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Petey the Stargazer

In this episode

This episode is one video with 2 short stories. Each story gets its own review and score.

Good

Recommended age Unlock

Co-watching from age 3

Balanced

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Petey the Stargazer

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This program is well-balanced. It remains mostly easy to follow and process. It is a good fit for the recommended age. The pacing is moderate. The story remains easy for a child to follow. The sound is soft and supportive. The visuals are calm and well-organized.

One clear thread carries the whole episode: Petey stops believing in aliens, and his friends set out to bring that wonder back. Events follow one another with a recognisable beginning, middle and end, and each action leads to a sensible next step, from the staged UFO to the whole town preparing a welcome. The build stays easy to follow, with the small caveat that the crowded town-square sequences introduce many new characters and details at once. A child can still track who wants what and why throughout.

The tone is caring and consistent: Goldie and Romeo notice Petey is hurting and act out of genuine concern for his feelings, and the friends reassure one another warmly. Dips in mood, Petey's disappointment and Teeny's brief panic that it will be 'the end of days', are each followed by comfort and resolution, so tension does not linger. The one thing to hold in mind is that the whole plan rests on a well-meaning deception, which is only made right in the honest conversation at the end. Characters behave predictably and kindly toward each other across the episode.

The children drive the story themselves; keeping Petey's sense of wonder alive is Goldie's own idea, and the group plans and builds their staged alien visit across several visible steps. There is real initiative and some testing of ideas, such as checking whether the floating object is a UFO or, as it turns out, a blimp. The caveat is that most of the effort goes into staging a pretend event rather than investigating a genuine question, so the thinking is more about elaborate make-believe than trial-and-adjust reasoning. Still, the friends set goals, act on them and see them through.

Dialogue is clear and made up of complete, well-formed sentences, and words are used correctly and consistently in context. The vocabulary reaches a little higher than everyday speech, with playful terms like 'postmodern architecture', 'intergalactic visitors' and 'fauna and flora', mostly explained or carried by the situation. A few words sit above what a five-year-old will know, which is the small trade-off here. Most exchanges carry real information or description rather than empty exclamation, so the language stays purposeful.

The episode is grounded in a recognisable small town and includes real-world anchors like using a telescope, stargazing and reading a comic book, plus a genuine science aside that stars are balls of hot gas rather than fairies. The limitation is clear: much of the on-screen activity, building a fake UFO, making crop circles, dressing as aliens, is elaborate pretend that a child cannot carry into daily life. The strongest transferable value is social, the friendship and community care that follow familiar human patterns. Practical, imitable actions are thinner than the imaginative ones.

More information

The town of Boysenburg is filled with people of different skin tones, ages and body types, and one of the two lead children, Petey, uses a wheelchair while being the group's alien expert and the town's chosen ambassador. Goldie, a Black girl, drives the whole plan to keep Petey believing, and her friend Teeny joins in, so initiative and ideas are shared rather than parked with one character. Petey's wheelchair is simply part of who he is, never a problem to overcome or a source of pity. The picture stays fairly steady throughout, with the clearest gap being that family life and caregiving relationships barely appear.

This episode is grounded in a familiar small-town world of backyard telescopes, comic books, and neighbors preparing a welcome party, with one clear imaginative twist: Goldie is a giant who can lift the roof off a house or hold a friend in her palm. The story runs on feelings rather than a fight between good and evil, as the friends stage a pretend alien visit so Petey does not lose his sense of wonder, and there is no villain anywhere in it. The fantasy stays honest with itself, since the 'aliens' are openly revealed as a caring trick and Goldie's size works the same way from start to finish. For a five-year-old the balance of a recognizable town and a friendly bit of make-believe lands comfortably.

This one is a genuine pleasure to sit through as the grown-up on the couch. There is a real story with an emotional twist, jokes pitched over the children's heads, and clean, expressive animation. The bright palette gets busy in the crowd scenes, but nothing here grates on adult ears or eyes.

Themes

Imagination

The friends keep Petey's belief in aliens alive by staging crop circles, a UFO and alien costumes.

Friendship

Goldie and Romeo go to great lengths so Petey will not lose his sense of wonder.

Believing

Central

The repeated line 'A little believing never hurt anyone' frames the whole episode.

Space

The friends stargaze through telescopes and read the comic 'Tales from Zorbania' about aliens and the universe.

Telling the truth

Petey learns there was 'no Zor-Zor after all' and the friends admit they staged everything.

Kindness

Goldie says believing in aliens 'made you so happy, I didn't want you to lose that'.

Community

Recurring

The whole town of Boysenburg prepares plants, music and welcome signs for the visitors.

