Disney Junior’s Doc McStuffins has been on the air since 2012 and is a staple of the network. The characters have universal appeal amongst preschoolers and the series has been praised for providing a great role model to children. Dottie McStuffins is a kid who pretends to be a doctor like her mother by fixing her favorite toys, which come to life when no adults are around.
Cuddle Me Lambie is the 5th DVD release, all of which have been compilations of episodes based on a theme. This release is themed to Doc’s stuffed lamb Lambie and features 2 hours of episodes, many of which feature Lambie as an important character. It arrives just in time for Valentine’s Day, with hearts all over the box.
The first episode is called “My Huggy Valentine” when Doc comes home from school with her box of Valentine’s cards, her parents give her a plush heart named Val and Doc surprises her toy friends by introducing her. All of her toys are throwing a Valentine’s Day party and it’s Lambie’s favorite holiday, so her feelings get hurt when Val gets all of the attention. Doc diagnoses Lambie with “split heartitis” and the cure is an apology and a hug.
In “Dusty Bear,” Stuffy (a dragon) and Lambie discover Doc’s brother Donny’s old toy Teddy B. that got put away in a closet. He’s sad, so they give him the cuddles he’s been missing. When Teddy B. is reunited with Donny, they find out that the reason he was put away is because Donny is allergic to the dust inside him. Doc’s diagnosis is the “dusty musties” and the cure is for Doc’s mom to wash him so he can cuddle with Donny again.
“Awesome Guy’s Awesome Arm” finds Awesome Guy (a superhero action figure) defending Lambie’s toy house from the tyrannical King. When Awesome Guy hurts his arm, Doc gives him a checkup and determines that he needs to not use his arm while it heals.
In “Lamb in a Jam,” Lambie is excited to go with Doc to Take Your Toy to School Day to get cuddles from all of her classmates. However, Lambie gets pink spots all over when she goes in Doc’s backpack. It turns about to be jam from Doc’s PB&J and Doc’s dad won’t have time to clean her, so Lambie has to stay home.
“Kirby and the King” finds Sir Kirby (a knight toy) battling to save Lambie’s star glasses from the King, who stole them. Bu”t when a cardboard monster from Doc’s friend arrives, they get stuck together and must work as a team to get to Doc so she can perform a procedure to separate them.
Doc’s friend Donny is coming over for a bubble popping party, but the party is ruined when he can’t stop sneezing and has to go home. Later, Doc’s bubble monkey has a similar problem in “Bubble Monkey, Blow Your Nose!” After she is all better, Doc bringer her to Donny’s house to comfort him while he has a cold.
In “A Day Without Cuddles,” Lambie and Doc are celebrating International Cuddle Day. But after Doc’s dad makes them cuddle cakes, Lambie is covered in a flower and comes down with a case of “flowertosis.” Lambie decides to not infect her friends by not cuddling until the day is over when Doc’s dad cleans her.
Doc gets a new kaleidoscope toy who is great at spinning in “Collide-O-Scope.” When the other toys take turns spinning her, she bumps her head and needs Doc to look at it because you should always talk to somebody when you bump your head.
Doc’s dad is going to babysit a baby named Sookie in “Mirror, Mirror On My Penguin.” Doc is excited to play with Sookie, who brings over a mirror penguin toy. Baby gook gets all over her and Sookie stops smiling, so Doc gives her a checkup. She determines she has a case of “mirror smearors” and cleans her mirror.
The final story is “Hide and Eek!” finds Elma and Donnie playing with a monster toy. Meanwhile, Doc’s toys play hide and seek. When the monster toy is left alone, he comes to life and Lambie and Chilly are afraid of him. Doc finds the monster crying and discovers he has a torn arm. The other toys want him to change, but in the end they accept him exactly as he is.
Video
Doc McStuffins looks better on DVD than it does on Cable, but the target audience probably won’t care how good the picture quality is. Only that their favorite characters are on this disc.
Audio
The default audio is English 2.0, which is sensory friendly for little ones that might get startled by surround sound. Other language options are French and Spanish.
Packaging & Design
Doc McStuffins: Cuddle Me Lambie is housed in a standard black DVD case. Inserts include a Disney Movie Rewards code (100 points) and a flier for Disney Movie Club. For a limited time, this release comes with a pair of Lambie hair clips, which are packaged together loose inside. The case is housed in an embossed slipcover.
“This DVD is enhanced with Disney’s Fast-Play.” If you let it run its course, it plays ads for Inside Out, 101 Dalmatians Diamond Edition, and Tinker Bell and the Legend of the Neverbeast. After the episodes play there are ads for Disney Movie Rewards, Doc McStuffins on Disney Junior, Sofia the First and Disney Nature Monkey Kingdom.
Final Thoughts
I requested assistance from a 5 year old Disney Junior fan to help me review this disc. He was initially put off by the thought that this disc would be all about Lambie, but he really enjoyed all of the episodes. The design and inclusion of hair clips mean Disney assumes this will only appeal to girls, but the appeal of Doc McStuffins crosses gender barriers (especially at the preschool level) and this DVD is perfect for any little fan of the series.