Parents' Guide to

Ridley Jones

By Ashley Moulton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 3+

Museum comes alive to teach preschoolers life lessons.

Ridley Jones Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

age 4+

Based on 12 parent reviews

age 3+

Thank you

Thank you for showing kids that people other than heteronormative, "cookie cutter" families and people exist. Chris Nee also makes Doc McStuffins and these two cartoons are my kids favorite. How to explain non-binary people and two-dad families? Pretty easy... there are many types of people in the world and not every family looks like ours. Some families have one parent, two parents, two moms, two dads or guardians raising them. The less fear we have and the more education would make our world a better place.
age 4+

LGBTQ friendly show with endearing protagonist

The other reviews I found on this site and on IMDB have unfair ratings under the pretext that the show is inappropriate for children because there is a non-binary character and a character with two dads. All of the LGBTQ-friendly themes are introduced in an age appropriate and kid-friendly way. Ridley Jones is a fun show that inspires adventure and problem solving. Its made by the same creator as Doc McStuffens, another family favorite, and feels perfectly suited for my 4yr old daughter. It is exciting without getting too scary. I do find it a bit fast paced for a preschool show, but in that vein it’s in line with most animated shows in the 2020s.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (12 ):
Kids say (2 ):

This lovely series borrows a premise from the 2006 movie Night at the Museum, but it uses the museum-coming-alive storyline to help viewers learn positive lessons. Kids will live vicariously through Ridley Jones, who gets to play with dinosaurs and other talking animals once the museum patrons leave. Ridley herself is a real treat: She's adventurous, curious, and funny, just like her cinematic namesake Indiana Jones (and she wears a matching fedora to boot).

It's especially inspiring to see a smart, brave girl as the lead. Ridley is an extremely positive role model who admits when she makes mistakes and takes responsibility for her actions. The series also features preschool TV's first non-binary character, Fred the Bison. While Fred's presence is groundbreaking, what's notable about them is that their gender is simply explained ("not a boy or a girl, just a Fred") and not dwelled on. Overall, Ridley Jones is a fun preschool series that will teach viewers a little about the world and a lot about how to treat others.

TV Details

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