The Mighty B!

The kids and I have found a new favorite show ---Check it out!

The complex, completely relatable and slightly off-kilter dreams and ambitions of a 9- ("and three-quarters") year-old girl, Bessie Higgenbottom.

Bessie is a bit awkward - especially in the social arena. She's still getting her teeth in, so there's a slight lisp and a watery spray to her high-octive speaking style. She is fearless in a daunting world but also struggles to be good at basic things, like how to fit in, how to get along and be understood.

Bessie channels 135 percent of her energy into her Honeybee troop, where her pursuit of Honeybee badges is legendary. Getting Honeybee badges seems to give her a purpose, and it lets her get closer to her troop mates. She's a bit obsessed with collecting all the badges, so pigtailed Bessie zeros in on each badge challenge with real zeal. Because earning a badge is a little bit like fitting in.

And there's a higher purpose as well. Bessie believes that if she's good enough to collect every possible badge (numbering at least 5,000), she will become a superhero - the Mighty B!
If you're venturing a guess that "The Mighty B!" is partly about growing up and fitting in and the anxiety that can come with that, you're right. It's also about being an individual, about believing in yourself despite adversity, having a zest for life and setting goals. Those are all good traits in kids who are 9 "and three-quarters."

But don’t even think you are getting an episode of Arthur when you tune in to Mighty B. There are lessons, sure, but they are buried in pure silly, mindless entertainment. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, and this show is FUNNY!

Bessie lives in San Francisco, which I easily figured out the first time I saw the show- cable cars, recognizable architecture and a multi-ethnic cast. Her mom rides a motorcycle, sports a tattoo, and I haven’t heard any mention of a father figure yet

Because even though "The Mighty B!" is firmly out of that wonderful no-commercials block of educational children's television, it still has an important message to convey: that transitioning into the "tweener" stage of life can be daunting and formidable, particularly for a girl, but that they are not alone. Did I mention that this show is FUNNY! ?

"The Mighty B!" proves that Bessie has no shortage of self-esteem and that given a shelter dog named Happy and a ragtag group of friends in similar stages of awkward growth, she's going to do just fine.

The Mighty B! Cartoon Network---Check Listings...