Are you familiar with Paw Patrol? Chances are, if you’ve got a child under the age of five who has been introduced to a television or Netflix account, you’ll at least be familiar with the theme tune. By familiar, I mean it’s stuck on a loop in a part of your brain that nothing else can quite reach to get it out of there (I’ve contemplated bleaching it out. Surely that will work?). For those of you who haven’t become familiar with the show that has taken over our lives as we know them, Paw Patrol is a Canadian animation broadcast in 126 countries, based on the premise of a pack of dogs who, under orders of the questionably aged boy with lots of technology at his disposal, go about saving the rather questionable townspeople from themselves. In our house, the combination of dogs plus fire engines (that would be the aptly named Marshall) was fated to be a winner.
Paw Patrol has left me with some burning questions over the last few months (and that’s before I even get to “When is Netflix going to add another season so we can stop watching the same episodes over and over?). Some logic issues have been noticed. Perhaps if you too are exposed to large quantities of Ryder and his team of pups, you can help me find the answers…
- How old is Ryder? Shouldn’t he be in school? Or have we another Ash Ketchum on our hands?
2. Where are his parents? Surely if Ryder is able to use a treehouse fitting of it’s own episode of MTV’s Cribs, they have to be bankrolling him, and would expect him to be home for dinner at least once a week?
3. Even ignoring the lack of parents – that isn’t so unusual in Kids TV – are there no competent adults in this town?
4. How did that Mayor come into power? I’ve witnessed the town politics that went into the Gilmore Girls and this show makes that look like state parliament. I’m pretty sure on any adult show she’d be under a 72 hour psych evaluation for pretty much every action she takes in every episode.
5. The chicken. Why haven’t they just let it go to a farm already? Or is she merely a delusion of the clearly psychologically troubled Mayor Goodway. Perhaps they’re all a delusion of hers. That would make more sense.
6. Regardless of how many team members are in the place they need to be, they all have to go assemble at the Lookout. Similarly, regardless of what they’re wearing, they must change into uniform during the sequence repeated in every episode. Even if they were wearing it beforehand, we see it get put on again.
7. Not every dog used gets seen in the sequence, only ever three – despite there being many occasions where more than three have to go through the whole ordeal. Why are some ranked more important than others?
8. Are the dogs involved mutant dogs, or is there a reason that they’re more competent than any other human or animal in the series?
9. How does Turbot not know how to say his own name?
10. Is there a reason that only one of the pups is female, and she’s the one who really doesn’t get to do much?
11. How has Ryder become the leader of this famous five? He calls them and instantly it’s “Ryder needs us” – what does he have on them?
12. Was the sequel to Pup Pup Boogie everything they hoped it would be? Did they at least change the song that goes with it?
13. How long am I likely to get away with not buying all of the merchandise? We gave in and got the pyjamas which are now treasured possessions but I’d rather evade the plastic for as long as possible…
14. And will the theme tune ever, ever leave my brain?
If you’ve got the answers, or noticed anything else questionable, I’d love to hear from you in the comments. In the mean time, I’ll dream of a day where I get to change the show to ANYTHING else without risk of a 2007 Britney-style breakdown from the toddler. Almost-two is full of the emotions, and Paw Patrol soothes them. Some day we will be free. Until then, it’s P-P-Paw-Paw-Paw Patrol.
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BadMammy is on Facebook.
First off its a kids show and i think you may be looking far to deeply into it. Kids think its fun and not every kids show is real life. I mean since when do dogs rescue people on their own in real life?? So if you question everything then dogs rescuing people on their own isnt real and so your way of thinking would mean there is no Paw Patrol. Honestly think you need to chill a little bit its a kids show. Also certain dogs only get chosen depending on the rescue they are doing. Each dog does dofferent things so has strengths for different rescues!!
You know is satirical right? It is meant to be funny.
I’m not sure where the satire really begins with Paw Patrol, to be fair.
Total addict in our house aswell. This is brilliant though, you’ve obviously given it a lot of thought. My older boys favourite is Sky, I wrote about him having a crush on her before! And it does bother me that she’s the only female. Her helicopter is pretty badass but I wish she got to use it more.
