Masha and the Bear

This adventure/comedy Russian animated television show is loosely inspired by a Russian fairytale and follows the adventures of a mischievous little girl, Masha, and her friend the Bear who often saves her from trouble. Besides Masha, the majority of characters that appear in the show are anthropomorphic animals. The show has been said to teach valuable lessons like problem-solving, “girl power,” and the value of timeouts; however, some have expressed concerns that the show encourages bullying and disobedient behavior and may include subtle Russian propaganda.

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Evaluation

Overview

Genre

Entertainment

Intended Audience

Live or Animated?

Animated

Episodes Evaluated

“Who am I? (Episode 78)/Big Hike (Episode 80)/What's inside? (Episode 81)”

“Finders Keepers (Episode 86)/Call me please! (Episode 9)/Prances with Wolves (Episode 5)”

“Happy Harvest (Episode 50)/La Do lce Vita (Episode 33)/Stripes and Whiskers (Episode 20)”

Pacing: 3/10

Masha and the Bear was fairly fast paced, with a mean of 17.94 cuts/minute.

Fantasy: 5/10

This show had moderate levels of fantasy - Masha, being the only human character, grows up with anthropomorphic animals who teach, cook, and play with her. In some episodes, magic also makes an appearance; for example, in “Happy Harvest,” Masha uses a magic wand to give all the characters Halloween transformations/costumes. On average, there were 12 fantastically incidents/episode or 0.68 incidents/minute.

Violence: 5/10

Masha and the Bear had moderate levels of violence compared to the other nine shows. Violent incidents presented in the show include when squirrels angrily throw fruits at Masha and the Bear, when the wolves kick and punch each other, and when Masha stabs the wolves with syringe needles. On average, there were 6 incidents of violence/episode or 0.30 incidents/minute.

Prosocial: 6/10

There were moderate levels of prosocial behavior in Masha and the Bear, with a mean of 12.67 incidents/episode or 0.62 incidents/minute. Examples of prosocial behaviors present in the show include the many instances where Bear protects or saves Masha from her misadventures and the consequences of her mischief (i.e. when she “fixes” a plane she took apart and flies it until it goes out of control in the sky).

Interactivity: 1/10

Masha and the Bear did not incorporate any interactive elements throughout the show.

Overall Rating: #5 (20/50)

Overall, Masha and the Bear was 5th place for likelihood of promoting executive function development in children who view the show.