Curiosity

Petey pores over his comic book to learn everything about Zorbanians and their antennae.

Activities

Stargazing

Petey and Goldie look through telescopes at the night sky searching for UFOs.

Pretend play

The children stage an entire alien arrival with costumes and a homemade UFO.

Reading

Petey reads 'Tales from Zorbania' to learn about aliens and crop circles.

Building

The friends construct a UFO and lift the roof off Petey's house for the staged visit.

Planning

The town collects plants, music and grapefruit juice to welcome the Zorbanians.

Emotions

Wonder

Petey gazes up saying 'the night sky is so beautiful' and marvels at the universe.

Sadness

Petey slumps saying 'maybe aliens aren't real after all', which breaks Goldie's heart.

Excitement

Petey shouts 'this is the best time of my life!' when he thinks he meets Zor-Zor.

Joy

The friends celebrate together once Petey says 'I believe in everything now'.

Empathy

Goldie says it breaks her heart to see Petey so down and wants him to keep his wonder.

Disappointment

Petey's hope collapses when the supposed UFO turns out to be a blimp.

Behaviour

Pretend play

The children build a fake UFO and dress as aliens to fool Petey and the town.

Deception

Goldie speaks as 'Zor-Zor' through a flashlight trick to convince Petey aliens are real.

Planning

The friends organise crop circles, welcome signs and a staged arrival to make the aliens 'come'.

Helping

Romeo tells Goldie 'then let's do something about it' to lift Petey's spirits.

Problem solving

The group works out how to keep Petey believing after the blimp mix-up disappoints him.

Reading

Petey reads his comic book aloud to learn facts about the Zorbanians.

Admitting mistakes

The friends confess the whole alien visit was pretend and explain why they did it.

Social lessons

Friendship

Petey says if having friends like Goldie and Teeny is possible, then anything is possible.

Kindness

The friends stage the whole event purely so Petey will not lose his happiness.

Emotional support

Goldie and Romeo act the moment they notice Petey feeling down.

Community

The residents of Boysenburg come together to prepare a welcome for the visitors.

Honesty

The friends ultimately tell Petey the truth and he values their friendship over the illusion.

Deception

The children deliberately deceive Petey and the whole town into believing aliens are real, though they confess at the end.

Consumerism

Mrs. Petunia tries to profit off the 'intergalactic visitors' with souvenirs, saying 'I hope the aliens bring their wallets'.

Petey, a boy who loves stargazing, decides aliens must not be real after a supposed UFO turns out to be a blimp. His friends Goldie and Romeo, unwilling to let him lose that wonder, secretly stage crop circles, a homemade UFO and an alien visitor named Zor-Zor, and soon the whole town of Boysenburg prepares a welcome. When Petey discovers it was all his friends' doing, he decides that having friends like them means anything is possible and keeps believing. The segment ends with the group back at their telescopes and a short teaser for the next story.

Season 1

12 episodes

Goldie

Goldie

Giant Surprise

recommended age co-watching from 3

Goldie, a giant girl living in the town of Boysenberg, sees the townsfolk gathering presents and assumes her tiny best friend Teenie is throwing a party. She spends the day chasing the perfect gift, trying a drawing, a sweater, sticks and rocks, and finally a pet yeti that escapes and scatters the guests. Heartbroken, Goldie cries at her secret spot until her friends find her and reveal the party was for her all along, marking her gotcha day. The town welcomes her as family and celebrates with a giant cake.

Goldie

Goldie

Stuck

recommended age co-watching from 3

Goldie, a friendly giant girl raised by a small bird named Romeo, gets stuck in the street of her whimsical town and cannot free herself. Her friends Teeny and Petey try spoons and then call the mayor, while a greedy shop owner, Mrs. Petunia, turns Goldie into a paid sideshow. When Goldie finally breaks loose, chaos and panic follow until she catches the falling townsfolk and steadies a toppling statue. She ends by asking the town to accept her differences, and they welcome her as a friend.

Goldie

Goldie

Tall Teeny

recommended age co-watching from 3

In a colorful amusement-park town, a small girl named Teeny feels overlooked when she is turned away from a ride for being too short. With her friend Goldie, she pretends to be tall using a disguise and enjoys new treatment before admitting the truth. When the mayor's cat gets stuck in a maze that only someone small can enter, Teeny saves it as her real self and is honored for her bravery. She ends the day deciding she is happy to stay small.

Goldie

Goldie

Pilroy

recommended age co-watching from 3

In a bright town where a giant girl named Goldie lives among smaller friends, Petey has a fight with his best friend Pilroy, who then runs away. Goldie, Teeny and Romeo spend the day searching shops and asking the mayor and townsfolk, following clues to an antique shop where a woman describes a nearly identical friend of her own. At a forest tea party the group discovers that Pilroy, and several other characters' oldest friends, are imaginary. Petey apologises, exchanges friendship bracelets with Pilroy, and Goldie learns that imaginary friends are whatever a person needs them to be.

