Fraggle Rock for a 6 year old?

March 4, 2017 10:03 AM

I'm thinking of getting the Fraggle Rock DVD set for my nephew, who will be turning 6 years old next month. I have a lot of fond memories of watching it as a kid. What I'm wondering is if a kid growing up with today's media is going to find it slow or otherwise un-engaging. Thoughts from parents?
posted by roomthreeseventeen to Media & Arts (12 answers total)

So - to my disappointment - I think you are right, and they kind of don't hold up that well for folks who are used to the pace and brightness of today's programs. A lot of episodes are available on Youtube. Watch a couple and see what you think before deciding.
posted by fingersandtoes at 10:09 AM on March 4, 2017

My 4-year-old niece *loves* Fraggle Rock, but I don't know if that will translate to a 6-year-old.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:25 AM on March 4, 2017

My two-year-old nephew adores it, too. I'd forgotten how musical it is. I think that if the 6yo is particularly into music, then he'll probably enjoy it, but it may not hold up against other media if he's not. Definitely give it a test run with episodes from YouTube if you can!

My nephew adores Paw Patrol but really likes Fraggle Rock. While Paw Patrol is certainly his favourite, he will often ask for Fraggle Rock by name when he's in the mood.
posted by juliebug at 11:14 AM on March 4, 2017

Response by poster: To clarify, the 6 year old is a music kid, which is why I thought about it.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 11:19 AM on March 4, 2017

Best answer: Fragile Rock is super dark and dystopian and awful and you should not infect any 6 year old with that world view.

I loved Fraggle Rock as a child. Realized how fucked up it really was watching it 30 years later. 20's me would not have noticed, 40's parent me was blown away.

Choose something without so much societal dysfunction. It's not entertaining in the long run.
posted by jbenben at 11:25 AM on March 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I'm going to 2nd the "have you watched it recently?" question. It's got it's fair share (or more) of some pretty outdated meta-messages. It's kinda become a running joke in my friends circle in that "what did you think she thought?" kinda way.
posted by whowearsthepants at 11:47 AM on March 4, 2017

Yeah, now I wanna go back and watch again. I loved it when I was eight.

But as a datapoint, my brother tried to get my media-saturated nieces to watch it four years ago (they were 6-8 then) and they wouldn't sit still for it. I always wondered why.
posted by mochapickle at 1:08 PM on March 4, 2017

Best answer: "Fraggle Rock" now on HBO GO, no need to buy a DVD.
posted by Marky at 2:08 PM on March 4, 2017

Best answer: We put it on recently for a friend's seven and five year old and they loved it. Watched two episodes straight through and begged for more.
posted by lollusc at 3:07 PM on March 4, 2017

Best answer: My kids love watching the doozers on pbs kids. They think the doozer work ethic is cool, and don't approve of the fraggles. There's a metaphor here...
posted by Valancy Rachel at 5:23 PM on March 4, 2017

Here it was nearly instantly dismissed as too old-fashioned, and weird, and as being "for toddlers," with the costuming being what it is. I also didn't like it back in the day, but I think it might have been a little after my time. Both myself and the kid have a hate on for Muppets as well, a view which I suspect might make a reasonable litmus test for Fraggle predictions?
posted by kmennie at 2:19 AM on March 5, 2017

Do they have a DVD player?
Most families I know are not lacking in TV content for their kids.
If your goal is to introduce, show them YouTube.
Beware that kids today (get off my lawn) have so much choice that a new show may be shrugged off.
posted by k8t at 7:29 AM on March 5, 2017