What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that although the Paw Paws look like
adorable Care Bears in Native American dress, there's some
violence in this cartoon that, although mild, could be scary
for very young viewers. Characters fall from great heights, are
grabbed by gigantic creatures, and call to one another in fear,
and it can be difficult to tell the "good" Paw Paws from the
"bad" ones. The bears' Native American trappings may strike
some viewers as being dated and/or stereotypical today.
Families can talk about how the show uses Native American/"tribal" costumes and images -- in this case, tomahawks and an all-important totem pole. Would a cartoon made today include these items? If it did, do you think they would be treated differently? Why? How do people's ideas of what stereotypes aren't OK change over time? What changes them?
Common Sense Media Review
The Paw Paws are magical little bears, a cross between the
Care
Bears, the
Smurfs
, and the
Ewoks.
They live in a forest village protected by Totem Bear, Totem
Eagle, and Totem Tortoise, powerful creatures that are summoned
by Princess Paw Paw's (voiced by Susan Blu) moonstone necklace.
Most of the episodes center around the attempts of Dark Paw
(Stanley Ralph Ross) and his evil Aunt Pruney (
Ruth
Buzzi) to steal the necklace and gain control of the
totems.
Young kids who are ready for some adventure in their viewing love the Paw Paws, who were originally on TV in the '80s. They work together, they ride flying horses, and, while they can defend themselves fairly well from Dark Paw and the "meanos," they always have their protective totems to fall back on. Few 4- and 5-year-olds would ask for more, and older kids without a lot of TV experience tend like it too, making it a good afternoon compromise for siblings. Some of the Native American imagery hasn't aged that well, but there's no cultural disrespect, either.
For more tribes of cute, cooperating creatures, try Care Bears: Adventures in Care-A-Lot , The Smurfs , or the The Snorks .
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
