For families, TV time is all about sharing. But for many dads, TV time is also about introducing little ones to the surprises, adventures and fantastic worlds of his favourite childhood shows. This heirloom experience makes watching with dad all about geeking out, bonding, and passing the torch of fandom from one generation to the next.

Netflix Finds 85% of Dads Around the World Plan to Pass Down

The Cartoons They Grew Up With to Their Kids

According to new research* from Netflix, 79% of Canadian dads love re-watching the TV shows and movies they grew up on with their kids, and 65% of Canadian Dads watch cartoons when streaming TV shows and movies with their kids.

So what classic TV shows are dads passing down? Alvin and The Chipmunks, Scooby Doo, Spider-Man, The Smurfs and Transformersare Canadian dads’ favourite shows to watch with their kids.

Not only do 76% of dads in Canada say watching retro TV shows or movies with their kids lets them feel like a kid again, but 48% of them say their kids enjoy watching shows and movies with them because it is their special bonding time.

Canada Stats (DAD)*:

• 65% of Dads watch cartoons when streaming TV shows and movies with their children
• 76% of Dads “feel like a kid again” when watching retro TV shows or movies with their kids
• 25% of Dads watch cartoons and other TV shows or movies with their kids to relive their childhood, laugh at the hilarious scenes from old favorites and pass these memories down to their kids
• 79% of Dads who watch TV shows or movies with their kids are re-watching their favorite shows and movies that they grew up watching
• 48% of Dads say their kids enjoy watching shows and movies with them because that is their bonding time
• 38% of Dads say they let their kids pick what they watch together, while nearly as many (35%) admit that they enjoy the same kinds of shows

Canadian Dad’s Top Shows to Watch With Kids:

• Alvin and The Chipmunks
• Scooby Doo
• Spider-Man
• The Smurfs
• Transformers

There’s a powerful connection that comes from bonding with your kids over the stories you loved growing up.  According to new research* from Netflix, 85% of dads around the world have already or plan to introduce their kids to the cartoons they grew up watching.  Not only does it let them feel like a kid again (75%) and help them teach life lessons (76%), but dads take seriously the role of keeping alive the pop culture references from their childhood.  And two-thirds of them (66%) are turning to internet TV services like Netflix for this new family tradition.

“The Saturday morning cartoon tradition we grew up with lives on with Netflix, but now families can choose when they want to watch those nostalgic shows together,”  said Erik Barmack, Vice President of global content acquisition.  “From Transformers and The Smurfs to My Little Pony and Pokémon, dads are passing down some of the greats already and we’ll keep adding more classics like new versions of Danger Mouse and Care Bears.”

We enjoy watching Full House (for the adults it’s re-watching).  We enjoy all the craziness that Danny, Jesse, and Joey get into!  It’s a good, clean laugh and life … the kind of life that just happens!

The survey asked dads what shows they’re most looking forward to passing down.  Superheros ranked high around the world with shows like Spider-man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Marvel’s Avengers.  The survey also revealed a few key cultural differences between countries:

• Dads in the U.S. ‘Go, Go Gadget Go’ for Inspector Gadget
• Tom and Jerry earned the top spot among dads in Brazil
• British dads are loyal to Danger Mouse
• Canadians find the Smurfs…well, Smurfy
• Asterix is king with French dads
• Dads in Germany have a soft spot for Pippi Longstocking
• Mexican dads favor the Pink Panther

Families can find these and other shows on Netflix at Netflix.com/heirloomCA.

And while this rite of passage creates inside jokes and even a secret code between families, the time spent watching together is also one of the reasons 90% of dads love watching with their children.  But not all dads are created equal…or so they say about themselves:

• Dads in the U.S. are most likely to let the kids stay up late
• Brazilian dads take pride in making the best snacks
• British dads let the fun of watching together extend even after the show is over
• Canadian dads give themselves the most credit for liking the same shows as their kids
• French dads think they choose the coolest shows
• German dads rank themselves among the top snugglers and silliest viewing partners
• Mexican dads say they let their kids be king of the remote

Dad isn’t the only one creating these new family traditions.  Moms use TV shows to teach life lessons, but they’re also driven by the fond memories (84%) and the familiarity the shows bring (78%).  Care Bears tops mom’s list of cartoons she grew up with that she’s planning to pass down.  But moms also end up watching shows their kids introduce them to (77%).  And in the end, 87% of moms enjoy watching their kids snuggle up to the other parent for TV time.

About the Netflix Kids Offering

Netflix has a dedicated section for kids under 12 years old featuring dozens of original series for kids as well as TV shows and movies from great partners like PBS, Disney Channel, DreamWorks Animation, Mattel, Hasbro, Lego and Scholastic, all in a commercial free environment.  The dedicated section for kids is available across a broad range of devices including PCs and Macs, iPads, game consoles, streaming devices and smart TVs. Members are provided a kids profile upon sign up and can customize additional profiles for their kids. The kids experience features a character bar where you can find a deep selection of great TV shows and movies featuring that character. Kids, parents and caregivers will also be able to scan through row after row of movies and TV shows organized by easy-to-understand genres like superheroes, princesses, dinosaurs and girl power, featuring clear and simple descriptions of the plot of each title.

About Netflix

Netflix is the world’s leading Internet television network with over 62 million members in over 50 countries enjoying more than 100 million hours of TV shows and movies per day, including original series, documentaries and feature films. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

About the Research

*The external survey was conducted online by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Netflix from April 8 – May 8, 2015 among a sample of 7,009 parents age 18 and over, including respondents who stream TV shows/movies with their children from Brazil, Canada, Mexico, UK, Germany, France, and the US. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for all parents.

Disclosure:  I receive a Netflix subscription in exchange for my posts.  I am not obliged to give a positive review. Any opinion(s) expressed is my own, and is given freely. Any information acquired from Netflix’s various social media formats has been authorized, and has been done so as to facilitate my post/review.