Rolie Polie Olie

YMA recommendation

Approved as non-violent media, with caution. Slapstick comedy

Most suitable age range:

2-4

Availability

At time of review, screening on Foxtel.

Many items on the list of non-violent media may be available for either purchase or hire. Click here for some ideas of where to look for them.

About the program

Year of production	1997
Classification advice
Rating	G
Consumer advice lines	None
Duration	7 minutes approx

Other information
Country of origin	USA/Canada
Production Company	Nelvana Limited & Metal Hurlant Productions

Synopsis

Based on the books by William Joyce Rolie Polie Olie centres around a robotic family who lives in Polieville. The main characters are Olie, his mum and dad, his little sister Zowie and their robotic dog Spot.

Points to consider

Words of caution

Examples of slapstick comedy include:

In one episode Olie’s dad sneezes his mum out of the room. She crashes off screen but appears unhurt.
In another episode a twirling dance is all the rage and Olie’s dad gets knocked over a couple of times by whirling, twirling robots.

Positive aspects

teaches positive values in a simplified way informing children that body image, shape, size and nationality are not important but rather it is what you believe and who you are that really matters
demonstrates kindness and compassion and how to look after someone who is sick in bed
shows positive and loving family relationships
uses creative thinking to solve problems and is encouraging and accepting of a wide range of ideas.

Questions to ask

Did it matter that a square robot had invented a dance that was perfectly suited to round robots? Could everybody still do it?
Parents could look at various ways of introducing cross-cultural understandings to their children and could look at all the good things that come from bringing diverse cultures and people together, such as food, games, music and celebrations.