Are Pest Episodes of Children’s Shows Accurate? – Part 3

It is time for the final installment in our thee-part series, and this one is packed with pests! If you missed the previous two blogs, you can read them here and here to get the facts on some popular bug-themed episodes. The three shows we’re discussing today are all hand-drawn classics of the late 1990s and early 2000s, beloved by the children who learned multiple life lessons from these memorable characters. But, as entertaining as these episodes are for little ones, how factual are the non-sentient pests that are the stars of the plots? Let’s take a look at how these shows handled some well-known pests in a more family-friendly way.

If You Give a Mouse a Rat

Show: Arthur – “Pets and Pests”

Episode Synopsis: This is the only episode in our blog series to actively discuss using pest control services and the horrors of a pest in the home, which certainly gives it some brownie points from us! The excitement begins when Arthur and his family sit down to enjoy some homemade banana bread, only for Arthur’s father to pull the dish towel off the loaf to reveal a hungry mouse. Everyone screams and flees the kitchen, then the parents discuss how to remove a pest in a humane way for the sake of their kids. The father tries a glass trap, which is unsuccessful and sits empty for days. Arthur borrows Francine’s cat, Nemo, who brags about being the best at catching rodents to Pal the dog and Kate the baby. It turns out that cats can also be terrified of rodents, so Pal helps Nemo trap the mouse outside with some plated salami. But when the mouse wriggles back inside through a gap, it takes the negotiating skills of Ladonna’s pet rat, General Higgins, to talk the mouse into leaving. Fortunately for the mouse, this happens right before the pest control technician visits and is greeted by a relieved D.W. 

Fact or Fiction? This episode has multiple fantastical elements, what with the talking animals and infant, but the parts that are supposed to be more realistic have some holes in them as well. For starters, if there is a mouse sneaking food in broad daylight when the whole family is home, that is the sign of a major infestation. Real mice are most active at night and do as much of their scavenging as possible when it is dark. They are also extremely shy, and will not be spotted by anything larger than them if they can help it. But they are certainly curious, which this bread-loving mouse was, if nothing else. The stereotype of cats hunting mice is also relatively true, as they will stealthily sneak up on their prey before pouncing. Cats need taurine, an essential amino acid, which can be found in all of the prey they consume. But every pet also has its own personality, so it’s possible for cats to be terrified of mice, like Nemo.

The happy ending of Ladonna’s rat convincing a random mouse to leave the house is great for children’s programming, but it is about as fictional as you can get. In reality, rats and mice stay completely separate from each other. Mice are scared of rats, and will scurry away from any place that has a lingering rat odor. Since both rodents constantly mark their territories, it is easy for mice to know when they are encroaching on a rat’s habitat. If rats and mice accidentally intersect, it will not end well for the mice; rats are known to kill mice easily. With this in mind, it makes sense why Arthur decided to go in a much happier direction. Although plenty of people like Ladonna own rats as pets, it may not be the best idea, especially if it interacts with wild rodents like General Higgins did. Rodents are known to transmit intestinal parasites to both cats and humans if they are in the home for long enough, so we truly hope Arthur’s father threw away that banana bread once the family came back into the kitchen.

Subjective Accuracy Rating: 3/5

Ant-icipating the Science Fair

Show: The Magic School Bus – “Gets Ants in its Pants”

Episode Synopsis: Since this series as a whole was often shown in elementary school science classes, it is reasonable to assume that there are plenty of facts to go along with the fantasy of this mystical bus. In this episode, the class is at a loss in thinking of a science fair project, until Keesha follows an ant inside and promotes making an ant-themed movie for the fair. Ms. Frizzle’s iguana, Liz, grabs a video camera from the overflowing closet, and the class heads to the school bus. Once the bus shrinks down and disguises itself as a sugary treat, the now-massive ants take it back to their anthill. To get past the guard ants, the shrunken Ms. Frizzle and kids are all coated in ant pheromones that match this species. They spend the day inside the anthill, examining different ant classes and chambers of the hill, all while Keesha keeps vetoing the video ideas her classmates suggest. After Keesha becomes frustrated and leaves the anthill to sit in the bus, her class follows and they reconcile in time to protect the hill by pushing a huge (to them) magnifying glass on the mound before the sudden rain floods it. Liz captures it all, and the class has quite the science fair project that they present to the judges later. 

Fact or Fiction? We had a good feeling Ms. Frizzle would never steer us wrong. Just about everything, from the ant classes to the anthill structure to the use of pheromones, is true to life. Pheromones are not used as a spray in reality – though this is a popular cartoon trope – as they are just invisible chemicals that are odorous to the species using them. Ants can smell the difference in pheromones within their colony, so they discern the difference between a danger warning and a path to some food. This line of communication is precisely why pest control companies primarily use bait to eliminate ants. The foragers will lead the rest of their colony to the supposed food source, which will effectively end the colony and their pheromones. 

Real ants have their own duties, just like in the episode. The guard ants outside the hill are equipped with those sharp mandibles that allow them to fight any insect intruders if they don’t pass the pheromone test. The working ants inside the hill are designated different roles to keep the colony running smoothly. As we see, nurse ants care for the young, the foragers bring food back to a designated area, builder ants handle anthill construction, and the queen is the sole reproducer. They will also clean one another with their antennae, which they also use to smell pheromones and food. Ms. Frizzle may be the only one excitedly reciting ant facts at first, but the children come to share their own knowledge of ants and create an exciting movie full of class ant-ics (“Carlos!”).

