aimed at? What gives you this idea? What other shows can you name that use a similar animation style and similar color scheme?

  • How do the salon co-workers demonstrate communication and teamwork in solving the problems they face at work? Why are these important character strengths?

  • How would this show change if its characters worked somewhere different? A grocery store? A movie theater? A military base? Do you think this show's setting contributes to the types of stories it tells?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended tv lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate