Last weekend, a very special thing happened in Indiana, with the opening of DOC McSTUFFINS: The Exhibit at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. The bilingual (English/Spanish) interactive exhibit transports kids and families into Doc’s iconic backyard clinic and the McStuffins Toy Hospital. There, young visitors go on a “feel better adventure” as they become “doctors in training,” don a white coat and toy stethoscope, “scrub in” (learning the importance of washing hands to avoid germs), report to an “operating room” where they can fix seams on a toy bear, assist in an “operation” on a toy dragon robot, and use Doc’s tools including a toy otoscope, stethoscope, thermometer and blood pressure cuff to give a checkup to their own toys. Open now through January, the exhibit will hit the road in 2017 to visit other Children’s Museums around the country, and the folks at Disney Junior have sent over a new featurette on what families can expect to find when they enter the world of McStuffinsville…
DOC McSTUFFINS: The Exhibit is sponsored by Riley Children’s Health at Indiana University Health, home to one of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals. The exhibit provides an opportunity for children to become comfortable in a healthcare setting.
“It is a heavy order to convince children that going to see the doctor is not scary,” said Dr. Paul Haut, chief medical officer of Riley Children’s Health. “But it can be done through educational and interactive experiences, which help them understand that what we do is help keep people healthy. By teaching visitors about healthy habits, such as practicing good hand hygiene, exercising regularly and eating well, we hope this exhibit will put children’s minds at ease, while supporting our mission to keep all Hoosier children healthy.”
“Doc McStuffins serves as a great role model to children and adults, encouraging them to explore the importance of taking care of their own bodies as well as caring for others,” said Dr. Jeffrey H. Patchen, president and CEO, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. “Through imaginative play, we hope our visitors will learn more about health, science, and medicine, and discover that children can be anything they want to be when they grow up.”
Created and executive produced by Chris Nee, Disney Junior’s Peabody Award-winning “Doc McStuffins” is an imaginative animated series about a six-year-old girl who communicates with and heals stuffed animals and broken toys out of her backyard playhouse clinic and in the magical McStuffins Toy Hospital. The series has been lauded globally for its modeling of good health practices and imparting to young viewers the importance of taking care of oneself and others. Shortly after the series’ premiere, a group of female African American physicians were inspired to begin a “movement” they coined “We Are Doc McStuffins,” which grew into the Artemis Medical Society, an organization that now boasts a membership of over 4700 women physicians of color from around the world.
Personally, I can tell you that DOC McSTUFFINS has been an enormously positive influence in our own home, with both of The Rock Daughters™ enthralled with the series – which has also inspired our oldest daughter to have an interest in medicine, and a desire to pursue “being a doctor and helping people” when she grows up.
The fourth season, DOC McSTUFFINS: TOY HOSPITAL is currently airing on Disney Channel, backed by a new assortment of toys from Just Play, and an assortment of new products available at the Disney Store.
