Higglytown Heroes (2004–2008) User Reviews (10)

My 2-year-old loves this show.

[peace9-1 · 18 October 2004]

I am the mother of a 2-year-old who loves "Higgy-tow hewos" as she calls it.

The show revolves around four preschool friends (a multi-racial group, by the way) who learn to call on the people of the town to help them, and in the process learn about different professions -- plumber, librarian, tow-truck driver, mail carrier. There are no superheroes here, just people doing their jobs and thus becoming heroes to the children to need their help.

I particularly like Fran, the squirrel who plays with the children. She is an adult voice in the group, who manages to point out flaws in their often outlandish solutions without hurting their feelings. (Twinkle: "We could get friendly mice in pretty pink tutus to fly in a spaceship..." Fran: "That's a very creative solution, Twinkle, but it would take a long time to train the mice to fly a spaceship. I think we need to find something faster." Twinkle: "Aw, pickles!") [Note: That's not an exact quote from the show, just the gist of some dialog.]

From the perspective of someone interested in the careers of actors and actresses, it's fun to listen to the voices of the various heroes the children encounter, then read the credits to see who it is. Camryn Manheim voiced the plumber in one episode; Kathy Lee Gifford was the mail carrier in another. Betty White provided the voice of Eubie's Grand-Mama in at least two episodes.

Overall, a show that my daughter and I enjoy watching together.

Pretty weak, but not the worst.

[joesgirljeri · 2/10 · 5 April 2007]

My 3-year-old liked this show at first. The bright colors and basic shapes are easy to watch for really small children. After a while though, her interest waned and my patience for this show is at an all-time low.

My main complaint is the all-too-obvious attempt to be politically correct. Besides all the family and ethnic stereotypes, all of the unusual or "cool" heroes (astronauts, zoo-keepers, doctors, nuclear physicists) are all women while men fill the more mundane, everyday roles (bakers, gardeners, garbage collectors). I just think it's weird and silly to try so hard.

The other thing that drives me crazy is the animation. The character's arms disappear whenever they are at rest. If you haven't noticed this, keep an eye on their arms. When someone puts their arms at their side, the arm gets sucked into their body and leaves only a hand sitting on the side of the character. It's strange, distracting and makes me think that the animators could have tried to perfect their technology before making hundreds of shows.

All in all, I don't think this is a terrible show, but I don't like it as much as others. I think it teaches kids some valuable lessons (positive thinking, respect for others) but also implies that every kid needs to find an adult or "hero" to solve every single one of life's problems. I"d like to see the kids (or Pizza Guy for heaven's sake!) succeed on their own every once in a while.

Dangerous for adults and nearby surroundings

[ro-24 · 1/10 · 5 January 2007]

Now, first a sort of disclaimer: I know this show is meant for young kids, and as a man in my thirties, I am not included in the intended target audience for this show. This comment is written as an adult and a father, and describes my feelings after watching this show on Disney channel for almost two days while staying home with my sick kid.

This show has taken away my good humor. I am now an official hater of Higglytown. The theme song invades your brain, the way the word "hero" is used waters out the very concept of a hero, the babushka-style figures leave a lot to be desired when it comes to exciting animation. But the worst thing is how perfect the world of Higglytown is. Even though I have to agree that it is educational about different types of work, friendship and problem-solving, I get a really sticky feeling in my throat and in my head. It is simply too nice and friendly, and alienates the real world where things are far from this world of perfection.

Now I am really happy that I got out of the house, I couldn't stand much more of the show. I was almost afraid of going postal or to be lulled into a candy-covered pastel world inside my own head. Watching this WITH my kid is out of the question, and that may very well be the worst bit. Because this is the kind of show that kids probably watch alone most of the time. It easily becomes a parent substitute. It gives the kids solutions to everything, and does little to stimulate curiosity and independent thinking. Little of what is learned is applicable to a kids world of problems, and applying the "solutions" to real world problems will probably leave the kids disillusioned and apathic with no thinking on their own.

