Am I the only one that has been wondering what the living situation is on the Nick Jr’s show – Max and Ruby?
It’s a pretty sweet show where a young girl bunny(Ruby) takes care of her little bunny brother. The Little sibling bunny(Max) often solves their dilemmas in the end, even though he is just three. That’s all well and good. But here is what drives me NUTS…
They never show the parent bunnies!
They do have a grandma bunny that sometimes pops up in episodes. And they sometimes visit her house. But it’s Ruby we see making sure little Max eats his breakfast, Takes him to the county fair, and puts him to bed! When Max is scared at night it’s Ruby that traipses from her room to his multiple times a night to get him to go to sleep! And I find myself screaming in my mind – Go wake up your mom Ruby!! Get help from your dad!!
And then one day it occurred to me- Max and Ruby are orphans!
Poor dears are living in that big bunny house alone! Are they afraid of asking for help? Of being put in Bunny foster care? Are they hiding from Bunny Child Protective services? Why is the grandma going along with it?! Ruby is only 7!! Couldn’t she move into their house? Let them stay in familiar surroundings? Is bunny grandpa not in favor? Is he even alive? We don’t see him either…
It’s a bunny family torn apart!!
Underneath those smiles is pain people… Pure Bunny Pain.
I heard there are some rumors that Max and Ruby’s parents (Peter and Beatrix) may have had a “run in” with Farmer McGregor. It’s all very sad. I find watching the show very sobering now, kind of like watching a particularly touching episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Or a very special Oprah.
Get help Ruby!! If you can’t do it for you – do it for Max!!!
Update: If you want to know what the creator of the show says about the mystery of the absent parents, you can check it out here.
About Shannon SchmidShannon traded in her sensible NYC TV producer shoes (they were best for taking the subway), for a pair of Texas Cowboy boots when she married her best friend! He's at fault for making this Yankee a Texan! Shannon writes about all things that make a house a home. Her chief blogging inspiration is being the proud & slightly neurotic mom of a preschool age daughter.
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Ok….slowly pick up the remote and turn the channel to something less traumatizing…maybe CNN 🙂 LOL Just kidding 🙂
My guess as to why they might not show parents, and this is just a guess…and a sad one at that, is that many times kids have to fend for themselves. They don’t have an adult they can wake up to help at night or anyone to get them ready for school in the morning. They have to be self-reliant so Max and Ruby show kids that they matter and what they do and how they help each other matters. And it shows the real-life kids who don’t have an adult around all of the time that they’re ok and they are intelligent beings that can figure things out. Lots of other shows have the parents there and that’s great…it’s just a different perspective. Max and Ruby is a show for kids, all about kids, from their perspective it sounds like (never having actually seen the show).
Much love to you and yours! 🙂
@Laura, Actually jokes aside you pretty much right Laura. At the end of a blog is a link to what the creator said when asked about the parents- and its pretty close to your hunch:)
Wow! It is pretty close! I noticed some parents commented that they are still uneasy with the cartoon and that Ruby has to make decisions that are beyond what a kid should have to do. What those very good parents don’t understand is that there are neglectful parents out there whose children do have to take on that kind of responsibility and I kinda think it’s nice that those kids have a cartoon that they can maybe relate to as well. Kids with great parents have lots of shows they can watch and can see their situation mirrored in the cartoon. Other kids are not so fortunate. Good for Max and Ruby and their creator 🙂
I wish they would have picture of the parents on the wall somewhere in the house at least.
@JDaniel4’s Mom, I believe that there’s a family portrait in the entryway to Max and Ruby’s house.
I agree. But, as a children’s book writer, I’ve come to realize that kids do need to focus on how they can solve little dilemmas by themselves so maybe that’s what the writer’s thoughts are? It just doesn’t seem safe to have them sleep at night without their bunny mama though. 🙂
Conversations (good ones) change so much after you become a parent, don’t they? LOL
I always wondered about their parents too but I think there was ONE episode where the parents were sort of there once. Maybe. Maybe not.
