LGBTQ+ diversity in children’s television is more important than ever
Embracing the “woke”.
*This blog post was originally written as a paper for a television class at Hofstra University in Spring 2023
The family room sofa. The buzz of the monitor powering up. The excitement for what’s next in the lives of animated animals, celebrity scientists, and tween pop stars. These memories bring forth a phenomenon so familiar to the American experience. Children’s television is tasked with the job of fundamentally shaping the minds of the youth, and is one of the most influential landscapes in all of entertainment. Despite not always reaching the ranks of nationwide coverage in award shows or news networks, children’s television is able to reach the most impressionable audience of all, and has such a hand in shaping what is to become of the future. By engaging children through captivating narratives, relatable characters, and interactive content, television can play an extremely transformative role in their lives. While initially debuting with more mindless and merely entertaining shows like “Howdy Doody” and “Captain Kangaroo”, the landscape of children’s television changed to allow for more educational content, including the likes of “Sesame Street”, and “Dora the Explorer”. By providing educational content, promoting cognitive and social-emotional skills, and fostering cultural awareness, children's television has and can play a vital role in the lives of children. Furthermore, the promotion of diversity and inclusion in these shows can help children better understand the world around them and the different kinds of people in it.
The mid 1900s was met with the rise of household televisions in homes all across the United States. In 1946, “...only about eight thousand homes had television sets,” writes author David Kamp in his book Sunny Days: The Children’s Television Revolution that Changed America. “By 1961, that number had surged to 47 million, accounting for 90 percent of all U.S. homes.” But it wasn’t just adults that were watching television. Indeed, it was (and has sometimes stayed) a family affair. Children were watching television as well, and their impressionableness catapulted the rise in what would become the genre of children’s television itself.
However, many of the television shows that were prevalent during the rise of television were described by the 1961 Federal Communications Commission Chairman Newton Minow as something that needed to be worked on and reinvented. One of the most popular shows targeted towards children was called “Howdy Doody”, which premiered in 1947. The show, while pioneering color television and broadcasted music was merely banter between Howdy Doody, a wooden puppet and its host, the human Bob Smith. Another show, which began in 1955, called “Captain Kangaroo” followed a similar format of simple adventures of the titular character, who merely engaged in silly stunts with other puppets and characters. These shows were often filled with mindless slapstick humor, repetitive songs, and simple storylines that didn't engage children's cognitive abilities. The primary goal of these shows was to capture children's attention and keep them entertained, rather than promoting learning and development.
Minow questioned this television landscape at the time, citing children’s television as an area that could be specifically improved. As mentioned by Kamp further in his book, Minnow went on to ask: “Is there no room on television to teach, to inform, to uplift, to stretch, to enlarge the capacities of our children?...Is there no room for programs deepening their understanding of children in other lands? Is there no room for a children’s news show explaining something to them about the world at their level of understanding?” Another problem was the lack of diversity and representation in these shows. Many early children's shows featured predominantly white, middle-class characters, which did not reflect the diversity of the real world. This lack of representation limited the ability of children from different backgrounds to see themselves reflected on screen and learn about other cultures and perspectives. The 1960s also marked the start of the Civil Rights Movement, which would instigate the integration of race in movies and television; as the time had only previously allowed and accepted segregated programs. While Minow’s statements were taken to be criticizing the current landscape, his point remained that television could be used as an educational tool with positive impacts.
These points seem to have been perfectly addressed by the creation of the show “Sesame Street” with its debut in 1969. This show, founded by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett, was created to “stand-in” for preschool for children in low-income communities that couldn’t afford a classic preschool education. Children from these lower-income communities were evident to be behind richer students in preschool. Therefore, this preschool-level educational program thrived off of its goal to not only entertain children, but to educate. The segments of the show included all aspects of an introductory education, including spelling, counting, number and letter recognition, social skills, motor skills, and basic problem solving. Segments like “Number of the Day” and “Letter of the Day” throughout the show allowed children to hone in on understanding the discussed character in depth.
