Paw Patrol : A Capitalist’s Dream
A critical and satirical review of Paw Patrol from the perspective of a tired and cynical parent*
Paw Patrol has invaded the homes of thousands since 2013. Its basic premise is a group of pups who save the day in Adventure Bay with their various skills and miniature vehicles.
The pups are overworked and made to complete the most preposterous tasks, like save the antagonist’s (Mayor Humdinger) cat from a tree, or rescuing Chickaletta from falling into a Caesar salad. Glossing over the tired cliche of cats vs. dogs, it is worth pointing out that these dogs are overworked and the RSPCA and PETA should do something about this abuse.
The female representation in this show is, at the very least, horrendous, and the development (if I can even use that word) just plain lazy. I think the creators of the show thought very little about Skye, the blatantly girly character that flies a tiny pink helicopter (presumably they didn’t trust her to park a car). The bright bubblegum pink isn’t an original notion and to have her be the only female pup in the core team shows how invested the show creators were in improving gender roles and representation in the world of children’s animation. The writers liked Skye so much they created another pink pup for the release of the 2021 film; a lazy attempt to appeal to a female audience, and hopefully sell more toys.
This show raises a lot of questions; like why is the town so empty? And who pays for the Paw Patrol to stay on a roll? Either the animators were lazy or there is my theory. My theory is that only 11 people live in Adventure Bay because Ryder and his team of pups have taken all the work away. If the Paw Patrol have taken the cornerstone of jobs and economy, why would anyone want to hang around? Because Mayor Goodway has such a dependency on the Paw Patrol she has had to embezzle funds or take out a huge loan to keep Ryder’s pockets lined.
Mayor Humdinger seems to have some sort of learning disability, or is acting like a man-baby; if it is the former why is he the villainised and if it is the latter how did he become mayor? On second thoughts Mayor Goodway isn’t the sharpest tool in the box.
The mediocre graphics were recently improved with the release of a new film. I was not immune to the slew of propaganda that was thrown in the direction of as many parents as possible. Waze even released a new experience that had Chase give you directions to your destination. Although, it was amusing to have Chase tell me there were police spotted on the road.
It is a given that Paw Patrol shouldn’t be treated like a documentary, however its flaws should be acknowledged. A seemingly sweet show for children, with adorable puppies that want to make the the world a better place, is actually a patriarchal dystopian world where money is power.
*I am actually not that cynical.
