If you’ve had Nick Jr. on for long enough, you’ve probably run into Bubble Guppies. It’s a show that’s felt like it’s been on for a very long time, and it kind of has. It first aired in January of 2011 and was cancelled in 2016 after 4 seasons but got rebooted in 2021 and they’re on Season 6 now with a ton of episodes in each season.
For some reason, I’ve never really given the show a chance. Then, those social media people over at Nick did something pretty smart. They started making mash up videos with Paw Patrol, Blaze and you guessed it, Bubble Guppies. Their song about trucks really sucked me and my son in, and I figured, why not, let’s give it a shot.
Now, I wouldn’t consider myself a Guppies expert, but I will say I’ve watched enough episodes to be knowledgeable in the world, read on because I’ve laid all my thoughts out so you can make an informed decision.
What’s It About?
I’ll be honest, I had no idea that Bubble Guppies were fish. I didn’t really know what they were by the name. I did put 2 and 2 together when I actually watched it, but from the name I’ll admit I didn’t know what to expect…. what can I say I’m not a big fish person…unless they’re something I can eat.
So yeah, Bubble Guppies is a show about a school of fish, led by their teacher Mr. Grouper. I do appreciate the name Mr. Grouper because I’ve had some amazing grouper fish when I was in Florida…see since it’s food I’m knowledgeable in that fish name. Mr. Grouper teaches the class about whatever the topic of the day is, and t can range from trucks to weather, to anything in between.
The class then usually goes outside (their classroom…still in water don’t worry) and gets some real-world experience on the topic. Pretty exciting stuff.
Who’s the Show For?
I would say this show is for the category of males 18-35. Just kidding of course. I’d probably say you’re looking at an age range of between 2 to maybe 6 and for both boys and girls. Since they have so many episodes, they touch on a variety of different subjects. Your child may have no interest in one episode but be glued to the screen for another. So be aware of what episode is on before you come back and tell me that this age range was way off.
The Good
I will say that one of the best things about this show is the music. Every episode is filled with a couple of different songs based on the topic of the day. They can stop a toddler in his or her tracks if they’re singing about something of interest.
They’re also pretty good at making something interesting by how they keep the show moving relatively quickly. They can be informative about the topic that they’re covering for the day, and Mr. Grouper is a solid teacher. Having the show set up similar to a day at school, minus the real-world stuff. That is a lot of times the guppies’ imagination, makes it a fun way for kids to learn.
The characters are also fun and relatable to kids. The “What’s for Lunch” segment usually gets a laugh from my toddler because it winds up being something silly as the punchline.
The Bad
The main criticism I have for this show is, if the tpic of the episode is not something your kid is interested in, it’s pretty hard to have them watch the episode. Since the show is a very topic centric show, if your toddler isn’t into the Wild West, episodes about cowboys and Wild West things drag on…and on…and on….and on….and then there’s a song…and more dragging on.
I will also say, speaking of Wild West, that there do seem to be a lot of Wild West themed episodes. I’m not sure if I just have randomly come across them or if they do have a lot, but those specifically can drag on and on, regardless of whether your toddler likes it or not.
Should Your Child Watch It?
I would say since there are a lot of educational aspects to the show, it’s not a bad idea to keep it in your rotation of shows if you are the parent of a toddler. They’ll like the singing and dancing, and if they are into fish that’s a plus.
Just make sure to see what the episode is about, because if you’re planning to have them watch it and the episode is about Ancient Egypt and they don’t know what that even is, they’re gonna have a short attention span. So don’t just put it on thinking it’ll be smooth sailing for a half-hour, do some reading of the description before you get involved.
The Workin' Parent 