Parents' Guide to

Not Quite Narwhal

By Ashley Moulton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 2+

Sparkly preschool series celebrates differences.

TV Netflix Educational 2023
Not Quite Narwhal TV show Poster: Kelp, a unicorn with a scuba helmet, sits on a jet of water, surrounded by unicorn and ocean friends

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

  • Not Quite Narwhal TV Show screenshot 1: Kelp, a sea unicorn, lays on his shell bed with his sister Scallop, a narwhal
  • Not Quite Narwhal TV show screenshot 2: 4 unicorns (Kelp, Ollie, Juniper, and Pixie) shoot magic out of their horns
  • Not Quite Narwhal TV show screenshot 3: 5 colorful unicorns look to the sky

Community Reviews

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age 2+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Kel K.
Kel K. Parent of 3 and 8-year-old
July 3, 2023
age 2+

A great show for our littles

Non violent but still fun and exciting challenges that the characters face in their young lives and they work together to find a solution. Sometimes their first attempts don't pan out, but they don't give up, teaching young ones how to successfully problem solve and in a positive way. Listening to others ideas, persistence, critical thinking, creativity, and being open to learning something new are just a few lessons learned by the characters. Both my son and daughter love this show and my son has not been "turned gay" just as I have not become a lesbian after watching football, die hard or any other highly masculine show... It's just not the way it works. Warning, this show might teach your kid to be a decent and open minded person - interested in learning and forming or even *gasp* changing their opinions based on knowledge...
Samantha S.
Samantha S. Parent of 3-year-old
July 4, 2023
age 2+

Love this show

I absolutely love this show we have watched the series twice already I love the inclusion of all kinds of characters
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

NOT QUITE NARWHAL, an animated series based on Jessie Sima's picture book series, follows a young magical creature on a journey to self-acceptance. Kelp (voiced by Nevin Kar) lives underwater with his narwhal mom, dad, and sister Scallop (Lucy Lowe). Kelp feels different from his narwhal family but doesn't understand why until the day an ocean current sends him to shore for the first time. On land, he sees other creatures that look just like him and realizes that he's actually a unicorn! Kelp befriends siblings Pixie (Scarlett Kate Ferguson) and Juniper (Micaiah Chen), who help him learn all things unicorn. Kelp travels between land and sea, telling his ocean friends about unicorn land and his unicorn friends about the ocean. With the help of his underwater and above-water friends, Kelp learns to love being a one-of-a-kind "sea unicorn."

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (1 ):

A show about unicorns, narwhals, rainbows, and magic will prove irresistible to many preschoolers. Luckily, there's lots of substance underneath the sparkly veneer of Not Quite Narwhal. The characters model preschool-age kids navigating each other's differences in a realistic way. The unicorns ask questions about Kelp's differences, but they accept him and celebrate his unique talents. There's also a lot of social-emotional learning throughout the storylines. Grown-ups can help make these lessons more concrete by talking about how they extend to people too (not just unicorns and narwhals). Preschoolers will come for the rainbows and unicorns, but they'll stay for the sweet stories and relatable characters.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • What are some ways Kelp feels different from his narwhal family and his unicorn friends? How does Kelp feel about being different? Do you ever feel different?

  • Kelp and his friends are alike in some ways and different in other ways. Who are your friends? How are they the same as you? How are they different from you?

  • Kelp learns that being a sea unicorn makes him special in a lot of ways. What are some things about yourself that make you special?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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