Snorks – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Snorks

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

show1984

42%

WISE Score

Underwater Smurfs knockoff from 1984 that's safe for preschoolers but painfully dated for literally everyone else.

Snorks

show

NR, 1984

42%

WISE Score

Underwater Smurfs knockoff from 1984 that's safe for preschoolers but painfully dated for literally everyone else.

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Screenwise Verdict

Let's be honest: Snorks is a relic. It's perfectly safe and was designed with good intentions for young children, but it's also a shameless Smurfs ripoff that wasn't even that popular when it originally aired (1984-1989).

The IMDB rating of 6.4 tells you everything—even people feeling nostalgic can only muster a 'meh.' The animation is stiff, the stories are predictable, and the humor lands with a thud for anyone born after 1995.

If you've got a 4-year-old who needs something gentle and you've exhausted every other option on your streaming service, sure, throw it on. But if you're looking for quality kids' content that's actually engaging, enriching, or entertaining by 2025 standards? Keep scrolling. There are dozens of better options that are both safe AND actually watchable.

Age Fit

Best for ages 3-6 who aren't yet spoiled by modern animation quality. Older kids will find it unwatchably boring, and even younger ones might prefer literally anything made after 2000.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Classic Hanna-Barbera formula with friendly underwater characters solving problems together. Common Sense Media rates it for age 5, suggesting age-appropriate content with positive social interactions. The show models cooperation and friendship without edgy content, though the pacing and humor style are very 1980s Saturday morning cartoon.

Imaginative

Underwater fantasy world with colorful sea creatures living in a society beneath the waves offers some imaginative premise. However, it's essentially a Smurfs clone (even noted in the synopsis as 'not as popular as The Smurfs'), so originality is limited. The world-building is whimsical but derivative, and episodes follow predictable 80s cartoon formulas without much creative spark.

Safe

Very safe for young viewers with a TV-Y equivalent rating (CSM age 5). No violence, scary content, or inappropriate material. Typical Hanna-Barbera fare designed specifically for young children with no surprise elements that would concern parents. Kids mode available on streaming platforms. Loses minor points only for being so old that quality and availability might vary.

Enriching

Minimal educational or enriching content beyond basic friendship lessons. Standard 1980s cartoon fare with simple morals but no real skill-building, cognitive challenge, or meaningful takeaways. Entertainment value is also questionable for modern audiences—the humor, animation quality, and storytelling feel extremely dated. IMDB rating of 6.4 suggests even nostalgic viewers find it mediocre.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Completely safe content for even the youngest viewers—no scares, no violence, no concerning themes
Colorful underwater world might appeal to kids who love ocean creatures and fantasy settings
Models basic friendship and cooperation in a gentle, non-threatening way
Could work as background TV for toddlers who just want moving colors and friendly voices

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What to Watch For

The animation quality and pacing are peak 1980s—slow, stilted, and likely to bore modern kids raised on Pixar and high-quality streaming content
It's a transparent Smurfs clone (even the creators acknowledged this), so if you're looking for originality, look elsewhere
Your kids will probably ask to turn it off within 10 minutes unless they're very young or very patient

Conversation Starters

"What do you think it would be like to live underwater like the Snorks?"
"How do the Snorks solve their problems when they disagree?"
"This show is from when I was a kid—does it feel different from the cartoons you usually watch?"

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