Education: Asking questions and thinking critically inspires you to learn new things. There's great value in role-playing and, even in imaginative ways, experiencing different situations. Positive examples of friendship and family relationships. Monty exudes youthful enthusiasm and curiosity at every turn, giving his adventures a larger-than-life quality that's enhanced by the show's use of music. All his imaginary trips in Kazoops! are inspired by ponderings that will sound familiar to parents and kids: "What if we ... ?," "Why couldn't we ... ?," "What would we see if ... ?," and on down the line. He follows each query with an instruction to Jimmy Jones to "just imagine!," which they do as their world dissolves into one where just about anything is possible. It's an appealing way to experience new things, and it should inspire kids to think beyond what they see around them, too. Though Monty's family doesn't partake in his off-the-grid adventures, they do play a role in instigating them -- in particular his mother, who's a real go-getter when it comes to identifying what needs to be done and getting right to work, and his grandmother, who often chimes in with a thought or suggestion that gets the ball rolling. Though they're mostly backgrounded characters, their influence helps inspire Monty's make-believe, and they're often there to help him apply what he's learned to his real-life experiences.
Positive Lessons: Kids see that Monty's imagination opens doors to many new adventures of his own making. The small troubles he and Jimmy Jones experience in real life -- dealing with disappointment, sharing friends -- always have a solution they discover in their imagined play. In their relationship, kids see that friendship isn't defined by tradition; despite being so different (one's a boy, the other's a pig), they relate to and understand each other just fine. Gender roles are relaxed in Monty's family, where his mom assumes the handyperson jobs around the house. Ages 3 and up Positive Role Models & Representations: Monty's curiosity and excitement about new experiences open doors for plenty of them, and he's receptive to what he learns in the process. He enjoys a supportive relationship with his sister, minimal oversight but maximum support and encouragement from his parents, and a third kindly mentor in his grandmother.
