When you hear the name The Daily Wire, you might think of politics. That’s because the “right-of-center” news outlet was created by political commentators Ben Shapiro and Jeremy Boreing.
What you probably don’t think of when you hear The Daily Wire is “kids’ streaming platform.” But that’s just what Bentkey is.
When leaked Disney emails in 2022 revealed that that entertainment conglomerate had a “not-at-all-secret gay agenda,” The Daily Wire conceived DW Kids (later renamed “Bentkey”). The idea was to create children’s entertainment free of political agendas—though CEO Boreing admits that creating Bentkey was a bit of a political act in and of itself.
So when you create a Bentkey account, what exactly are you getting?
Well, there’s the Mr. Rogers-esque A Wonderful Day with Mabel Maclay. If you prefer cartoons, check out Chip Chilla, a Bluey-like show about a family of homeschooled chinchillas. Bentkey has also announced a remake (and direct competition for Disney) of Snow White. And it’s managed to license shows from other countries, too.
If you subscribe to DailyWire+ for $13/month, then you’ll have access to Bentkey’s full library of ad-free, kid-focused, family-friendly entertainment. New episodes are released weekly on Saturday (Bentkey’s attempt to bring back Saturday morning cartoons).
Bentkey wants to “transport kids into a world of adventure, imagination and joy.” And based on a quick look at its content so far, it succeeds—and teaches some solid values along the way. But it’s important to remember that this isn’t a Christian organization, these aren’t Christian shows, and you’ll still probably need to have a conversation with your kids about what they’re consuming and why.
For instance, in A Wonderful Day with Mabel Maclay, I was struck by Mabel’s soothing voice and gentle guidance as she encouraged viewers to be creative. It was a light, fun show that reminded me of some of my best schoolteachers. But I also noticed the distinct lack of discussion about our Creator.
And that’s the pill you might have to swallow. Bentkey will provide politics-free children’s programming—but it’s also going to be Christ-free.
4 Responses
I’m so glad that parents who don’t want their children exposed to worldly nonsense will finally have an alternative to Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Disney Plus and Amazon prime.
I’m glad to see Bentkey is making a show featuring homeschooled children, and that they’re going to remake Snow White. Maybe they can remake Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty and Beauty And The Beast while they’re at it. They could even make a movie version of The Wild Swans. There’s also the possibility they might add in Jesus Christ and God later.
“We don’t want politics in our kids’ entertainment. Except if it’s our politics. We do want those.” Eyeroll…
Ben Shapiro is Jewish, so it should be expected that Bentkey would not be Christ centered. I get what they’re doing, though. The Daily Wire is trying to make their service as appealing to as large an audience as possible, hence the lack of religiosity in its children’s programming, which may make some families think its not for them. In that sense, I don’t think its that much different than the network programming I grew up with in the 80s and 90s. I for one am grateful for the alternative. I appreciate the option to consume wholesome entertainment from people who don’t actively hate me and seek to hasten our culture’s deterioration.