This post comes to you courtesy of Mrs. Platypus. She noticed a new video series for children in the lineup of suggested titles in her Amazaon account. Based upon popular books by illustrator Todd Doodler, it's called Bear in Underwear. You can follow this link to one of the books on Amazon called Goodnight Underwear and see a few pages of it by using the "Look Inside' feature available on the site. The accompanying description helps explain that the "underwear theme" is designed to inspire story time giggles among youngsters who will no doubt find it funny. (There was a similarly popular book series under the name 'Captain Underpants' some years ago as we recall from trips to the bookstores with our puggles.)
What Mrs. Platypus found interesting is that virtually all of the forest critters depicted are dressed in clothes of some kind. And that the male characters are usually only wearing briefs or boxers, while the female animals often wear more. We can't explain the difference or the need to clothe animals... beyond the easy laughs, that is.
We don't have a problem with having a bit of fun, of course. Or with using animal mascots (our blog is, after all, named after a platypus). It's just interesting that even the "bears" cannot go fully "bare" within this genre. Is it all a plot to brainwash our kids to be more clothing compulsive? Probably not. After all, the Berenstein Bears, Winnie the Pooh, and Paddington Bear all wore a few items to give them personality.
Still, in posts long ago, we pointed out that you shouldn't Put A Swimsuit on a Platypus . We even discussed, at some length, that although Donald Duck wore some clothes, he didn't wear pants. And it is true that the subtle cues that we give children at very early ages about clothes and swimwear may be part of the reason Why Nudists Lose Battles and Wars .
As Crosby Stills & Nash sang it, Teach Your Children Well.
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