Handy Manny

I remember when this show first premiered on Playhouse Disney (now called Disney Junior) in 2006. At the time, and also a little bit now, I found it to be one of the most charming cartoons ever. A lot of people have compared it to Bob the Builder and have said that this is a rip off. Not only do I disagree with that statement, but I personally think that this is better than Bob the Builder. Handy Manny teaches preschoolers how to be honest, you should include others, everyone is different, and to ask for help if you really need it. Bob the Builder taught friendship and teamwork. Well, that's all fine and good but the lessons Handy Manny teaches seem much more fleshed out. On top of that, the characters of Handy Manny are much more three dimensional than the characters of Bob the Builder. Their personality traits are present and some of them start out a certain way and then go through a story arc that changes them. Bob the Builder was boring compared to the colorful and three dimensional world of Handy Manny.

Manny is a repairman with a toolbox full of talking tools, all of which are cleverly named: for example, the measuring tape is Stretch, the hammer is Pat. Together Manny and his tools take on a variety of jobs, which always require thinking through possible ways of getting them done. In one episode, they're trying to help a lady get a new oven into her house, but it's too big for the door, so they have to try to find some other way to get it into the house.

Manny is a Latino, and speaks a mixture of English and Spanish, as do some of the other characters on the show; only one of his tools has a Latino accent -- Felipe, the phillips screwdriver. When other characters greet them, they typically say, "Hola, Manny. Hello, Tools."

My 4-year-old daughter loves this show. She enjoys learning what the different tools are and what they do.

This show is wonderful for kids. The CGI was done with a cartoon look instead of reaching for reality, which helps draw in the kids and the show doesn't stretch for anything. It is simple enough to draw in the kids and the characters interaction is incredible. My 3yo is transfixed to this show more than any other. Plus he gets the same out of this as he does Dora and Diego with the multi-lingual aspect. While similar in nature to Bob the builder, as both shows promote teamwork on projects, Bob tends to do large scale projects and Manny works on fix-it projects around the house. The different types of tools make it easy for kids to see how different types of work are completed. A perfect compliment to Bob, not a competitor.

My husband, my 4 year old, my 2 year old, and me...We all love it! Our boys are into repairing things, but we didn't like how Bob the Builder often whined....since we don't like reinforcing something they do enough naturally without cartoon characters reinforcing it. :) Manny has a great attitude. We love that Mr. Lowpart's cat has a comb- over as well. :) So funny! Manny is humble, genuinely interested in others (more than just another repair job), has a positive attitude and great work ethic. His tools have such fun names and the music is catchy. We're all singing the songs around the house these days. My two year old gets up and dances when the song comes on. My 4 yr old talks about Manny and his tools and some of the other characters throughout the day. We were in the van last week and he was talking about Mr. Lowpart and his cat. I couldn't remember the cat's name, but my son reminded me that it's Fluffy. :) Great show that we all look forward to when we can tune in! :) ...Coming back to add that we recently noticed a theme in the shows. Every tool is useful...just for different jobs. It teaches turn taking...sometimes it's someone else's turn to help with a job, but we're all working together. Love this! Also my 4 yr old has learned to distinguish whether "Felipe" or "Turner" is needed just by looking at screws. :) He is constantly wanting to work with my husband now on projects around the house. LOVES going to the hardware store now. :)

If you want your kids to learn basic spanish, don't show them Dora, show them this. I used to watch both Handy Manny and Dora when i was little and i watched a lot more Dora but i learned more from Handy Manny in less than 10 episodes. The characters in this are fascinating , i didn't dislike one character and most of all its a great educational show that teaches kids Basic Spanish, or basically what Dora wanted to be