Pinky Dinky Doo--what a name, right? Who knows what to expect from a TV show with a name like that? But after watching this show with my son a few times, I'm a total fan.

The newest addition to the Noggin family, Pinky Dinky Doo is a collaborative effort between creator Jim Jinkins & his Cartoon Pizza animation company (Doug, Allegra's Window, JoJo's Circus) and Sesame Workshop (Sesame Street). This combination of award-winning creative experts in the field of children's educational entertainment results in a show that is funny, stimulating, and creatively animated.

The show revolves around Pinky Dinky Doo, a seven-year-old girl with shocking-pink hair and a larger-than-life imagination. Pinky Dinky Doo has a younger brother, Tyler, for whom she makes up imaginative stories to help him solve everyday dilemmas. The peaceful sibling relationship between these two is almost reason enough to encourage your children to watch this show--we parents can only hope our own kids would get along this well!

Each episode is a variation on the same basic theme: Tyler has a problem which reminds Pinky of a story; Pinky and Tyler sing a silly song and head to the "story box," which is a big cardboard box where Pinky begins to draw out her stories in chalk. The animation then takes over, and the viewer is transported into Pinky's imaginative story, which usually revolves around Pinky, Tyler and Mr. Guinea Pig, the family pet.

Throughout the show, educational opportunities are thrown in seamlessly. For example, each story has a vocabulary word, or "great big fancy word," as Pinky calls them, embedded in it, such as "bizarre," "terrifying," "scrumptious," "investigate," "gargantuan" or "frustrated." Throughout the story, Mr. Guinea Pig heralds the use of the "great big fancy word" with his trumpet, calling attention to the vocabulary word and its usage in everyday language. The show also emphasizes problem solving and critical thinking by throwing in story "options"--for example, Pinky will think aloud about what she should do, and she'll reject several options based on wacky reasons before choosing the most appropriate response. This is done so well that children don't realize that it is an educational opportunity--it blends seamlessly with the pace and silliness of the story.

The final dilemma of the story is always solved by Pinky "thinking big." She sings a delightful song:

"If I have a problem,
just don't know which way to go,
I think and think and think and think,
and suddenly I know!"

As she sings along, her cartoon head grows bigger and bigger until suddenly she has the answer, and like a balloon losing air, the idea just whistles right out. Through this amusing process, the show empowers children to critically think and solve problems imaginatively.

After each story, Pinky and Tyler review the story's narrative components. Pinky calls out an enthusiastic "Cheese, please!" and what looks like a Game Boy made out of a grilled-cheese sandwich pops-up onto the TV screen. Pinky and Tyler then play various games on the Game Boy-esque device. A few examples: there's "What Came First?" which has the viewer recall the sequence of story events; "Eat It or Wear It?" which has viewers identify items from the story and say whether they are items for wearing or eating; Or "Who Said What?" which has the viewer recall which character from the story made a particular statement.

The entire show is a joy to watch and is a refreshing change from many of the animated staples we parents have grown accustomed to. The animation is an artful combination of photo-realistic background objects and scenery with childish "doodles" that comprise the actual characters. The show is full of humorous songs that are cute, catchy, and tolerable for parents, and my 17-month-old son ADORES the theme song--he begins dancing as soon as he hears it.

As a parent, I'm not usually a fan of TV shows. I try to limit my son's TV time to no more than two hours each day, which is usually just to buy me time to cook dinner. However, each day, I record Pinky Dinky Doo on my digital recorder for my son to watch because I think it is a valuable addition to his day. It is stimulating, educational and adorable to boot!

The particulars:
*Each thirty minute episode contains two separate stories and "quizzes" afterwards.
*Pinky Dinky Doo comes on twice daily on Noggin, a commercial-free network targeted towards preschoolers during the day and middle-school kids/teenagers at night.
*Pinky Dinky Doo airs 10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT/7 a.m. PT, as well as 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT/noon PT.
*For more details, video clips from the show, as well as interactive games, check out http://www.noggin.com/shows/pinky.php


Copyright 2006 Angela Parker

Recommended: Yes

Type of Program: Educational
Program Quality: Thought-provoking, original material
Best Suited For: 3 to 5 Years