Look, in my time I’ve clapped back at people who disputed bad reviews I gave with the shop-worn riposte “well it wasn’t made for you!” but there does come a point where you have to admit that something just…wasn’t…made for you. Case in point, over the next few posts I’ll be reviewing a cartoon series made for nine year old girls in the early nineties. And it’s one thing to dunk on DarkWing Duck but beating up on a show made for little girls is cheap even for me. Fortunately, Unshaved Mouse inc. has a nine year old girl on staff and she kindly agreed to watch the series with me. And Mini Mouse peaced out after three episodes so I know it’s not just me. Actual transcript:
And look, I wanted to like this series. Hell, I have always wanted to like this series. I’ve mentioned before that The Little Mermaid was the first Disney movie I ever owned on VHS. I loved that film as much as it was safe for a seven year old boy in a rough North Dublin school to love that movie. And I remember being deeply bored by this series. In retrospect, I don’t know what I was thinking. Not because the series is good (oh no) but it is ABSOLUTELY BUCK WILD.
Buckle up, Mother-Guppies. We’re gettin’ weird.
unshavedmouse 
Somehow, despite being obsessed with the movie, I never once saw this show. Think I got a bad smell off the commercials, and just never had any interest.
Which is weird because I totally watched Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa, which debuted at the exact same time, so it’s not like I had high standards. Or any standards, really.
Moo Mesa was the shit, you shut your mouth.
Really? In your Quiet Man review you said you didn’t like Westerns.
…Actually, never mind, it makes sense. Moo Mesa is a perfect show for someone who dislikes Westerns.
You must learn to stop taking me so seriously.
And I was just reminded that Mini Mouse is born in the same year as my niece.
That is rather cool.
And I really liked this series back in the day.
But I was a girl and in the exactly right age for it when it was new.
So I can safely say that I was in the target demographic.
I was the target demographic for this series back in the day, so yeah, I liked it back then. As an adult I can see how it hasn’t exactly aged well, but it’s good for a nostalgia trip every now and then.
I always preferred the Aladdin series over this, but I liked it.
*Please* tell me you’re watching Stormy. Stormy holds up.
Mouse, I would pay for the transcribed thoughts and opinions of Mini Mouse on late-80’s/early-90’s cartoons.
I don’t actually disagree with you that it’s hard to consider the series as a whole “good.” (Though I think a handful of episodes get there.) I think that comes down to a number of factors: TLM was their first movie spin-off and it was geared to a younger audience. (Like PreK-7 instead 6-10). Hence why it tended to rerun in the Disney Jr. block.
I can’t really get mad at it for its flaws. It’s like being mad at Snow White for not being Beauty and the Beast. This was the first time the studio was trying this format under these conditions. And I think it was necessary to get us to Aladdin, Hercules, and eventually Tangled/Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure.
That said, I would 100% sell my soul to Ursula for a new TLM series set post-Eric and Ariel’s kiss on the beach of the quality of the Tangled series.
I remember catching random episodes of this late late at night on Disney channel when I was in like middle school (I used to have semi-bad insomnia so some nights I’d end up sneaking out to the living room and watching TV with the volume turned way down). It was definitely pretty low on the list of shows I wanted to watch at that time of night. The Buzz Lightyear show that was often on instead was much more fun.