It seems to keep her out of the action more! We have been watching a lot of Paw Patrol over the last few weeks when he was unwell and feeling utterly miserable. Lots of time to think about the lack of logic! Thanks for reading, hope you get a break from it soon!
Good lord, now I have the theme song in my head right now 🙁 My daughter is five and still enjoys watching it. Worse, every time she sees a toy or any characters from Paw Patrol, she wants to buy it. I’m impressed you know all about it though. I zone out every time it’s on 🙂 x
It could be my special topic on any quiz show going at this stage. I’m not proud! Hope it comes out of your head soon!
5 year old is a Paw Patrol addict here too. He used to be a Minion addict… then he was a serious Spongebob addict.. so much so that Santa Claus brought a lot of Spongebob toys for Christmas that, had he paid, would have cost a good bit of money!!!! But alas, he decided shortly after Christmas that Paw Patrol is now Number 1! I don’t really get the fascination… I mean minions and spongebob I get, they’re hilarious… Paw Patrol I don’t get…. roll on the next addiction..
Thanks! I now have the theme tune stuck in my head. hehehe
My youngest still watches this and loves it.
I’m sorry! You’re in good company with it being stuck in your head though!
We are collecting the little trucks but it annoys me that I can’t find the girl one anywhere. But then it annoys me more that she has to be pink. Is that the only way to denote a girl?
The Major definitely bugs me the most – who would elect an official who has a pet chicken and needs to rely on dogs to save her so regularly?
My only advice is to block the whole thing out!
Likely the same people who choose to elect Trump! Yes the obvious pink = girl thing annoys me too – as well as the fact that she’s a token girl! Blocking it out only goes so far! Thanks for reading!
Somehow we’ve managed to avoid Paw Patrol – not on purpose particularly, but possibly because my three-year-old is currently obsessed with other things (which come with their own bizarre set of questions!) And why are kids’ TV themes SO catchy?!
So, so catchy. Last week I had Postman Pat going round my head for three days solid. Hopefully yours aren’t as maddening! Thanks for reading!
Oh we love Paw Patrol! I have to admit I find it infinitely better than Dora or Alvin and the Chipmunks! Great post 🙂 Kaz x
Oh hands down, it definitely beats Dora. She’s somewhat banned here so he hasn’t discovered her yet… Thanks for reading!
Thankfully even my boys have got over watching the same episodes of this crap lol Thank god”! lol i feel like this with pretty much every kids show out there! xxxx
Hopefully my day will come too sometime… And that yours haven’t replaced it with a similarly questionable show! Thanks for reading!
We went to a birthday party 2 weeks ago and the cake was the paw patrol tower, this was the first time my daughter had really seen anything about paw patrol. But because her friend loves it, of course the next day she wanted to watch it and for the last 2 weeks, it has been all about paw patrol. Sorry I don’t have the answers, but I’m sure I will if we carry one watching it on a loop!! 🙂
Pleased to say that we have not discovered this one yet! However, so many kids’ TV programmes have left me with so many questions (I even once did a post of my random questions!) – all kids’ tv seems to be barking mad!
Lol and that is the problem about kids TV programmes they are terrible but the theme tunes always seem to stick in your head. My sister watches this!
The problem here is that you seem to be actually *watching* Paw Patrol. I thought that television was invented so that parents would get 5 minutes peace while it’s on!? I turn a blind eye to most things my girls watch these days (after making sure it’s suitable for their age of course!) but turning a deaf ear is another matter, I suppose. I’ve currently got the theme from ‘Mia and Me’ stuck in my brain. (don’t look it up, you’ll be doomed!)
I think part of it is overhearing something and part of my brain going “Eh, what?” – and then I get sucked into whatever ludicrous thing it is. One day I’ll learn! I’ll stop myself looking that one up, one listen to the Thomas the Tank Engine theme tune two days ago has it still stuck in my head!
Everest is also a girl pup.
Embarrassingly enough, this comes from a 42 year old dad…..
Towspeople: Help the piglets are falling from the sky!!
Rider: Too the lookout!!
Real life logic: SPLAT