Last Sunday marked five years since Donkey Hodie premiered on PBS Kids.; If you've known me for a while, then you know that this show played a big role on creating my love for not just public education, but media in general. While I did not have the time to go all out for an extravagant tribute to it (APs and finals have both been absolutely wrecking me as of late), I still wanted to make at the very least a short post on here commemorating the date.
Apologies for today's post being so short. At the time of writing this I've just gotten back from an AP exam involving a lot of writing. My creative juices have been used to their maximum.
Donkey Hodie is the type of show that you would never expect a relatively serious, well-put-up person like me to get into so strongly. But from the moment this show was announced in January of 2020, I was invested by the cute, cuddly puppets and the headliner of it being another Fred Rogers spin-off. A year passed, and the pandemic hit; one of the things that motivated me to get through the thick of 2020 the most was the promise of Donkey's debut. Due to the pandemic, production of the show had to be halted, and the release date was pushed forward a few months.
Regardless, things kept going. The crew persisted, wearing heavy masks and PPE while they performed, taking countless COVID tests and health exams, all just to make sure that the 79-part, 40 episode season of the show was still produced. And in May of 2021, Donkey Hodie premiered on PBS Kids.
Seeing how far the show has come in itself is so heartwarming to me. From them having to film during COVID to the defunding of PBS Kids, seeing them come back over and over again is so inspirational, and it perfectly encapsulates the mission of perseverance and determination that was so embedded into the show's curriculum. This show has gotten me through a global pandemic, periods where my mental health was dogshit, two hospitalizations (one lasting almost a month), and five whole grades. It's so adorable and it legit brings so much joy to my life.
Each character holds a special place in my heart. I remember the fandom hype seeing the inside of Bob Dog's house for the first time, the fan theories we came up with about Panda's father, the humanization drawings of Donkey herself, the love for Stephanie D'Abruzzo we gave in regards to her performance as Duck Duck. Back when episode premieres happened more regularly, I loved the waits between months, each full of anticipation for what was to come. And who could forget my Hee-Hawesome Facts series on Tumblr for the show's third anniversary two years ago? I loved making that too! So much of what I have done has been in part because of the lessons this show has given me, ones on standing up for yourself, sticking to your morals, and trying hard no matter what goes wrong.
As of now, we don't have a Season 4 greenlit. I don't think we're going to get one. With all of the budget cuts towards PBS taking place, and the fact that the show has already had such a strong run and that it takes so much money to produce one season, I would not be shocked if Season 3 was the last. And if it is, then so be it. Donkey has had such an amazing run already. Season 3 is the show's best season so far. Let it die in peace.
The point of this post was not to say anything remarkable or to analyze a certain part of the show- the point was to thank the showrunners and remember the joy Donkey Hodie has brought to my life. I love this show so, so much and even if I don't talk about it as much as I used to, it still holds a deep place in my heart.
Donkey Hodie: Season 2 Review + Season 3 Predictions
About 2 years back, right after Season 1 of Donkey Hodie came to an end, I made a long post reviewing the season, discussing my favorite and least favorite things about it and speculating things for Season 2! Well, now that Season 2 has come to an end, it's time to do the same all over again.
First of all, I've just gotta say, Season 2 is a MASSIVE step-up from Season 1 in every regard. With the pandemic out of the way, the cast and crew were able to embrace their true potential in crafting an amazing season. There were no more restrictions in their view; now that the pandemic has fully ended, I only hope Season 3 grows on this. Believe it or not, but Season 3 will be the very first DH season to be filmed completely out of the eyes of COVID-19.
Duck Duck finally received her given justice! She was done SO WELL this season, much better than Season 1. She got more episodes, more attention in general, more funny moments, and basically proved her worth into the cast. Grampy Hodie was redeemed too- from his measly few episodes in season 1 to basically becoming a recurring character this season.
Speaking of cast, it expanded like crazy this season, with new characters galore. From Frannie, to Cousin, to Trolley, and even Jeff, this season didn't sleep on growing the cast. I just hope they all stay into the next season!
I really struggle with choosing a favorite episode this season- not because the episodes aren't good, but because most of them are peak. Here are five highlights:
Ruff Night: I was HYPED for this one, mainly because of us seeing Bob Dog's house for the first time; it was beautiful! Sure, I wished they didn't re-use the Sleepover song, but the rest of the episode was solid and a great expansion into the relationship between Donkey, Panda, and Bob.
Hee-Hee Hider Seekers: We have been waiting for this episode for almost a year, ever since Jeff (formerly Mike) was revealed via a casting call, and it did not disappoint at all. Jay Manuel does amazing voicing him, and the tribute to Jeff Erlanger was so touching. The re-used songs don't bother me as much because the episode makes up for it in every other regard. I really, REALLY hope Jeff appears in Season 3 as a recurring character and not just Hider Seekers and New Year. He's such a fleshed out, developed character, and I love him already!
A Donkey Hodie New Year: Speaking of New Year, why not discuss the second half-hour episode of the series! This special gave us everything we as a fandom have ever wanted- the largest cast in a singular episode IIRC, more character lore, a MRN song rendition, and plenty of great scenes too! This will definitely become a holiday classic for me when I find specials to watch in the winter.