Goldie

Goldie

The Hiding Spot

recommended age co-watching from 3

Goldie, a giant girl who lives in a whimsical town, plays hide-and-seek with her friends Teenie and Petey but feels too big to hide well. When her turn comes she wanders into an unfamiliar part of the forest, hides so thoroughly that she gets lost, and starts to believe no one wants to find her. The Mayor and her friends form a search party and eventually reunite with her, telling her they love her exactly as she is. The episode ends with the friends inventing a new game called 'glide and seek.'

Goldie

Goldie

Frand or Foe

recommended age co-watching from 3

Goldie, a giant girl, arrives at her friend Teenie's house for her first slumber party, only to find her enormous hand becomes the star of the town. As fans give the hand awards, concerts and merchandise, Goldie grows jealous of her own body part and feels invisible. After she accidentally tips a vat of mud over a crowd, her friends remind her they love the hand only because it is part of her. The episode ends with Goldie making peace with herself and settling in for the night with her friends.

Goldie

Goldie

Birds of a Feather

recommended age co-watching from 3

Goldie, a girl with the power to fly and grant wishes, decides everyone in the town of Boysenburg deserves a best friend and sets out with her bird Romeo to pair them up. She matches people by looks and shared interests, but every pairing goes wrong, from bickering mayors to a botched haircut, until the town is in disarray. Crushed, Goldie realises her mistake and, thinking about her own bond with Romeo, understands that friendship comes from loving what is inside each other, not from being alike. She returns to undo the forced matches and lets people find their own friends.

Goldie

Goldie

Mayor Teeny

recommended age co-watching from 3

When the town playground falls into disrepair and the busy mayor cannot keep up, a child named Teeny is made 'mayor for the day' and quickly finds the job harder than it looks. As phone calls, a flooding water main and a runaway dog pile up, her friends Goldie and Romeo quietly rebuild the playground to cheer everyone up. The mayor returns, sets the mishaps right and thanks the children for reminding him to make time for fun. The episode ends with the whole group playing together on the fixed seesaw.

Goldie

Goldie

Li'l Cutie

recommended age co-watching from 3

Goldie, a giant girl in a colourful town, longs for a pet and adopts a ladybug she names Lil' Cutie. Determined to keep her safe, she builds a tiny bed and seals her in a jar, until the ladybug escapes and the friends search the whole town to find her. Goldie realises that keeping Lil' Cutie shut away made her unhappy and apologises. The episode ends with Goldie setting the ladybug free to join her own family living nearby.

Goldie

Goldie

Boysenween

recommended age co-watching from 3

Goldie, a cheerful girl in a colourful town, builds a dinosaur costume to surprise everyone for Boysenween, a spring holiday of costumes and glowing vegetables. Because she cannot see out of the suit, neighbours mistake her for a real dinosaur and the whole town spirals into rumors and panic. The friends set traps and gather onions to stop the creature, until Goldie herself gets caught and her costume falls off. The mix-up is cleared up, everyone agrees not to jump to conclusions, and the town celebrates the holiday together.

Goldie

Goldie

Damage Control

recommended age co-watching from 3

In the fairy tale town of Boysenburg, a friendly giant girl named Goldie accidentally crushes the home of a grumpy old neighbour, Mrs. Petunia, while showing off her twirling. When no one else will take Mrs. Petunia in and the builders are slow, she reluctantly moves into Goldie's nest. Over shared meals, button counting and a bedtime story, the two very different neighbours slowly warm to each other. By the end Mrs. Petunia admits she does not want to leave, and Goldie finds a way to join their homes so they can both stay close.

Goldie

Goldie

Petey the Stargazer

recommended age co-watching from 3

Petey, a boy who loves stargazing, decides aliens must not be real after a supposed UFO turns out to be a blimp. His friends Goldie and Romeo, unwilling to let him lose that wonder, secretly stage crop circles, a homemade UFO and an alien visitor named Zor-Zor, and soon the whole town of Boysenburg prepares a welcome. When Petey discovers it was all his friends' doing, he decides that having friends like them means anything is possible and keeps believing. The segment ends with the group back at their telescopes and a short teaser for the next story.

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Explore more

From this series Goldie

By age 5 years

By platform Apple TV+

By theme Apologising Big feelings Disappointment Friendship Helping others Imagination Kindness Overcoming fear Perseverance Problem solving Responsibility Sadness

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