New poll finds 98% of parents admitting to being entertained by kids shows.
New research commissioned by award winning CBeebies’ series Hey Duggee has found that today’s parents are embracing children’s programmes and play – with 98% admitting to being entertained by kids shows.
The research – which coincided with Global Parents Day on June 1 and aimed to better understand why parental engagement with Hey Duggee is so high – polled over 1,000 parents of preschoolers and looked into not only the amount of time parents spend together with their children, but also the kids’ activities that they indulge in too.
Over half of the parents said they spend more time ‘co-viewing’ programmes together with their children than their parents did with them, while they also spend an average three hours and 53 minutes of leisure time together with their children each day.
Over seven out of 10 parents admit to deliberately buying their kids playthings that they know they themselves will enjoy too, while 70% say they will spend longer playing together with their child if the activity appeals as much to them as it does to their child.
Activities that are more likely to draw parents in include dancing around house together, singing in the car, watching films, taking them to the park and bedtime stories.
Over half also admit to having a sneaky play with toys and games intended for their children when they tidy them away at the end of the day.
When asked what it is about Hey Duggee that makes it so enjoyable for them as parents, they cite the programme’s inclusive nature and its ‘have a go’ message, plus the fact that the show encourages hugs and provides phrases that help them as a parent to communicate with their children in a fun and engaging way.
A number of parents said they enjoyed the fact that the show operates on multiple levels with nods to popular culture, such as references to iconic movies like Apocalypse Now and Top Gun, as well as knowing jokes that adults enjoy. The narration by comedian, Alexander Armstrong, is also popular.
Katie Ball, retail partnership manager at BBC Studios, commented: “These results bode well for our move into adult apparel for Hey Duggee. We launched some Father’s Day Hey Duggee Socks, a matching set for a child and their father, with our licensee Roy Low & Sons a few weeks ago, which have been very popular.
“This autumn we are very excited to be debuting a new range of mini-me Hey Duggee Pyjamas with our licensee TDP Textiles that come in matching sets for both children and adult sizes.”
In addition, the popularity of The Stick Song among both parents and children has led to a range of The Stick t-shirts being developed, which will be available exclusively from Sainsbury in July.
A DVD title – Hey Duggee The Stick Badge And Other Stories – launched recently and has proved popular.
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