Nickelodeon brought the very first PAW Patrol movie to the big screen and the Paramount+ app this week. For millions of little ones, including my son, John, it was a highly anticipated must-see event. In our house, we’ve already watched the 90-minute animated film at least five times, and read the accompanying book as a bedtime story at for the past four nights.
For those who may be unfamiliar, Ryder, a human boy, and his team of sentient and talking pups make up the PAW Patrol. Usually, they watch over the small seaside town of Adventure Bay and respond to various emergencies that arise by land, sea, and air. Each of the pups have their own “pup-pack” and vehicle that give them comic-book style abilities. For instance, Sky, the “air pup,” has a helicopter outfitted with various Batman-esque tools, as well as jet-packs on her pup pack that enable her to fly on her own. Marshall, the “fire pup,” has a versatile firetruck equipped with a ladder, water tank, and more. Once someone “yelps for help” and contacts Ryder on the “pup pad,” the PAW Patrol gets deployed by Ryder with a push of a button and the declaration, “No job is too big, and no pup is too small.”
In the movie, the recurring antagonist Humdinger moves to Adventure CITY and wins the city’s mayoral election by being “the only name on the ballot.” On his first day in office, he sets off chaos with his poorly planned and executed fireworks celebration. Liberty, a sentient canine resident of Adventure City, contacts the PAW patrol and asks for their help. Without delay, the PAW Patrols sets off on a long-term journey to Adventure City to save them from Mayor Humdinger’s shenanigans.
Now, I don’t find PAW Patrol to be very political, educational, or to have any agenda at all except being entertaining for kids and to generate merchandise sales. Nevertheless, after several viewings of the movie, I couldn’t help but see some humorous parallels between Mayor Humdinger and President Trump. If these parallels were intentional, the writers did a very good job of making them inconspicuous. Either way, a lighthearted comparison between the two should prove entertaining. This is not meant to be a Trump takedown, it’s simply designed to be an fun examination of the new movie.
1: An Affinity for Dramatic Entrances
Humdinger
In the PAW Patrol movie, Humdinger has set up a stage, fireworks, and a smoke machine (which is really just fire-extinguishers that choke up the crowd when released). While under the cover of smoke, Humdinger comes up from the bottom of the stage to give the impression that he appeared from nowhere. His dramatics later result in disaster when he sets off all the fireworks at once, hoping for a “bigger’ celebration, despite the protests of his advisors.
Trump
The famous staircase descent by Trump and his wife in 2015 that started off his historic Presidential run seems to echo through Humdinger’s first big scene in the PAW Patrol Movie. Additionally, Trump is know for relishing in large crowds and spending money on impressive displays, not unlike the Humdinger debut.
2: Bad Things Happen when Advice isn’t heeded.
Humdinger
Mayor Humdinger repeatedly ignores warnings from his advisors. Kendra, the scientist in the PAW Patrol movie, is taken aback and unsure how to respond when Humdinger takes her “Cloud Catcher,” a tool she uses to study clouds, and misappropriates it to attempt to control the weather. She tries to warn the Mayor, but he does not listen and insists the weather will be perfect while he is mayor. The Cloud Catcher was not made to indefinitely collect clouds to control the weather, and it was quickly reaching a ‘critical mass.’ Kendra tried to warn the Mayor again, but she was ignored. Soon, the device started to unleash days of bad weather on Adventure City, and the PAW Patrol had to be deployed in response.
Trump
This incident in Adventure City is very similar to what happened during Trump’s last year in office when the coronavirus pandemic started to spread. Trump did not listen to his scientific advisors. He insisted everything would be fine and that there was nothing to worry about. Even when disaster was imminent, he still did nothing. Once the pandemic was undeniable, even to the point of Trump contracting COVID himself, he continued to shift the blame and avoid responsibility, just like Humdinger.
Finally, in December of 2020, the COVID-19 vaccines came as the real-world analogue to the PAW Patrol. Unfortunately, the public has been slow to accept the cure we developed, and the pandemic persists.
3: Narcissism and Selfishness
Humdinger
After the disaster with the Humdinger Hyperloop, the PAW Patrol received praise while Humdinger was ridiculed. Unable to see the folly in his plans, and infuriated by being outshone by the PAW Patrol, Humdinger commanded his goons to “lock up” the PAW Patrol so that he could be rid of them.
Trump
Trump has famously called for his enemies to be jailed or killed countless times. He also hates for someone else to steal his spotlight, even if they are trying to help. Dr. Fauci is a good example of this. Once polls came out showing that Fauci’s approval rating was much higher than Trump’s, Trump started denigrating Fauci and resenting his popularity, despite Fauci merely trying to do his job.
Another example was John McCain. Despite McCain being a former veteran and a long-standing public servant with a spotless reputation, Trump attacked him when McCain’s popularity detracted from his own.
4: A Distinct Look
Both Trump and Humdinger usually wear a blue suit, have light colored hair, and unusually colored skin. Humdinger’s obsession with his top hat, which frequently gets caught in the wind, is analogous to Trump’s famous toupee-like hairstyle.
Humdinger Heights and Trump Tower
The Adventure City monstrosity of Humdinger Heights served as a testament to the Mayor’s vanity and as his base of operations, rather than working in City Hall as mayors typically do. The similarly alliterative Trump Tower also bears the name of its owner-operator. Like Humdinger, Trump used his tower as a base of operations and as a symbol of his success and strength. Later, he frequently conducted business from his Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida rather than the White House, flaunting tradition just like Humdinger.
Media Misalignment
Both Trump and Humdinger have poor relationships with the Media, and the Media is hostile to them both. In the PAW Patrol Movie, at the reveal of the Humdinger Hyperloop, a reporter asks the mayor, “Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor! Have you considered the possibility that this the single dumbest idea that anyone has ever had, ever?” While the Humdinger Hyperloop was undoubtedly a bad idea, the tone and lack of respect for the Mayor is not unlike that which Trump himself experienced. Trump’s real world idea of a “Space Force” was similarly ridiculed, though unfairly so, unlike Humdinger.
In addition, they both value social media. Trump used Twitter nonstop, and Humdinger is quoted as saying, “Ladies and gentleman, more importantly, influencers with more than 10,000 followers, time to light up the sky!” Trump reveled in his follower count and knew how to manipulate the platforms to his own benefit, just as Humdinger was attempting to do.
Summary
I could continue to go on with trivial and superficial comparisons between our past President and the fictional Mayor, but I think the point is made. Of course, many of these are a stretch, and in reality this is just a whimsical essay arising out of being forced to watch a children’s movie on repeat, which, by the way, wasn’t too bad. What parallels did I miss? Which ones did I get wrong? Let me know in the comments. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe.
