If you’re a regular visitor, you’ve likely noticed that I’ve spent some time complaining about Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, a children’s program Disney produced in the previous decade that looks like a crude animatic and often has plot lines that are absurd to the point that potentially useful messages are muddied in problem solving that has no basis in reality whatsoever (say, crossing a river with a giant novelty comb, which every child naturally has on-hand at all times). Despite my grievances, I have to admit that the show occasionally manages to demonstrate some value (beyond its presumed true purpose of exposing children to Mickey Mouse at a young age and turning them into diligent, lifelong Disney consumers).
For instance, Miles has been increasingly interested in other geographical locations and famous landmarks over the past few months, an interest that’s been shepherded along by books and photographs we’ve got around the house (and, yes, Wheel of Fortune episodes). When Jaclyn sat down to look through a book with him the other day, she came to a page about the Great Wall of China. As she pointed the landmark out to him for what she presumed was the first time he had ever seen it, Miles just nodded.
“Yeah, Pete went there,” he said, evidently referring to an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
He was right; in fact, there are episodes of the series that involve a whole host of international locations. It turns out, for every ridiculous plot involving problems with solutions even MacGyver would balk at, there’s an episode where Miles learns something legitimately useful. Don’t get me wrong, I truly believe it made ol’ Walt turn in his cryo-chamber, but at least the hours upon hours (upon hours…) Miles spends watching the show haven’t been entirely wasted.
The Perils (& Pride) of Paternity 