The Review

Prior to becoming a dad I was only vaguely aware of “interactive” children’s programming. When my little boy reached the age of about a year and a half he developed a fascination with “Dora the Explorer.” “Go Diego go” followed shortly there after. While the story line calls him Dora’s cousin, Diego is really the male incarnation of Dora.

In an attempt to appeal to boys, “Go Diego go,” is a more high energy adventure than those of his original cousin. The style of the show is the same, with the mix of English and Spanish words and phrases. The Plot points encourage the kids to make choices along with the characters, and to try out the new vocabulary. There are also opportunities for counting and identifying hidden shapes, colors and pictures.

The setting runs like this: Diego is an animal rescuer who uses his camera “Click” (in place of Dora’s Map), to locate injured or endangered animals. With the help of his magic “rescue pack” (a substitute for his cousin’s backpack), Diego treks through, over and around the rainforest and saves the various cute, fuzzy and sometimes scaly animals from whatever predicament in which he finds them.

The Kids

The kids, especially the younger boys will really enjoy Diego. The music, while repetitive, is catchy and fairly educational. Expect your children, especially any boys to spend the next thirty minutes climbing on the furniture, or scaling the book case in an attempt to rescue some unfortunate stuffed pet.

The Verdict: Mostly Harmless

While I’m a little unsure about the overall environmental message, the show usually avoids coming off as preachy. The plots are sometimes a little too fanciful, (I saw one involving the rescue of mermaids), but the stories are wholesome and unintimidating. The only thing slightly annoying is that the interaction between the characters and the children watching at home can run like a church responsorial. If you’ve seen the episode a few times that can get old. Overall I generally like both Diego and his predecessor. I know that I can sit my son down with his lunch and work without having worry too much about what the show will contain. For that reason, this series is the definition of “Mostly Harmless.”