A big gap?

I have spent the last hour searching through all the kids shows on tv - both free to air and sky. Why? Because Jaimee had declared she is getting past our favourite preschool channels and asked to watch the other kids channels. Hmmm..we will see.

So I taped a couple of big shows on nickolodean and the Disney channel and sat down to screen them. I thought I was being safe with a show about a girl who turns into a mermaid - sounds like something Jaimee would love alright! But the first 5 minutes showed a couple who looked about 18 out on a date, kissing and cuddling as they talked. Much too old for a 6 year old! I turned it off almost immediately. Next it was a couple of hyperactive teenagers with a web blog. Better, but Jaimee still couldn't follow the jokes or storyline very well. These shows are all aimed at 10-16 year olds.

So what is there between these tween shows and Dora? Jaimee is getting past "can you find the red butterfly?" and "hop with me!" at 6.
Tati's Hotel was the only thing she torally adored, it was brilliant - and just went off the air yesterday. Typical!

I tried to think about what I liked at her age. The smurfs, rainbow brite, pound puppies, Care Bears and loony tunes all spring to mind. Where are these shows?' What replaces them in this generation? I really can't find anything to fit a 6 year old girl!

I think there is huge market gap here and I hope someone can deal with it soon, because otherwise I think I am down to the video shop to hire some of my own childhood shows!