In Defense of PAW Patrol
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What is PAW Patrol and why is it popular?
Pushkin.
You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. as they say on the internet, big if true. If you missed it, we opened this mini-season with two episodes about the death of George Floyd, which I hope you listened to if you haven't already. And coming up soon, my colleague Ben Nadav-Haffrey gives us the real story about, well, I'm not going to tell you. All I'll say is, when I listen to it, every single fact Ben relates in that episode was something I'd never heard of before. Oh, and one last thing. I mentioned it last week. I'm doing my tour with No Small Endeavor and Drew Holcomb, April 9th in Louisville, April 10th in Indianapolis, and April 11th in Grand Rapids. It's going to be a lot of fun. If you live anywhere near those cities, you got to go. Check it out at nosmallendeavor.com. Okay, off we go. Enjoy, everyone. Every night, after bath and just before bedtime, my three-year-old and I settle down in front of the television. If you're not a parent of a young child, it's entirely possible you have no idea what Paw Patrol is. That's fine.
Before I had children, I had never heard of it either. So let me explain. It's a multi-billion dollar franchise centered around a band of puppies who are called upon in each episode to rescue someone in peril. There's a police dog named Chase, a fire dog named Marshall, a helicopter pilot named Sky, a roadworks puppy named Rubble. They stop runaway trains. They fight fires. They repair the damaged flying saucers of adorable stranded aliens with enormous eyes. You get the picture. Among toddlers, Paw Patrol is bigger than Elmo. It's bigger than Mickey Mouse. Just ask my daughter.
Paw Patrol, we're on the double. Whatever the problem on Adventure Day.
And yet, for some reason, every parent I know, every student of children's television, every adult who has more than a passing interest in the intellectual and moral development of our young, hates Paw Patrol. Like the Reddit thread, Paw Patrol has ruined my child's brain. Quote, everything about Paw Patrol is awful. The yelling and constant panic, the stereotypes, the terrible design, the tropes. I wish it would disappear from the face of the earth and take all of its merch with it. Unquote. Go to TikTok. They hate the puppies.
There's some things that really piss me off when it comes to Paw Patrol.
What are the main criticisms of PAW Patrol?
It's pretty simple. It sucks.
My son watches Paw Patrol. I hate it. Everyone hates it, except for me. And this episode is my attempt to convince you that I'm right and everyone else is wrong. My name is Malcolm Gladwell. You're listening to Revisionist History, my podcast where I like to argue on behalf of things that all common sense suggests are not true. The following defense of Paw Patrol is squarely in that tradition. It is a search and rescue mission for a show about search and rescue missions. In all my long years of doing revisionist history, I have never tackled a more forbidding task. I started by calling people, anyone who I thought could help, asking the same questions over and over again. First to a parent who had lived through what I'm living through right now.
We are here to discuss Paw Patrol, which looms large in my life at the moment. Yeah, I'm sure. Then again, to an intellectual, someone I admired. I don't understand the amount of hatred this show gets. And again, this time to a sociologist, someone who has published in academic journals on the Paw Patrol phenomenon. I am calling you because I spend every night watching Paw Patrol.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry to hear that.
I spent so much time Googling Paw Patrol, Google started feeding me Paw Patrol content. Like the actress Keira Knightley on The Tonight Show explaining what it's like to be the mother of a three-year-old. Wait for it.
Baby's a toddler. Baby's not a baby. Baby's not a baby anymore. Yeah, she's huge. Three and a half. Three and a half.
Are you into Paw Patrol?
Oh.
I'm sorry. Yeah. Yeah.
How does PAW Patrol influence children's development?
I'm sorry. Everyone is sorry. Well, I'm into Paw Patrol. And I'm not sorry. Paw Patrol takes place in two imaginary towns, Adventure Bay and Foggy Bottom. The group has as its headquarters what looks like a giant postmodern air traffic control center, complete with a really cool fire station pole that moves the members of the Paw Patrol from the briefing room to their waiting vehicles.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is PAW Patrol and why is it popular?
0:06–3:24
2
What are the main criticisms of PAW Patrol?
3:24–5:22
3
How does PAW Patrol influence children's development?
5:22–7:11
4
Why do some parents dislike PAW Patrol?
7:11–9:45
5
What is the narrative structure of PAW Patrol?
9:45–12:50
6
How do the characters in PAW Patrol contribute to its appeal?
12:50–15:09
7
What insights do experts offer on PAW Patrol?
15:09–17:44
8
What lessons can we learn from PAW Patrol?
17:44–35:37