My Children's Favorite, Diego

There are only a few shows that captivate both of my children. Go, Diego, Go! is one of them. Here I share a few thoughts about the show and marketing to kids.

I have two little ones who are about to turn five and two. My son has outgrown many of the shows geared towards younger children while my daughter is just getting into them. Even though there is a difference of three years between my children, I have found that each of them is captivated by the Dora the Explorer spin-off which stars her cousin, Diego.

Today we were at the mall for a playdate when David reminded me that he had saved up $9. He had his wallet with him and wanted to go shopping for a special toy. Upon entering the toy store, he was immediately drawn to a Diego-inspired toy. It was a multi-use tool that included a magnifying glass as well as a pretend compass. When we got home, David went upstairs and changed his clothes so he could play “Diego” in the backyard with his new toy. Of course, his little sister tagged along and wanted the toy--probably because of the familiar face glued to the front.

While I have concerns about marketing to children and consumerism, I don’t mind the fact that David wanted to buy a product that featured Diego. In fact, his choice was a reminder of just how important it is to make informed choices regarding his media diet. When he went into the toy store to spend his money, he chose a toy that featured familiar, well-loved character that he has seen on television. He’s not unusual. Children ask their parents to purchase products all the time because of television characters. Breakfast cereal is a great example of how companies market their product to children by putting colorful images of familiar characters on the front of the box.

There are many programs that I don’t turn on for my children because of the content, but I don’t believe all television is harmful. Obviously, I think there are some excellent programs for children since I’m the Children’s TV writer here at Suite 101. One show I am comfortable with my children watching is Go, Diego, Go. I feel that the lead character, a boy who rescues animals, is a positive role model for my children, so I don’t mind that they’re both hooked on Diego!

Speaking of which, I need to check the Go, Diego, Go LIVE tour schedule to find out if they’re coming to our area in 2007. I'm sure my children would absolutely love the live show!