Happy Birthday! Everyone gets to hear that once a year on the special day they were born. The three best days of my life happened on March 9th (my eldest daughter’s birthday), January 2nd (my only son’s birthday), and July 23rd (my youngest daughter’s birthday). Every year, I am so excited to plan out my children’s birthday excursions, which usually include watching some birthday cartoons during downtime.
Showing these episodes to my little ones teaches them that everyone has a special birthday, even their favorite cartoon characters. I can already hear my eldest daughter planning her 8th birthday. She muses on what theme and which type of cake she wants when it’s April or May, when she just had her birthday in March. It’s both hilarious and touching at the same time because I can see she is becoming a long-term planner, much like myself.
Enjoy these special birthday cartoons episodes with your little ones on their special day. I hope they give you and your children as much joy as they have for my family and me.
Blue’s Birthday (Season 2, Episode 8) From Blue’s Clues
As a child, this was my favorite episode of Blue’s Clues. Birthday celebrations always made me so happy, and they do so even more now as a mother of three. In this episode, you help Steve look for clues to see what pet Blue wants for her birthday while helping everyone around the house get ready for the party.
What Kids Learn from “Blue’s Birthday”: Everyone can lend a helping hand when putting together a party. My oldest daughter loves helping me with party preparations. She helps me bake the birthday cake and put decorations on it once it’s iced.
Happy Birthday, Blue (Season 1, Episode 11) From Blue’s Clues & You
My son turned three in January. I showed him this birthday cartoon from Blue’s Clues & You before he went to bed that evening. My youngest daughter turns two this July, so I will be showing her this episode on her birthday as well. In this reboot version of Blue’s birthday, Josh and you help everyone to prepare for the big day. Meanwhile, Josh and you find clues to discover what pet Blue wants for her birthday. My favorite part was seeing Blue’s invitation, which she made almost exactly like the one in the original series.
What Kids Learn from “Happy Birthday, Blue”: It’s so much fun to pick out gifts for a special someone on their birthday. Rather than telling someone what you want for your birthday, sometimes dropping hints about it makes it even more exciting for the gift giver to figure out.
Birthday Soup (Season 1, Episode 2) From Little Bear
Little Bear wakes up on his birthday and can’t find Mother Bear anywhere. He feels like she has forgotten his birthday. What he doesn’t know is that she was baking him a cake that was taking longer than expected. As his friends start arriving at his home to attend his party, he is preparing a birthday soup using water and pantry vegetables so that everyone can eat. Little Bear is mightily surprised when Mother Bear walks through the door with his birthday cake.
What Kids Learn from “Birthday Soup”: It’s the thought that counts rather than the presentation.
Emily’s Birthday (Season 3, Episode 12) From Little Bear
Friends gather at Emily’s house to celebrate her 7th birthday. Little Bear is the first to arrive. Emily proclaims she can’t wait to get older in the coming years, which puts Little Bear in a partying mood. Emily cheers him up, reminding Little Bear he will eventually have a birthday and become older, too.
What Kids Learn from “Emily’s Birthday”: Experiencing a birthday can mean new changes for your child. While some kids are excited to become older, others prefer to stay young. My oldest daughter is excited as each of her birthdays comes and goes. While I know my children are growing up fast, part of me wishes they could stay toddlers forever. However, I’m also welcoming of the new changes that come with each birthday that passes for my children.
Daniel’s Birthday (Season 1, Episode 1) From Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
I have fond memories of showing my eldest daughter this episode of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood on her first birthday. Daniel and his mother visit Baker Aker’s bakery to pick out a special tiger birthday cake for his 4th birthday. Mom Tiger lets Daniel carry the box on the ride home. However, Daniel moves the box around a tad too much, and his special cake gets mushed. Daniel Tiger and his friends learn that it’s best to turn things around in their mindset if an unexpected event upsets them.
