Inspector Gadget
By Contributor Stephanie Young

As the holidays approach, we always look at movies or TV series as presents for our 8-year-old. What kid doesn’t like a good show?

I have had to ban or limit some of the new shows that come out because of weird imagery, too much action, or crude and inappropriate behavior.

This is why we enjoy classic shows.

The animated Inspector Gadget is a real classic. The Emmy-nominated TV series premiered in the U.S. in 1983 and remained in syndication until the late 1990s. It was named No. 54 on the IGN Entertainment list of the Top 100 Best Animated TV shows.

Several DVDs have been released by Cinedigm, including: a 12-DVD package set of Seasons One and Two with over 32 hours; separate sets for Season One and Season Two; and Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas.

When I was asked to review Season One, I figured my very gadget-y boy would enjoy it, but I was surprised to find I did too.

Inspector Gadget reminds me a lot of Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther movies. He’s bumbling and clumsy but his heart is in the right place and somehow he always solves his case.

Brady has watched the whole season already and is now re-watching the episodes. He tells me “Inspector Gadget is hilarious” and “I wish I had a bunch of gadgets like that. He’s cool!” That’s big praise from this 8-year-old.

Inspector Gadget

We have laughed throughout this retro series. If you’re looking for a fun, entertaining classic the whole family can appreciate, Inspector Gadget is perfect.

The Christmas movie runs $12.95; individual seasons are $24.95 (8 hours each) and the mega set is $99.95.

You can see the opening theme for the series here and the plot of the Christmas episode is: “Dr. Claw, Inspector Gadget’s arch enemy, captures Santa Claus and proclaims himself Santa Claw, all with the aim of ruining Christmas. It’s up to Inspector Gadget to travel to the North Pole to save the day and bring joy back to the world.”

Disclosure: I received a sample of a product to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided and all views and opinions stated on this post are 100% my own.

Stephanie Young lives in the heart of Kansas where she is mom to a spirited 8-year-old boy, self-employed with her husband and writes the blog From the Burbs to the Boonies about living large in small-town USA.