What is it
Stinky and Dirty is a show based on characters from a couple of books, about a garbage truck and an excavator who solve problems together.
Who is it for
The show is good for kids of most ages, maybe 3-8.
What Kids Like
My kids like the celebration of filth, which is unusual among kids’ shows. Sometimes toys and games rely on the yuck factor, with slime boogers and fart noises, but ‘Stinky and Dirty’ manage to involve mess and rot and dirt without being gross.
The show is also good about how it presents problems and engages the viewer to think of possible solutions along with the characters.
What Parents Like
Years ago we got the original book called “I Stink!” that the kids liked enough to ask for it multiple nights in a row, although I initially didn’t care for it. It seemed a celebration of noise and filth that I just didn’t find amusing when trying to put little ones down for the night.
A few years later I saw that Amazon was premiering a new kids’ show called Stinky and Dirty that had animation that looked an awful lot like the book, and sure enough, the show is a spinoff of the book and its sequel. I suppose that’s a dream for many children’s book authors and illustrators, to have their work turned into a show.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I and the kids really like it.
The books are quite simple, running through the alphabet and showing vehicles making vehicle sounds. But the show is about teamwork and problem-solving, in a way that isn’t done on other shows.
The animation style is unique. It’s 3D but texture-mapped to look like paper illustrations.
The characters drive around together solving problems. Several times each episode, one of the characters asks, “What if…?” And this makes it a great example for problem-solving. Their efforts don’t always work out, but they keep trying.
I also like that the show is following in the somewhat recent tradition of using veteran actors for the voices (Martin Short on ‘The Cat in the Hat’, Christopher Lloyd and Gilbert Gottfried on ‘Cyberchase’, Elvis Costello on ‘Pete the Cat’). In this case, Wallace Shawn (Vizzini from ‘The Princess Bride’ and Rex the dinosaur from the Toy Story movies) plays Tall the crane.
What the Critics Think
7.1/10 on IMDB, 5/5 on Common Sense Media
Who Made it/History
The original book was written by author Kate Mcmullan and illustrated by her husband, actor Jim McMullan.
The show is made for Amazon, by Guy Toubes, who has written for lots of kids’ shows including ‘Odd Squad’, ‘If You Give a Mouse a Cookie’, and ‘Chuck and Friends’.
Where Can I Get it
You can watch the first episode on YouTube
The show is streaming on Amazon Prime.