At any rate, I too think it is true that many children are made to be more self-reliant than they should be so it is…..reality television for kids??
Thanks for the giggle and I loved readig the responses to this!
Okay….I freaking LOVE this post:) The funny thing…is my daughter is upstairs watching it right now!!! LOL!!! I love it! I am always asking the same questions and it bugs the crap out of me! My 3 year old obviously doesn’t care, and my 8 year old and husband never understand why I put SO much thought into to let it get to me like that!
P.S. I also love Grey’s. I feel like a part of us are kindred spirits!
I don’t find the missing parents as annoying as Ruby’s super bossiness!! Loved the post!
HA this is so funny bc I always think the same thing. Poor Ruby left to take care of a house and kid all alone while be a small girl ‘bunny’ herself. But they when you think they are talking bunnies with a house and clothes it does not seem so out there :p
LOL!! I used to say the same thing! hehehehehe…
Oh my dear lord. I wish you were in NY cause I’d take you out with the adults again.
start watching the shows traffic, better than you,, and perfect couples and we’ll reconvene next week… without cartoons.
Oh what!! Not going to be able to watch that show again. I always did find Ruby to be quite bossy. Poor Max, he just wants to be a carefree bunny!
The post is really funny! My daughter watches it all the time. I never thought of it.
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Hi from mom loop comment follow. What a fun post, I find Max and Ruby just one of many shows with missing parents, even with Dora, she has parents that you see but they let their 7 year old run all over the world by herself. Maybe mom and dad bunny just have too many other kids they are taking care of, Ruby is like an oldest daughter of a large family, they do have more responsibility helping their siblings than most families.
Oh no…another example of a broken family unit. 🙁 Thank goodness for the love of a grandparent to pick up the pieces. Thanks for a fun read.
Regards from a follower from Mom Loop Friday.
Whew – I’m lucky Max and Ruby weren’t around yet when my children were little! Saved some undue trauma. We thought it was bad enough there were so many dead mothers in movies, even in Bambi! Visiting from Mom Loop.
My 3 year old daughter has asked me where their parents are every time she has seen the show at her grandparents’ house… I’ve never had an answer…
Stopping by from the Mom Loop
It is SO funny that you wrote about this yesterday! I had a big Max & Ruby discussion on Twitter yesterday and we were all wondering where their parents were!
Oh, and I am stopping by from Blog Frog – Mom Loop Comment Follow
My kids love this show & I honestly had not given it any thought. Now, I’m going to pay attention. I think I was too focused on how Max is like one of my twin boys.
Personally, I don’t care about this matter
The parents of Max & Ruby didn’t show up in the Max & Ruby books nor on the Weston Woods animated adaptations of “Max’s Christmas” (1988) and “Max’s Chocolate Chicken” (1991)
The show mainly focuses on the relationship between Max and his big sister Ruby, Rosemary Wells (the creator of Max & Ruby) made it that way
My daughter loved that show when she was a preschooler. One day, I asked out loud, where are there parents? Without missing a beat, she said , they’re in jail. We laughed so hard at that thought since we don’t know anyone in jail but in her little mind that was the only reason that their parents would not be there. Makes me wonder where she thought I was when I was late. lol
Amen, sister! I’ve been wondering the same thing! And while we’re at it, what’s up with Caillou’s hair? He’s four, right? Where is it all?!!
P.S. We love “Charlie and Lola” and they don’t seem to have parents either!
Thank you?!? I have been wondering that for years. It bothered me when my boys were little. They are now 17,15, and 10. I did not lose sleep over this, but I always wondered. I’m just glad that now I know that I am not the only one who thought about this.
I would like to share this to my facebook page, do you have a Facebook share button that I’m just missing when I look around the page?