What Kids Learn from “Daniel’s Birthday”: Not everything will go as planned. Reframe your mindset and focus on the positives in a challenging situation instead of dwelling on the negatives. My eldest daughter usually hates it when I have to change a plan (much like I was at that age), but I reassure her that we will still have fun despite an altered schedule. It’s a great learning experience for kids, which is why this is among my favorite birthday cartoons.
Margaret’s Birthday Buddy (Season 4, Episode 11) From Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
Daniel is upset that Margaret is getting extra attention on her birthday. Mom Tiger offers him to be a birthday buddy and help prepare for the party. He helps find fuzzy balls in the craft cabinet to act as tails for the Pin the Tail on the Panda game. Daniel also helps pick out a cake with Dad Tiger and Margaret at Baker Aker’s bakery.
What Kids Learn from “Margaret’s Birthday Buddy”: It’s natural for children to feel left out when so much attention is on the birthday kid. If you have multiple children, ask one of them to be the birthday kid’s birthday buddy, so they feel they are playing at a party with celebration preparations.
We recently wrote about Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood episodes that teach lessons about empathy and kindness.
Duck Cake (Season 2, Episode 44) From Bluey
My son has watched the Bluey series at least four to five times in his short life so far, and one of my favorite episodes is hands down “Duck Cake.” Mom and Dad ask Bingo what cake they wants for her birthday, and she picks the duck cake. Dad experiences challenges as he assembles the cake, to the point that he almost wants to give up. Bluey helping him clean up a mess without being asked gives him the strength to keep going. Bingo ends up loving her duck cake when it’s finished baking and getting decorated.
What Kids Learn from “Duck Cake”: Challenges are tough to get through. However, if you really want something to happen, you will continue to work hard for what you want even through the struggles. I always take pride in teaching my little ones lessons on perseverance every day.
Pass the Parcel (Season 3, Episode 14) From Bluey
This iconic Bluey episode takes viewers on a journey through the kids’ characters’ birthdays during the year. Lucky’s dad, Pat, is annoyed by the modern way the parcel is played. At Chucky’s 5th birthday party, he had the children play it the old way with one big prize in the middle rather than one in every layer. This upsets the kids during that party, but it starts a revolution at future parties where more children want to play the old way. At only seven minutes long, this is among the shortest of the best birthday cartoons to share with your kids, but also one of the most enjoyable.
What Kids Learn from “Pass the Parcel”: You can’t win every game you play in life. Be a good sport and be happy for the person who wins. My eldest daughter participated in indoor spring soccer this year, and she learned a valuable lesson in sportsmanship and character building whenever her team lost a match.
Amnesio (Season 1, Episode 12) From Lilo & Stitch: The Series
Experiment 303 is spotted, and Gantu, Lilo, and Stitch try to capture him. He shoots red rays from his eyes that connect with each of their eyes, and causes them all to lose their memories. Throughout the episode, everyone tries to remember who they are. “Ohana” is the word that reverses memory loss from the experiment’s memory erasure. The experiment eventually earns the name Amnesio. Lilo remembers it’s her birthday and is sad no one remembered. She comes home to a surprise party.
What Kids Learn from “Amnesio”: You never know if a surprise is coming your way on your birthday. Please don’t get the feeling your loved ones forgot it. Your family, or ohana, will always remember that special day you were born.
Check out our list of why we (and many Disney fans) love Experiment 626 (Stitch).
D.W. and the Beastly Birthday (Season 20) From Arthur
D.W. is excited for her 5th birthday. When it doesn’t go as planned, she is very upset and runs away to an island called Ukubonga. D.W. takes over the island, featuring the monster versions of her friends who look almost like characters from the book, “Where the Wild Things Are”. Meanwhile, Arthur’s school trip to a planetarium takes him on a magical experience four years in the future when he interacts with his sisters and friends who have aged. In the end, Arthur brings his sister, D.W., a puffin toy and a little brother birthday card. This upsets D.W. that Arthur did not get her a sister card, but she’s still excited about her toy.
