Mrs. Doubtfire tops the list of fictional characters parents would most like to look after their children

Here at Childcare.co.uk we like to have a bit of fun, and were curious to find out which fictional characters parents would most like to look after their children. 

A quick survey of our parent community revealed that Robin Williams’ iconic character, Mrs Doubtfire, tops the list as the most popular choice! Closely followed by Mary Poppins and Nanny McPhee. 

The top fifteen most popular fictional characters ranked are:

1. Mrs. Doubtfire – 44%
2. Mary Poppins – 35%
3. Nanny McPhee – 23% 
4. Anna Leonowens (The King & I) – 18%
5. Maria Rainer (The Sound of Music) – 15% 
6. Aibileen Clark (The Help) – 15%
7. Chessy (The Parent Trap) – 13% 
8. Charlie Hilton (Daddy Daycare) – 6%
9. Shane Wolfe (The Pacifier) – 5%
10. Nana (Peter Pan) – 4% 
11. Miss Price (Bedknobs and Broomsticks) – 3%
12. Mr. Tom (Goodnight Mr Tom) – 3%
13. Jane Eyre – 2%
14. Annie Braddock (The Nanny Diaries) – 1%
15. Corrina (Corrina Corrina) – 1%

We also asked parents to ask their children which fictional characters they’d like to be looked after by the most – they of course opted for slightly less responsible answers!

The top ten most popular fictional characters picked by children are:

1. Cat in the Hat – 32% 
2. Timon and Pumba (The Lion King) – 27%
3. Baloo (The Jungle Book) – 22%
4. Optimus Prime (Transformers) – 17%
5. Mike Wazowski (Monsters Inc) – 14%
6. Miss Honey (Matilda) – 11%
7. Nana (Peter Pan) – 9%
8. Woody (Toy Story) – 7%
9. Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter) – 5%
10. Mary Poppins – 5%

Richard Conway, CEO and founder of Childcare.co.uk said,

“Childcare has always been at the forefront of cinema and literature, with nannies or similar the main protagonist of many iconic stories. From Mary Poppins and Mrs. Doubtfire, to Baloo and the Cat in the Hat, these great characters tell the wonderful story of caring for children. 

“With that in mind we wanted to find out which fictional characters parents would most like to care for their children, in addition to which characters their children would prefer. There’s some crossover however you can see that the children’s choices are more fun than and not as responsible as parents might like!”