About this deal
It would be disingenuous to say that we didn’t think about inclusivity, but we didn’t want to be preachy with it,” says Orchard.
Happy sets his sights on a very questionable looking puddle that he is determined to splash in, much to the horror of Duggee and the other Squirrels - and the tiny citizens of Midgetropolis who live inside it! There’s a seesaw for members of Duggee’s Squirrel Club to enjoy, and a swing that clips onto the side. I like it too - they are quite short so we're not stuck watching a long show when the kids want to watch TV.People have said to me: ‘It’s clearly a show written for adults that kids also enjoy,’ which is not the case.
I also love that when the animals arrive/depart each animal child has a very similar looking animal parent, but the child alligator's parent is an elephant. One of the questions he is most commonly asked is: why, when all the mums and dads arrive with their children at the start of each episode, the crocodile Happy has an elephant for a parent. Parents grappling with home schooling could turn to Science With Duggee on YouTube, which has now had 12. My 2 year old runs around the house screaming Duggie hug at everyone then starts giving a great big hug!When she was talking affectionately to her grandchildren, she had a way of making her voice purr slightly; it was so warm and loving you could wrap it around you like a blanket. Sometimes, those characters carry a message: Rochelle in The Making Friends Badge uses a wheelchair, and Mr and Mr Crab are married, although there are no gay rights badges or disability badges. I think in the middle of all this fear, obfuscation, lack of trust and mixed to poor messaging, Hey Duggee is uncomplicated and feelgood,” says Landreth.
It wrestles with some of life’s biggest philosophical questions, from the nature of existence to the meaning of art.The brightly coloured animation is creative, inclusive, joyous and ever so gently educational – and the ratings reflect that. And he was thrilled when his mum – a voracious reader – mentioned that a fictional character in one of her books had shoved her kids in front of Hey Duggee.