Subjective Accuracy Rating: 5/5

A Special Stick

Show: Max & Ruby – “Ruby Gets the Picture”

Episode Synopsis: Although this episode is shorter, it does introduce quite the interesting insect that children were fascinated by: the stick bug. Ruby and her friend Louise are searching for an unusual insect in order to take a photo of it and earn a badge in their Bunny Scout troupe. They chase a spotted swallowtail butterfly, which would definitely make for a great photo, but Max finds a different kind of insect in the yard. He keeps repeating the word “stick,” which is not unusual since he doesn’t talk very much, but Ruby assumes he is just talking about a random twig on the sidewalk. The stick bug, or walking stick, eventually flies up on Max’s arm and the girls realize that they are looking at a living creature. They snap a photo as their Bunny Scout troupe leader walks up and reveals that they may have just found the most unusual insect of them all. 

Fact or Fiction? The stick bug’s appearance may be short in this episode, but it is pretty accurate to the real creature. These insects survive by looking just like their namesake and blending in with any greenery and trees they can find. Stick bugs will even gently bounce and sway when resting in order to appear more like a stick caught in the wind. They can be one to twelve inches long, and anywhere from green to brown in color. Since they are masters of camouflage, stick bugs can shift colors slightly to blend in with the foliage that they are currently surrounded by. The stick bug in this episode remains brown the whole time, but it would be pretty difficult for it to match the bright white of Max’s fur.

Due to their herbivorous diet, stick bugs like to stay in areas with heavy foliage to give them cover as they eat. They have surprisingly strong mandibles for their appearance, but they would rather fly away and hide than bite us. The benevolent stick bug that Max befriends is true to life in this way, as it calmly lands on him and starts feeling his face and arms with its antennae. Real stick bugs use their antennae to detect obstacles and feel around their general environment. This is how they gain tactile information in the forests and woodlands they typically inhabit. While actual stick bugs don’t like to be near larger beings as much as this fictional one, Max’s curious and caring attitude towards creatures smaller than him might have just been the invitation the stick bug needed to make a new friend.

Subjective Accuracy Rating: 4.75/5

Wave Goodbye to Your Pest Problems With Green!

Although this series is at a close for now, there is still plenty of learning to be done in children’s television. Every family has different rules on the amount and type of content that their young kids watch on the television, but whenever you deem it appropriate to allow your little ones some TV time, it is the best of both worlds to be both educational and entertaining.  Children absorb everything like a sponge, so the supposed facts they learn from media should be at least mostly accurate, with some creative liberties taken to make it more entertaining. Even if the topic of the episode is as small as a curious bug.

Real pests are not nearly as likable or adorable as the ones in these children’s shows, especially when their numbers increase daily. That is why Green Pest Services is here to serve you in every season! Our team of dedicated technicians begin every visit with a thorough inspection of the property to ensure that we solve every pest problem you may have. We will only use our EPA-approved products in the areas that require treatment, as the safety and comfort of your family is our top priority. Contact us to learn how our eco-friendly services will keep your home free of pests that are not as fun as the brightly-colored puppet bugs dancing across your child’s television screen.

***Disclaimer:  Section 107 of the United States Copyright Act recognizes “fair use” copywriter content as such:  “Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phono-records or by any other means specified by that section, for proposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.” This blog post may contain certain copyrighted works and characters that were not specifically authorized to be used by the copyrighted holder(s), however, the content on this post qualifies as “commentary” on the copyrighted works under the “fair use” doctrine of the U.S. Copyright Act and is thereby protected by federal law. Furthermore, we do not claim any ownership or creative rights of any characters on this list, and all rights outside of the fair use doctrine belong to the respective owner(s).

Citations

Can you have rats and mice at the same time?. (2021, December 9). Northwest Services. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://www.callnorthwest.com/2021/12/can-you-have-rats-and-mice-at-the-same-time/ 

Fernandes, M., Sabiston, A., & Wells, R. (Writers). (2012, January 24). Ruby gets the picture (season 5, episode 3a) [TV series episode]. In M. Hirsh (Executive Producer), Max & Ruby. 9 Story Media Group, Nickelodeon Productions, and Silver Lining Productions.

Hirsch, P.K. (Writer) & Bailey, G. (Director). (2014, April 22). Pets and pests (season 17, episode 7) [TV series episode]. In T. Brown (Senior Producer), Arthur. 9 Story Media Group, DHX Media, WGBH, and WGBH Kids.

Meehl, B., Stevenson, J., and Martin, K.L. (Writers) & Jacobs, L. (Director). (1994, November 26). Gets ants in its pants (season 1, episode 12) [TV series episode]. In A. Blank, D. Forte, M. Hirsh, P. Loubert, C. Smith, and J. Startz (Executive Producers), The magic school bus. Nelvana, Public Broadcasting Service, Scholastic Productions, Studio 306, and The Film House Group. 

McCauley, E. & Polan, S. (2020, February 1). A colony of 250,000 ants call the average anthill home – here’s what’s inside their mound. Insider. Available at https://www.businessinsider.com/whats-inside-an-anthill-fire-ant-tunnels-2019-12 (Accessed on January 5, 2023).

Stick insect antennae. (2014). Scholarpedia. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Stick_Insect_Antennae#

Walking sticks. (n.d.). The National Wildlife Federation. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Walking-Sticks 

Wooten, S. (Dr.). (2017, April 24). Why does my cat…eat mice?. Vet Street. Available at https://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/why-does-my-cat-eat-mice (Accessed on January 5, 2023).