I would rather watch old, not so politically correct, classic Disney animation movies with my kids, where there is real anger (Donald Duck), playful action and fun quarreling. This means I have to explain stuff to them, and I truly think good parent-kid interaction is much more valuable and educational for the kids than this utopian world of Higglytown.

In the future I will put on my DVDs with classic Disney cartoons instead of the Playhouse Disney channel. For both my sanity and for my kids.

My First Cartoon

[jplacerdasilva · 10/10 · 7 October 2020]

Remember when disney junior was called "playhouse disney"? Well. i do. It was one of the first cartoons i watched (also including jungle junction)

Whoever created and wrote this program is a Higglytown Hero In Real Life.

[adampkalb · 8/10 · 4 June 2020]

I love how every episode teaches kids the value of everyday heroes. I also think Wild Brain Entertainment is a good name for this show's production company, as I always found it funny when Twinkle comes up with a silly genius idea for a solution to their problem, but then someone else (usually Fran) tells her one problem with the plan she just drew up, and she says "Aw, pickles."

A Great Concept!

[KatWoman · 9 October 2004]

I watched this program for the first time this morning with my 11-month-old and she never took her eyes off it. I think she liked the bright colors and she loved the music. I think it's a great new show for toddlers and she will learn a lot from it over the next couple of years.

While it is a little odd how the characters jump inside of each other, it's still a great show that teaches children all about the heroes of their town, such as police officers, firemen, store owners and even their own family members. I hope it stays on for at least four or five years. I think my daughter will really enjoy growing up watching it.

Thanks Playhouse Disney for this new wonderful show!

10/10

[arielsiere · 10/10 · 10 May 2022]

Guys come on Higglytown Heroes is not a rip-off to South Park even though i hate South Park for being racist i find this show to be cool and the best show since september 12th 2004.

Love this Show!!!

[victory_2002 · 17 August 2005]

My two year old loves this show. We have a routine starting at 10am, watching playhouse Disney for the first three hours of the day while we get the day started with breakfast and getting dressed. She loves the playhouse Disney line up, starting with the DoodleBops and ending with JoJo's Circus. The shows allow her to dance, get moving, as well as learn about the world around her. Higgleytown Heroes is a great show since she can learn what adults do for careers and has started her imagination running. We love playing dress up after Heroes has gone off. She & I imagine we're one of the Heroes from the show and play around. She always asks for me to turn back on the Heroes movies. It's hard to tell a two year old somethings over for the day, but at least playhouse Disney has thought up great fillers like "Shanna's Show" and "This is Daniel Cook". She loves the shows and I Love the content that Disney has in their shows. I love Playhouse Disney and hope it continues to have such good ideas!!! Thanks Disney!

Wonderful Show

[ericanddebi · 22 November 2004]

My son and I stumbled onto this show one morning and he's been watching it ever since. We watch it twice a day. And seeing its not out on DVD or video we have been recording it so he can watch it throughout the day if he wanted to. I love the concept of the show also. Show's him that there are many heroes in his town. I hope that they will be bringing this out on video soon. I know it will be a hit. I know we will be buying several copies. I've even told friends about it and their children have started watching too. Please Please Please bring this out on DVD/video. Or even some music. I know my son would love that. Again, this is a wonderful concept showing kids what wonderful heroes they have around their neighborhoods.

Hooray for Higglytown Heroes!!

[discoboogi · 23 September 2004]

At first sight, this new Playhouse Disney animated show looks a little bit odd. However, it immediately caught the attention of my very active 2 1/2 year old daughter, Gretchen and my wiggle-worm 1 year old daughter, Heidi.

My daughters absolutely LOVE this new show and can't get enough of it. My 2 1/2 year old is entranced by the bright colors and easy to follow story line, while my 1 year old giggles at all the silly characters. I love it because it teaches them an important lesson and introduces them to interesting professions in every episode.

It's also worth notable mention that the guest stars who lend their voices as "Higglytown Heroes" make it interesting for grown ups to watch with their children too.

Hooray for Higglytown Heroes! This Mom of two toddlers gives this show a double thumbs up! A + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + !!!!!