Could this be the best kids' show since Sesame Street?
When I first heard that Michelle Obama was making a Netflix show through her and Barack's Higher Ground Productions company, I think I expected something a little bit like the streaming equivalent of feeding your kids broccoli. Something charming, heartfelt, but perhaps a bit dry.
Instead what we have is a show that is both informative enough to satisfy the pompous NPR moms of Blue State America but also delight the single, childless 20- and 30- somethings that need something trippy to watch over some dank weed (I'll leave it to you, dear readers, to infer which of those two demographics I steer more closely towards).
In the three episodes I screened for this review, I followed Waffles, a yeti/frozen waffle hybrid and his pal Mochi, a Japanese ice cream treat who speaks only in moops and meeps, as they journey away from the Land of Frozen Food into a world of tasty, fresh cooking. I still have yet to wrap my head around how a Yeti mates with a frozen waffle, but thankfully this show's focus is not the birds and the bees.
Aiding them is a grocery store owner, who incidentally is named Mrs. Obama and bears a striking resemble to a certain former FLOTUS. She bookends their journey at the beginning and end of each episode atop the roof of her grocery store, bestowing upon them her words of wisdom and recapping the lessons they've learned.
The eight-part first season centers around a different culinary topic each episode such as “salt” and “tomatoes.” Admittedly Mrs. O and her puppet friends have taught me more than I ever knew about salt and I'm only just getting started.
Along the way they meet a series of chefs and culinary experts who teach them the ways of fresh, healthy eating in a series of countries across the world. Seeing Waffles and Mochi travel is a bit like watching a crossover special between Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown with The Muppets and honestly I'm living for it.
Altogether, Waffles and Mochi is charming, offbeat, and so entertaining you'll forget you actually learned something. Well done, Mrs. O.
Where to stream? Netflix
Who's it best for? Young kiddos, adult fans of The Muppets, curious admirers of Michelle Obama
Shall I stream it? Absolutely!
