Bubble Guppies Fin-tastic Collection packages together the previous DVD releases of Bubble Guppies and Bubble Guppies: On the Job. Both were enjoyed by my daughter when they were first released.
Back in the golden age of comic books, they constantly had ads for Sea-Monkeys. The illustrations made them look like aquatic humanoids that lived like normal people inside their fish bowl. A small kid could easily get the idea that they’d be able to own the kin of Aquaman. Turns out they were merely brine shrimp. They never got big enough to be turned into popcorn shrimp when you got bored of them. Bubble Guppies is a TV show on Nickelodeon that seems inspired by the dream of Sea-Monkeys. The show is amazingly addictive to little pre-schoolers that become glued to anything mermaid related. Bubble Guppies DVD release collects together their big “movie” with two regular episodes.
“Bubble Puppy’s Fin-Tastic Fairy Tale!” is a double length episode that converts the Bubble Guppies into fairy tale characters. However they don’t merely go through the bedtime stories with adjusted characters. They’ve got a wicked witch (Wanda Sykes) causing trouble. She turns Bubble Puppy into a frog. Turns out that this isn’t the end of her desire to transform people into frogs. She’s got a rocket in her pocket to push her frog agenda. It’s up to Molly and Gill to stop this plan from launching. “Bubble Puppy” introduces the underwater dog to the regulars. Gil has to learn what it takes to raise a puppy before he can be allowed to adopt one. How do you house break a puppy when your house is underwater? “Bubble Bites” is the dangers of getting your puppy hooked on eating the good stuff. Gil has to compete against a woman for the last box of Bubble Bites in the supermarket. If he loses, the Bubble Puppy will have to settle for a lesser brand.
Bubble Guppies has quickly turned into my pre-school daughter’s must see shows. This is clearly aimed for the little ones with the mermaid characters and the cute pop songs. The Bubble Guppies will chill her out on a loud day. The movie is rather inventive in its playing with fairytale characters. Your kids will fear that rockets will turn them into frogs. This is a lot more satisfying than a bowl full of Sea-Monkeys.
Bubbles Guppies: On the Job! features six episodes that explore various occupations. “Build Me a Building” touches on construction. The gang need to build a dog house for Bubble Puppy. Can they hammer together a habitable space? “Firefighter Gill to the Rescue” explains the duties of the fire station even if it’s located under the sea. “Fishketball” touches upon sports which might seem like play, but it is an job when you make it to the pros. “The Grumpfish Special” is the catchiest as the guppies open up their own pizza restaurant. The three year old likes to sing the song about eating a restaurant before we head out for dinner. “Call a Clambulance” rushes a guppy to the hospital for a broken tail. “A Tooth on the Looth” visits the dentist for a drilling. The episodes do a fine job at letting kids not only know what goes into the job, but what they need to know when dealing with a dentist, doctor or waitress. It teaches expectations and manners. Here’s my daughter’s review of Bubble Guppies: On the Job!:
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The CGI animated show looks fine in these transfers. The audio is Dolby Digital stereo. The sound mix isn’t too overwhelming for little ears. Episodes are Closed Captioned.
“Create Your Own Bubble Guppy” DVD Game is cute although you need to help a preschooler navigate it otherwise they might get frustrated and destroy the DVD remote.
Karaoke Music Videos for “Fairytale Pop Song” and “I’m So Mean” is good if you’re kid is learning how to read full words.
Juke Box Song Selection lets you cut straight to the songs if your kid is in no mood for talking.
Bubble Guppies: Fin-tastic is a cute show that knows how to get the attention of a pre-schooler. The CGI animated mini-mermaid and mermen are engaging to small eyes. Any mermaid obsessed toddler should calm down to take in the action of the fairytale story.
Nickelodeon and Paramount Home Video present Bubble Guppies: Fin-tastic Collection. Starring: Wanda Sykes. Boxset contents: 9 episodes on 2 DVDs. Released: March 3, 2015.