What Kids Learn from “D.W. and the Beastly Birthday”: Not every birthday or special event may go the way you expect. Even with careful planning, unexpected occurrences can cause an event to unfold differently. Be happy for the fun times and reframe your mindset to not focus on the negative occurrences.
George’s Birthday (Season 2, Episode 26) From Peppa Pig
George wakes up very early on the morning of his birthday. His parents gave him a big, purple dinosaur. Peppa gives him a painted birthday card with a dinosaur on it. The main issue in the episode is that George becomes upset when he can’t see the cuckoo bird come out of the clock at the top of the hour. He finally gets to see it come out of the clock before bedtime.
What Kids Learn from “George’s Birthday”: Watching something to see when it’ll happen will make you miss the fun around you. Be patient, and you will see it when it’s your time. Sometimes my daughter looks at the night sky, wondering if she will ever see a shooting star. I remind her that they come when you least expect them. I saw two on one camping trip when I was outside by myself after the kids went to bed, and I wasn’t even looking for them.
SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout (Season 12, Episode 13) From SpongeBob SquarePants
This episode was released in 2019 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of SpongeBob’s debut. Gary wakes up SpongeBob to give him a birthday gift. He meets up with Patrick to go on a sightseeing tour. Plankton commandeers a key to SpongeBob’s house so the gang can set up a surprise birthday for him. Meanwhile, SpongeBob and Patrick visit the real world and see familiar characters at The Krusty Slab. Patrick and SpongeBob go back to his leveled-down house that became destroyed when chaos ensued over the gang choosing a party theme. However, SpongeBob is still happy that everyone took the time to surprise him for his birthday. SpongeBob has been on the air for so long that it’s no surprise it made our list of must-watch birthday cartoons.
What Kids Learn from “Spongebob’s Big Birthday Blowout”: Being surrounded by loved ones on your birthday makes everything special, no matter what activities you are doing. On a visitation day, my children’s father and I take the birthday kid and the rest of the little ones on a special outing. On the actual day of their birthday, Dad is usually at work, but I have a small at-home party and mini games as an intimate family celebration.
Elmo’s World: Birthdays (Season 32, Episode 3940) From Sesame Street
Elmo’s World was my favorite mini-show when I watched Sesame Street as a kid. I remember this birthday cartoon very well from my childhood, and I’ve also shown it to my eldest daughter when she was a young toddler. The episode celebrates Dorothy the fish’s birthday. Elmo discusses different details about birthdays and what makes them special for each person.
What Kids Learn from “Elmo’s World: Birthdays”: Kids learn what fun activities they can do on their birthday. They can also learn how to wrap a gift and make birthday cakes from scratch for other people’s birthdays. For younger children, they can learn the Happy Birthday song. My birthday tradition is to make a home-baked birthday cake for myself and my children’s birthdays. It creates everlasting memories baking together and saves money, too!
It’s Your Birthday, Barney! (Season 8, Episode 18) From Barney & Friends
BJ and Baby Bop help everyone set up Barney’s birthday. They have fun playing party games. Jackson loves how everyone brought Barney handmade gifts. He has trouble thinking about what to get Barney for his birthday. Jackson goes home to make a homemade pop-up card that comes out like a hug.
What Kids Learn from “It’s Your Birthday, Barney!”The smallest gifts can have the most meaning. It’s not about how expensive the gift is; it matters more about the thought put into the given present. My 7-year-old daughter loves giving homemade birthday cards to family and friends on their birthdays. The experience also helps refine her artistic skills, supporting her dream of becoming an art teacher.
Pups Save Ace’s Birthday Surprise (Season 5, Episode 26A) From Paw Patrol
The Paw Patrol is working diligently to fix an older car so Ace Sorensen can start driving instead of just traveling by plane. There’s the challenge of getting Ace to the Town Square for her surprise because there’s no landing strip for her airplane. Mayor Humdinger and his kitties commandeer the car the pups were working so hard to polish up for Ace. The Paw Patrol tracks them down and retrieves the car to give to Ace for her birthday.
