Okay time for the PBS Kids essay
In 1968, before there was PBS Kids proper, there was Mr. Rogerâs Neighborhood. While it came several decades before the childrenâs block, it laid the foundation for the themes and values present in every facet of the networkâs history.
Mr. Roger famously hated childrenâs programming at the time. To him, it all was droll and useless. But he didnât dissuade the medium entirelyâ he saw potential. Potential that led to a few smaller television jobs, and eventually the creation of Mr. Rogerâs neighborhood.
Rogers didnât invent educational TV for children, but he did perfect it. He poured real heart and soul into probably the most sincere, heartfelt program in history.
Honestly, he could have his own essay. The more things you learn about the real man of Mr. Rogers, the more youâll like him.
Anyway, the biggest thing that makes PBS different is the fact that it earns money through grants, fundraisers, and private donorsâ not through sponsorships and merchandise sales. This way, PBS Kids can push programming that it feels is important, rather than programming that merely sells well.
This also means PBS is less afraid of pushing social boundaries. Money doesnât go away when their shows become subjects of debateâ and Mr. Rogers took full advantage of this.
For context, this was 1969. The Jim Crow era had just barely, barely ended. Pool segregation was still very much legal.
Mr. Rogers sharing a pool and a towel with the Black Mr. Clemmons was a pretty big deal at the timeâ especially on a show made for children.
Rogers was far from the untouchable sacred cow of today. When he was alive, he had a large number of detractors. Letâs just say that scene didnât fly nicely by everyone.
Just one year after the debut of Mr. Rogerâs came Sesame Street.
While Mr. Rogerâs was made for all children, Sesame Street had the explicit goal of supplementing the education of underserved communitiesâ especially inner-city Black (and later Latino) children.
While it was made to be accessible to children of all races and income levels, they definitely went the extra mile to make it something special for inner-city Black and Brown kids. (Why do you think it itâs âSesame Streetâ and not âSesame Cul-de-Sacâ?)
At the time, a wholesome, sweet show set in a brownstone street was practically unheard of.
Jon Stone, the casting director, deliberately sought to make the cast as rich with color as he possibly could, bringing on a huge amount of Black talent such as Loretta Long, Matt Robinson, and Kevin Clash, as well as featuring Black celebrities as guest stars. Later, the show would expand its horizons, bringing on actors from Latino, Asian, Native American, and many more backgrounds.
White actors were and still are a minority on show.
In addition to letters and numbers, the purpose of Sesame Street is clear: make kids of color know that theyâre smart, beautiful, and loved.
It doesnât get more explicit than this.
I want to point out this comment because itâs funny
Youâre telling me this bitch isnât Hispanic???
Anyway, these two were followed up by Reading Rainbow in 1983. And guess what?
Thatâs right. Non-white focus.
These three shows, (along with other, lesser-known programs like Lamb-Chops Play Along, Newtonâs Apple, and Shining Times Station (who featured Ringo Starr himself?? seriously how did that happen and why does no one talk about it) and some other nostalgic favorites like Bill Nye the Science guy, The Magic Schoolbus, Arthur, and Thomas the Tank Engine) aired on the new PTV block, which evolved into PBS Kids in 1999, bringing along Between the Lions, Dragon Tales, and many more.
Arthur is another stand-out that Iâd like to talk aboutâ it doesnât have the same racial focus of Sesame Street, but it does focus on different income levels. The characters have various housing situations, from apartments to mansions to no home at all.
It also takes cues from Sesame Street and Mr. Rogerâs in regards to talking about tough topics, though as Arthur has a slightly older target audience, it discusses things through stories rather than talking directly to the audience.
Cancer, religion, workplace discrimination, along with current (at the time) events such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina are all discussed on the show.
Another big focus on Arthur is disability. For once, they donât stick a character in a wheelchair and then pretend heâs not in a wheelchair. A striking number of major characters either develop or get diagnosed with physical disabilities and/or neurodivergences, such as asthma, severe food allergies, and dyslexia, and they deal with them in very realistic ways.
A handful of minor characters have more obvious disabilities, and THANK GOD they go beyond the trite messaging of âdisabled people can do everything abled people can do! everyone clap now!â
One episode in particular has the awesome message of âholy shit stop trying to help me all the timeâ itâs patronizing as fuck. I can get around just fine without you stepping on eggshells and trying to be the hero all the fucking timeâ
There are sooo many other shows I could talk about, but I canât write about them all. Iâm definitely gonna point out some more standout ones, though.
Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat
Created by Chinese-American woman Amy Tang
Features a multitude of female and non-white scientists to foster an interest in science with kids in those groups
One of the networkâs first Hispanic-led shows
I shouldnât have to explain what the goal of this one was.
When was the last time you saw a show that treated Native Americans as people? Much less a childrenâs show? 90% of the cast is Athabascan, and the show revolves around Athabascan culture, not shying away from topics like boarding schools and modern-day racism. Most of the writers are also Athabascan, and the show even has an official Gwichâin dub!
Itâs this commitment to real, authentic social justice that makes PBS Kids so much different from its predecessors. Could you imagine the Paw Patrol dog looking at the camera and earnestly discussing what happened to George Floyd? I donât think soâ but Arthur talked specifically about it, Sesame Street did an hour long special about race in general, and the network itself made a 30 minute special.
Disney Jr. could never. (Other than trying to teach colorblindness, of course.)
Iâm gonna have to cut this into two parts, since I just hit the image limit