@Lori, Lori- I have a Twitter share and stumble upon just under the post. To share on Facebook just copy the link at the top of the page, and put under “link” on your Facebook status bar:)
Glad you liked the post!
max and rubys parents are not shown because the producers wanted to show how kids can resolve problems themselves.
In an exclusive interview with Nick Jr., Rosemary Wells, the author of the highly acclaimed children’s books the show is based on, says: “We don’t see Max and Ruby’s parents because I believe that kids resolve their issues and conflicts differently when they’re on their own. The television series gives kids a sense about how these two siblings resolve their conflicts in a humorous and entertaining way.”
I love this show! I especially love their little house and the closet under the stairs. Wish I could have something like that,and the bathroom is to die for! It is huge and the floor tile is great,and combined with the radiator and claw footed bath tub it is jsut what i would do if I had the chance. The utter simplicity of their home is wonderful,from the soft green walls and the wallpaper right down to their red,colorful sofa and chair,and, do you ever notice that there is NO tv?! A big floor radio from ther 30’s and 40’s.
I don’t care what the author is trying to show. A 7 year old and a 3 year old should not be resolving conflicts on their own. I would not let my 7 and 3 year old live alone. Thats exactly what these kids are doing. I have watched severl if not all episodes of max and rubby and I have never seen their parents. This includes an episode on christmas eav into christmas and I thought finally we may see their parents, and yet no there not there. Again with an easter episode. Their parents are never shown they even go into town on their own. You can show how kids can somewhat try to solve confilict on their own with out making them parentless. Dora the explorer does stuff on her own, but I have seen her parents in several episodes. Franklin and Little Bear as well, they do stuff on their own but you still see their parents. The only family portrait you ever see is of them with their grandparents. These kids need sepervision.
@jessica,
My Goodness….Its a cartoon, and children do not delve into the adult issues that we do!!!! So, yes Doras parents are around, but they let her swing from jungle vines, and trapse all over the world…but you are cool with that???? Max and Ruby is a wonderful cartoon and you see the relationship between the siblings. I understand we do not see the parents, but the show is about Max and Ruby!!!!! Its a cartoon…..why dont you just say the Parents are at work, or outside, or in the kitchen, or whatever??? Dont make a mountian out of a Mole Hill!!!
Are you really gonna be one of those Parents…”My child cant watch this educational, and non violent cartoon because I cannot see the Parents?”
I think this show is adorable. Max reminds me so much of my two year old and his hilarious attempts to communicate and make his opinion known as he develops language.
(And if you watch very carefully, in some episodes, you will see a “photograph” of Max and Ruby with their parents on one of the walls in the living room.)
Who pays for Max and Ruby’s house
Another question I have, the grandma, whose mom is she?? Max & Ruby’s mom or dad?? Damn it where are they? My little girl has been asking me for 3 years!!!! I have no clue. Have they been abducted?? Workaholics, alcoholics?? We need answers…!!!!
My toddlers 2 and 4 watch the show as well. I have asked this question a zillion times. Now y son 4 yrs old is asking me were the mommy and daddy are. I don’t have an answer for him. Its confusing for him. I think we might stop watching this show. Yes Dora traves the world but she has her parents in the picture. So their is no broken home or family. Kids don’t need to learn to solve everything on their own thats why they have parents. No 7 yr old should have to take care of their younger sibling like their the parent. My older daughter was 8 yrs old when my son was born, I would never of left her to take care of him. Hell I didnt even leave my 10 yr old son with him. They were young and still need me now at 14, 12, 4, and 2. Its not our kids jobs to raise the younger ones.
i know,i have always thought about that when i am watching max and ruby with my kids
i am single and i have a lot of cats and i speak cat and they say WHERES MAX AND RUBY PARENTS ARE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Has it ever occurred to you all that perhaps max and ruby are both significantly older, say mid-twenties, and max is a special needs adult? This would explain the absence of parents (they were weak people and ditched their responsibilities), and also why ruby is the primary caregiver. Food for thought…