Play This Way: This episode explored the dynamic between Donkey and Panda, and brought back the Tater Buddles! Tater Buddies is not a very great episode IMO, mainly because of the mischaracterization of Purple Panda, but this episode makes up for it. Yes, Panda's behavior is a bit reckless, but at least in this episode he can SEE what he's doing wrong and doesn't have to be lectured by Donkey about it, especially when his literal character bio has the word "EMPATHETIC" in it. Why would Panda need to learn empathy if it's a LITERAL PERSONALITY TRAIT of his? In Play this Way, on the other hand, he understands that he's at fault, and we get a really heartfelt scene where he apologizes to Donkey. Panda really grew on me this season; not being thrown into every single episode really does wonders for a guy.
Pet Rock Problem: This episode on its own wasn't anything too special, but it gave us the debut of the legend, the chad, the man himself: COUSIN HODIE. Cousin Hodie, who has won the show Emmys and gave us even more fans of his adorableness. He was amazing in this one; Mel Campbell is phenomenal. Hoping for more Cousin fun in season 3! (if only Dodie didn't have to die for him....)
And now that we've gotten the good out of the way, time to discuss the... not so good.
Stanley was kind of thrown out into the dust this season. He only had one (two if you count Speedy Delivery) significant roles this time around. Heck, he didn't even speak in the New Year special. I can understand why they chose to push him away a little considering the growing cast means some characters will have to be shafted a little, but it still hurts to see his abandonment.
Season 2 also contained some repetition of past morals, more notable in some episodes than others. I don't mind this too much, all as long as the crew keeps on producing more good stories with the bases Season 1 created.
Finally, we need to talk about the season's worst episode by a longshot: Mousy Hodie. Oh my god.
You'd think that to celebrate Alice Dinnean's debut on the series, that they would create an episode with great characters, a good moral, and an engaging plot. They do the exact opposite. Mousy is an entitled brat who receives no punishments for her actions. Only Donkey suffers, and she's forced to deal with all of Mousy's shenanigans throughout the entirety of the episode. Poor, poor Donkey. If you ask another DH fan why they hate Mousy Hodie, they'll give you an answer similar to mine: limited characters, bad plot, annoying debut character, etc. Easily the worst episode of Season 2 by far, and one of the worst episodes in the whole show.
Outside of those few fallacies, Season 2 was great! 8.5/10, a step up from Season 1's 7/10!
Here is the complete bingo card I made for Season 2. Sadly, I didn't get a Bingo, but the season was still peak nevertheless!
And now, it's time to discuss my predictions for the third season, and MAN, do I have a ton!
Note that this part WILL dive into leaks from Season 3 and other public BTS info. If you don't want to be exposed to that stuff, here's your one and only warning.
We already have 5 confirmed episodes for the season: Rock and Roll Feelings Detectives, Speedy Delivery Helpers, the crossover, a wizard-themed episode directed by Joey Mazzarino, and an opera episode.
Looking at this first glance, it seems as if Season 3 will have... a LOT of rehash episodes. Not sure how to feel about that, to be honest.
Here are some sequel episode I DO hope we get:
Sleepover (this time, at Duck Duck's nest! We've gotten ones at Donkey's, Panda's and Bob's- her next!)
Everything Explorers (with Jeff, of course)
Another episode on Planet Purple
Another opera episode to make up for the mid Cow and Potato Bug Opera (I want to see EVERYBODY in it.)
Another Yodel Bird episode (none in Season 2 was a CRIME)
Another game show episode with Game Show Gator! (we even got, of all characters, lore for GAME SHOW GATOR this season. Talk about peak.)
The return of Wiz-Kazziz-Kazaam (PEAK Bob Dog episode for all my bow-wowee peeps)
Another Crunchdoodles episode (this time with another one of those elaborate dance sequences)
Example:
Even if the concepts are being reused, the morals don't look that bad. They're along the lines of 'it's okay to feel two feelings' and 'it's okay to take a break.' I have a theory that those 'hee-hawfirmation' videos they post are just episode morals disguised as cute reels. The 'taking a break' moral was one of them. The reels in general are just hints at new episodes- we've gotten hints for Scooter Blues, Plain Old Day, and Birdie Beach Concert. Now that Season 3 is over, they've probably recorded the batch of reels for the season too- maybe it will drop some special stuff relating to the Season 3 episode too!
The crossover better be peak. We DH fans have been awaiting this day from the very start. I hope they don't bring in the cheesy strategy songs and the general baby-core DTN is ridden with. Make Dad and Daniel as goofy and fun-loving as the pals are! Also, the songs better be peak too. we didn't wait this long to hear Donkey and Daniel give us a trash duet.
But what I'm REALLY excited about are the 10 original music videos and the short-form content. Bedtime Stories was absolute peak, and we need more content like it! Hear me out- DHBS Season 2 with the new characters (ie: Cousin, Frannie, Jeff) and the old ones too! Now THAT sounds great! I wonder what the music videos will be focused on. I think they could be from old MRN songs, which would be so cool! I'm hoping they release this year- the same month as the crossover does (most likely August).
Well, looks like that's all the stuff I have to cover for Season 2 this time around. First post of 2025- let's goooo! Hoping to see you all again soon (when I get motivation and time to upload here frequently again!)
Hee-Hawesome Fact #23: In the original series, Harriet Elizabeth Cow was a schoolteacher to the three main child characters on the show: Ana Platypus, Daniel Tiger, and Prince Tuesday. In Donkey Hodie, this version of Harriet is also a teacher at Good Dog School, the school Bob Dog goes to in the episode of the same name.
