Time for your check-up!

by Patricia Albarracin

“Time for your check-up, time for your check-up! I'm gonna check your ears, check your eyes, find out how much you've grown...time for a check-up!”

This is the beginning of the song that Doc McStuffins sings while treating her patients. The charming tune can be heard in the well- known television series under the name of Doc McStuffins. The song has such a catchy melody that all of us might enjoy singing it time and time again.

This series is the production of an Irish company called Brown Bag Films which joined Disney to broadcast the chapters daily. The fiction has two seasons and more than 50 chapters which are divided in two 11-minute episodes each one.

Dottie McStuffins is a six-year-old girl who pretends to be a doctor. She mends toys and takes care of them in the clinic situated in the rear of her house. Furthermore, she works with several stuffed animals which are her best friends: Lambie is the pink lamb, Stuffy is the blue dragon, Chilly is the white snowman, and Hallie is the violet hippo. Thanks to the friendly treatment that she and her friends mix with their patients, young viewers are encouraged to go to the doctor´s without fear.

The sweet Doc, who has always good manners to deal with everybody, can communicate with the sick toys; when she uses her magic stethoscope, the toys come to life.  She asks them different questions in order to figure out their health problems. After she obtains the answers, she starts the treatment according to each particular patient.  That is so: Dottie supports health care.

This animated series transmits simple messages related to this topic, such as getting check-ups, washing hands, brushing teeth, having a bath and helping people feel better. In this way, Doc McStuffins gives advices to children about the importance of taking care of health. In the chapter called “Health check: bath time,” Dottie checks up a tiny toy and she has the diagnosis: sticky disease. The little toy asks her what it means and her answer is that he is not clean because of eating several sweets. She says to him that having a bath is the great funny solution for his problem. The chapter comes to the end with a song which transmits the lesson taught by her. In another chapter called “Health check: brush your teeth” Dottie explains to Stuffy that when he fells some stuff between his teeth, it starts to smell bad. This is why he has to brush his teeth daily. Over again, the chapter comes to the end with a song which transmits the lesson taught by her.

Each episode directly focuses on different situations that parents might face with their children in terms of health, hygiene and medical care, for example: when they do not go to the doctor´s, when they do not take medicines, when they do not brush teeth and so on.

The show is well written: it has got a clear message about health which is interesting for young viewers and adults as well. Her sweetness, when treating her patients, encourages children to see the doctor when feeling sick. Her positive attitude towards her patients also helps kids feel more comfortable when visiting the physician. By the way, is it time for YOUR check up right now?