Being the parent of a preschooler and a pre-preschooler, I have grown to appreciate the shows on Playhouse Disney. (That’s the early morning preschool programming on the Disney cable channels.) While Paramount has the corner on Dora, Diego and Blues, Playhouse Disney provides some nice, sweet programming that rises above the rest of the market.

Ultimately, I like Dora and Blues, but I can’t stomach too much of Noggin with lesser shows like “Oswald” and “Maggie and the Ferocious Beast.”

Both “JoJo’s Circus” and “Higglytown Heroes” are on the top of the Playhouse Disney line-up. There’s always a decent story with these shows, and the use of music and colorful animation is clever and well done. (Still, my favorite preschool show is “Little Einsteins,” but that’s a whole different topic altogether.)

This season, the Mouse House has released “A Very Playhouse Disney Holiday” featuring “JoJo’s Circus” and “Higglytown Heroes.” The biggest complaint I have is that the DVD itself is rather thin and only has one episode of each. The two shows are bridged with the interstitial program “Shanna’s Show,” also featured on Playhouse Disney.

“Shanna’s Show” is a short break from the regular programming in which young Shanna dresses up in different outfits and invites the audience to guess who she is. These segments are really cute and have some catchy music. It also helps promote interaction with the young children in the audience and builds their confidence.

The episode of “JoJo’s Circus” takes JoJo Christmas shopping, and she learns what really makes a gift perfect for his loved ones. The “Higglytown Heroes” episodes takes Twinkle to the North Pole where she becomes Santa’s helper.

The stories aren’t terribly complex, but remember that they were made for very young children. Ultimately, these two shows are the better ones offered by Playhouse Disney, and their Christmas episodes are nice examples of the shows’ spirit.

There’s one DVD game in the bonus features that kids can play. It’s a present search that helps them with matching as they try to decide which present is right for which character. And if you can make it to the end of the game, you will be treated to two sing-alongs from the selected episodes. Like the program content, this DVD could have offered more, but it’s still worth catching if you have kids that are fans of the shows.



Specifications: English subtitles for the hearing impaired.