When PBS announced that they were canceling the long-running show, Calliou, it felt like 2021 was off to a great start. After 20 years, parents everywhere were able to take a collective sigh of relief. No more whining. No more entitlement. No more feeling terrorized by a little bald boy.
Then enters Netflix…and Cocomelon.
Yay! *enter sarcasm*
Now we have another semi-bald (hello, ice cream hair) little man calling the shots. We get meet JJ and his brother, Tom Tom, and sister, YoYo. The kids, along with their parents, spend each episode singing approximately 427 songs to the same five tunes. If we are particularly lucky, his stuffed animals and/or classmates join the songfest.
I will give the creators of Cocomelon kudos for trying to relate positive messages about recycling, helping others, and going to the doctor. However, when you are a parent that wakes up at 4:00 am with a Cocomelon song running through your head, it’s just too much. I have even caught my husband walking around the house humming Cocomelon tunes.
In our house, our toddler is obsessed with Cocomelon. She knows all the songs, the moves, and which episodes are her favorite. She would gladly watch the show on repeat if we would let her. However, we try to limit Cocomelon’s screen time to smaller increments and only in her room. This is something we do to create boundaries and maintain our sanity. In the houses of our friends, they also struggle with Cocomelon Mania. Some try to forbid it completely. Some use it as a bargaining chip. Some actually don’t mind it – I don’t understand this group.
So, yes, I am glad we were at the tail end of the Calliou era. But we are at the height of the Cocomelon phase. And we will survive. We might be singing annoying songs along the way, but we will make it. Then we hunker down for whatever is coming next…