What Kids Learn from “Pups Save Ace’s Birthday Surprise”: Surprise birthday parties are the most difficult to coordinate because you have to keep the birthday person occupied until the surprise is ready. Working together as a team on a big present for a birthday person makes it that much more rewarding when they receive it. I have to hide my kids’ presents on our porch, and it’s sometimes hard for me not to tell them about it before their big day, because I am excited for them to receive what I got them.
It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown From The Peanuts
Linus is excited to have all his friends come to his birthday. Mimi is one girl who was singing in her garden as he was skating in the neighborhood. He wants her to attend his party. When his friends are singing the Happy Birthday song, Mimi shows up and sings it to Linus from a vehicle before driving off.
What Kids Learn from “It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown”: Anticipation and excitement of special events are awesome feelings. Build these emotions for your child during their special day in different ways. I don’t give the kids any hints about what their presents are, so they can be completely surprised when it’s time to open them.
UmiCar’s Birthday Present (Season 4, Episode 1) From Team Umizoomi
Umi City and the Umizoomi team are celebrating Umi Car’s birthday. The team is preparing a surprise celebration for him. The TroubleMakers steal Umi Car’s present when the party just gets started, sending Milli, Geo, and Bot on an adventure to retrieve it.
What Kids Learn from “UmiCar’s Birthday Present”: Curveballs will happen when you are enjoying a special day, even when someone is attempting to sabotage it. Don’t let anyone try to take away joy from you, no matter what day it is.
Max’s Birthday (Season 1, Episode 9a) From Max & Ruby
Max and Ruby celebrate Max’s birthday. He receives a wind-up toy lobster from their aunt and uncle. Max plays with wind-up chicks instead of the lobster because he doesn’t like it. Ruby uses the wrapping paper from the present to make a thank-you card for their aunt and uncle. Meanwhile, Max is still running from the lobster, so Ruby tries to catch it for him to put it away. Max eventually grows to like the lobster after he falls over, and the lobster travels on top of his belly.
What Kids Learn from “Max’s Birthday”: Some birthday presents could be unexpected and disliked at first. However, give it some time, and you might grow to like what you received for your birthday. I have never had an instance where one of my children disliked a birthday present. However, I would show them this episode again to remind them that sometimes the most unexpected presents can turn out to be the best ones.
Minnie’s Birthday (Season 1, Episode 8) From Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Mickey Mouse and the gang celebrate Minnie Mouse’s birthday by attempting to throw a surprise party for her. Mickey is having trouble keeping the birthday party a secret so it can be a surprise. Mickey, Daisy, and Donald bake a homemade birthday cake. An elephant assists in blowing up balloons for the party. Meanwhile, Minnie feels like her friends have forgotten her birthday. However, she’s very thrilled when she discovers the surprise party her friends worked so hard to prepare.
What Kids Learn from “Minnie’s Birthday”: Utilizing your resources can help set up a party or achieve other tasks. It’s also sometimes hard to keep a secret from someone about a surprise party when you really want to tell them about it. I remember my grandparents each had a surprise birthday party in my childhood, and it was hard for me not to say anything about it until the surprise was revealed to them.
The Great Train Birthday (Season 14, Episode 14) From Curious George
George and Hundley embark on an exciting overnight train trip to celebrate George’s birthday. The conductor allows George to drive the train under supervision. This excites him because he loves trains, as seen in other episodes when he plays with toy versions of them.
What Kids Learn from “The Great Train Birthday”: Birthday celebrations can be non-traditional and include special surprises. There doesn’t always have to be a huge gathering with family and friends to celebrate a birthday. Sometimes, a small outing with a few friends or family members is just as fun. I love the birthday outings we do on visitation days with their Dad and elder half-sister. My daughter just turned 7 in March, and we visited a local mall to explore a Japanese store called Miniso and play at the arcade.
Birthday cartoons are so cool because kids will learn how much fun everyone can have on their special day. They will also see that birthdays can be celebrated in so many different ways and that there isn’t a specific way to do it. Happy Birthday and have fun on your special day!
