This week, my friends at Netflix released the results of a new survey that was conducted this Spring among subscribers of the streaming service in Brazil, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Germany, France, and of course, the US. The statistics that their new poll revealed have been reflected in the virtual pages of THE ROCK FATHER Magazine since day one, and in my Netflix columns since I joined the Stream Team just over a year ago: What’s old is new again. In fact, 85% of the dads surveyed said that they’d either planned to introduce their children to the shows they grew up on, or that they’ve done so already. For the modern generations, pop culture is the new “family heirloom,” and it’s being “passed down” by parents – dads and moms alike. That’s certainly the case right here at Rock Father HQ.
It was just back in April when I discussed INSPECTOR GADGET, the Netflix Original Series from DHX Media that updates the Don Adams-voiced classic from my own youth in the 1980s. As I noted back then, the girls took an immediate liking to ‘GADGET, perhaps due to some similarities between the CGI-animated world on-screen, and their own lives. I mean, there’s an “HQ,” and a rather mysterious individual that spends a great deal of time at a computer… and that guy (Dr. Claw) might sorta look like me from behind, right?
I’ve also thrown down some words about JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS (new movie coming out this fall), KNIGHT RIDER (The Rock Daughters™ know and appreciate who David Hasselhoff is), and have gone into vast detail on subjects such as STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE and the CARE BEARS (new series, CARE BEARS & COUSINS debuts next year). Netflix knows what’s up, and with reboots of DANGER MOUSE and THE POPPLES on the way, the “modern retro” vibe will be flowing for some time to come.
Ah, the TRANSFORMERS… Erik is right – a pop culture behemoth that I’ve written about so, so many times. Funny thing is, I sorta got caught showing Addie the “totally not age-appropriate” (says my wife) TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION, which just so happens to be my favorite of Michael Bay’s live-action TRANSFORMERS films (read my full review, here). We didn’t finish, but the truly heartwarming moment was toward the beginning when a large, metallic, and very frozen dinosaur head can be seen somewhere in the Antarctic – “Daddy, that’s Grimlock!,” exclaimed Addie. She’d never seen any of the live-action TF movies before, yet she totally nailed who she was looking at (we have a ton of the toys and did a whole #TRANSFORMERSweek last year). What a proud moment for me as a parent, and it occurred in the midst of enjoying an epic sheet fort – one created using a Build-A-Fort Kit by Lulu and Linen that the Netflix folks found for us on Etsy. I told Addie how much I loved her, and my wife confirmed “Daddy is so proud of you.”
I’ve made quite a few forts in my day, many of which involved them becoming “bases” for my STAR WARS and G.I. JOE figures – another pair of iconic properties that have been passed-down to my daughters. I mean, after watching Christopher Walken in PULP FICTION, who really wants to pass-down an “heirloom” like a watch anyway?
Now, you’ll have to excuse me. Doctor Claw has some official business to attend to.
THE ROCK FATHER is a Member of the Netflix #StreamTeam. For more streaming picks and highlights, point your browser’s toward THE ROCK FATHER Magazine early and often!
