Category: Fiction

Stephanie Overanalyzes Children’s Entertainment: Elephant & Piggie & the Enneagram

As a mother of 2 small children who experiences repeated viewings/readings/etc. of the same kids’ media ad nauseam, I have found myself growing overly critical of what is meant to be simple, innocent entertainment for small children. I share my sarcastic analyses of harmless kids’ entertainment in this ongoing feature: Stephanie Overanalyzes Children’s Entertainment.

Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems are some of my oldest son’s favorite literature. They fall right into the sweet spot of his sense of humor, and he easily memorizes them, allowing him to “read” them to himself & his little brother. They really are terrific kids books; you should pick up a few for your own youngsters on your next trip to the library!

As I was recently reading I Will Surprise My Friend to Isaac, it suddenly struck me: Gerald the Elephant is SUCH an enneagram 6. Quietly amused by this thought, I continued to read the story aloud and gradually noticed that Piggie acts a lot like an enneagram 7. These new insights caused me to ponder over the entire Elephant & Piggie oeuvre to test my hypothesis, and I have indeed concluded that this series is all about the friendship between a 6 and a 7. 

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In Defense of Musicals, Bonkers TV, & Joy

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Recently a friend asked for TV show recommendations on social media. I, of course, had plenty to say in response, but the truth is I actually held back a little. I was hesitant to recommend a couple of my most dear & favorite shows because, well, they are completely bonkers.

This need I felt to defend or keep quiet about entertainment that I actually really love got me thinking about some themes I’d been considering for a few months… the ways we numb or downplay our enjoyment of certain things as we become older, more ‘mature’ and ‘realistic’.

I began mulling over these themes when my husband & I saw Finding Neverland last spring. This Broadway musical highlighted for me the tension people feel to leave behind ‘immature’ things in favor of grim reality. We stop believing in fairies or flying or magic… and at the same time largely stop believing in innocent fun or hope or joy. We mistake the fact that life can be sad and serious for the belief that life is only sad and serious.

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Wreck-It Ralph: A Parable on Patriarchy

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[I feel like I shouldn’t really have to say this, but… this post contains spoilers for the 2012 Disney film Wreck-It Ralph.]

During my children’s most recent viewing of one of their favorite films, Wreck-It Ralph, one scene jumped out at me from the hazy, half-listening fog of getting stuff done while my kids have screen time. About halfway through the film 2 male characters – the protagonist and the antagonist of the story – have a conversation about what is in the best interest of an absent female character. In and around that conversation, both King Candy and Wreck-It Ralph claim that they are “doing what’s best” for Vanellope. 

It was enough to make me groan out loud.

But then it began to dawn on me: this movie contains a parable of sorts… a parable about Patriarchy. 

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Questions I’d Like to Ask Romeo While Watching Catboy vs. Robocat

As a mother of 2 small children who experiences repeated viewings/readings/etc. of the same kids’ media ad nauseam, I have found myself growing overly critical of what is meant to be simple, innocent entertainment for small children. I share my sarcastic analyses of harmless kids’ entertainment in this ongoing feature…

Stephanie Overanalyzes Children’s Entertainment: PJ Masks, S1E7

PJ Masks has been a favorite of my kids for a couple years, and there is just so much to say about this show. I mean, I could probably write an entire post on all my issues with simply the theme song alone. So there’s no way I could overanalyze the whole show in a concise way. Instead I decided to focus on one episode – my oldest son’s favorite episode – “Catboy vs. Robocat.” Here are many of the questions I would like to ask Romeo, the nighttime villain & continual foe of the PJ Masks, after my 120th (or so) viewing of this episode.

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Finding Jesus in Game of Thrones

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[This post may contain spoilers for the entire series of Game of Thrones]

What does Jesus look like?

I’m not trying to start a debate about whether Jesus is white or some such nonsense. [He’s not. He was born in the Middle East. Why is this still a thing people talk about??] I mean, what does Jesus look like in your mind? What do you see when you picture Jesus? Do you even picture Jesus, or is he abstract to you?

This is something I’ve been thinking about lately as my mind has been processing the series wrap of Game of Thrones.

*record scratch*
Hold up.

Why would Game of Thrones make me think about Jesus? — you, my imaginary reader, may ask.

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