If you are the parent of a preschooler, you know what I’m
talking about. Max and Ruby are a pair
of portly rabbit children who appear on NickJr, and my oldest son is obsessed
with them, requesting a viewing of at least one show a morning. Ruby, the seemingly superior older sister, is
always on some sort of mission: go
sledding, bring cookies to Grandma, make flyers for the Bunny Scout bake sale,
learn how to hoola hoop, etc. Max, the
younger brother who is only capable of uttering one word at a time, has his own
agenda, which appears to be thwarting Ruby’s intentions, but usually ends up
augmenting them or at the very least helping her solve her dilemma. The
strangest thing about this show is the permanent absence of Max and Ruby’s
parents. They are never around, no
matter what the activity: cookie baking, snow shoveling, even Christmas Eve. So where the hell are they? I have a few theories:
In one of the upstairs bedrooms, incapacitated by drug
addiction.
Chopped into little
pieces by Max’s Green Godzilla Alien Action Toy.
Staying at Grandma’s house for a year so Ruby can earn her
self-sufficiency badge for Bunny Scouts.
Hanging out in the bomb shelter---check out the wallpaper---does
this show have a fifties vibe, or is it just me?
Hiding from all of Max’s freaky toys…how many remote control
vehicles and wind-up animals can a toddler really operate?
Working nonstop to pay the mortgage on their park-adjacent
house.
Wherever they are, they should
probably poke their heads in once in a while…I know I’m influenced by living in
the era of Tiger Moms and helicopter parents, but really? You can’t even tuck your kids in on Christmas
Eve? Come on, rabbits. Good thing Grandma lives down the street.
