Analysis: Bob the Builder

I was ready to jump in an analyze Bob. My boys LOVED Bob the Builder when they were little.

So I jumped in, and quickly discovered that Bob is all wrong now. He was remade in 2015, he is taller and more like adult animation. His machines are larger. They are still friendly, but they have more a more menacing appearance in the intro. Wendy is femme, with eyelashes and big eyes and she has a more flirty look about her face. The intro music is a more heavy metal tune.
New Wendy:

They have added a black character (yay, diversity!) but he is the intern and gets things wrong and has to learn from mistakes and is sometimes too confident (hmm, boo not allowing the one racially diverse character to have a position that is equal to or above the white characters, and not allowing him to know more).

New Bob:

I watched an old episode and a new one, but I will comment on the show as a whole. This is one of the shows that made me want to start this project. Bob is the main character. Not only is the main character male, but he is an adult, he is doing a job that a child can envision themselves in when they are adults. I would love to see more shows like this that have an adult woman who is running her own business and is capable.

There is Wendy, who is his business and does get into the building sometimes. She is there as a supporting character, but I do like her. However, I am bothered that they started dating. I would like preschool shows to avoid perpetuating the myth that men and women can’t work together or be friends.

So, overall I like the show (well, the OLD SHOW), I think it has nice positive messages and a teamwork structure. I just wish there were similar shows with women at the lead.

 

 

TALLY SHEET

Count today- 1 show
Count total- 16 shows
Shows with male lead- 8
Shows with female lead- 5
Shows with a positive message for girls, starring a female lead-4

New categories:

Shows that have a male adult lead-6
Shows that have a female adult lead-1

 

 

 

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