“Sesame Street”, which was founded under the name The Children’s Television Workshop, was set in a fictional urban neighborhood which featured a diverse community of people, all who worked different types of jobs. Other characters included the colorful Muppets created by puppeteer Jim Henson. These muppets, such as Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Elmo, with their expressive faces and movements, captivate children's attention. The art of puppetry used in “Sesame Street” is skillfully executed, bringing the Muppets to life and making them feel like real, lovable characters. The visual appeal of the Muppets, combined with their energetic performances, creates a captivating and entertaining experience for children. Furthermore, the Muppets in “Sesame Street" actively engage with the audience, breaking the fourth wall and encouraging children to participate. They address the viewers directly, ask questions, and prompt responses, creating an interactive experience that makes children feel involved and connected to the show.
Additionally, “Sesame Street”’s human characters were played by a diverse range of actors, from African American actors such as Matt Robinson (who played Gordon), and Hispanic actors such as Emilio Delgado (Luis) and Sonia Manzano (Maria). Over time, the show expanded its representation to include actors of Asian, Latino, and Native American descent, among others. This diversity was also reflected in the ways the show uplifted women, disabled people, language diversity (Spanish, American Sign Language, and more), and characters from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Indeed, being in an urban/city setting allowed for a look into how cities can reflect diversity and community amongst many different kinds of people. In Sunny Days by David Kamp, the foreword by musician Questlove acknowledges this urban diversity in the show: “There were plenty of cities on other shows,” he writes. “But none of these cities were familiar to me the way that Sesame Street was. It was urban, maybe the most urban show on the air. On Sesame Street, ‘urban’ meant what it is supposed to mean: a cityscape filled with different kinds of people, as well as busy stoops and storefronts where those people went to talk and joke and eat and sing. This was a community in the literal sense, which, to us kids watching at home all over America, became a community in the figurative sense.”
This sense of community for children can be extremely important. Not only did “Sesame Street” provide to children the tools for understanding problem solving and spelling skills, it also demonstrated how people interact with each other. Comprehending how society works in a general sense, and how people speak and work with each other can be fundamental to children being able to form their own relationships and understanding with other people.
In an article by Katie McPherson for VeryWellFamily.com titled Representation in Media Is Improving, But There's Still a Long Way to Go, Daniel Marullo, PhD, a pediatric psychologist at Children’s of Alabama, explains how: “...we live in a very diverse world, so good media should reflect the world we live in… It normalizes [marginalized people] as part of the world we live in. It helps kids see that people are people, and there are differences in how we dress or talk, or do things, and that’s a great thing. Parents, caregivers, and teachers can help by putting things in context and offering information.”
He went on to say, for example, that a child might see a character on TV who uses a wheelchair before they see someone doing so in real life. Having a parent explain that wheelchairs are how some people move around, and that person still likes to play and do the same things as their child, is “helpful”, he said.
This diversity and inclusion featured in “Sesame Street” is characterized by David Kamp to have sparked a television revolution for educating kids on different people. He describes it as a “social movement”. This movement and trend continued amongst many different television programs. Shows like “Electric Company”, “Zoom”, and later “Dora the Explorer” all featured casts of diverse characters.
The latter was an animated show produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio in the year 2000. The franchise is centered around a young Latina girl named Dora, who goes on adventures and encourages her audience to help make her decisions throughout each episode. One of the key elements of the show's educational curriculum was that Dora spoke in both English and Spanish, so that viewers could receive some building blocks for learning a new language, as well as Hispanic viewers being able to feel represented in American media. Psychologists have spoken to the importance of seeing one’s own race represented in the media, as cited in the VeryWellFamily.com article. “It’s not just about seeing yourself on screen and seeing the visible parts of your identity; it’s about feeling a personal connection to the material and a genuine understanding of the character and their experiences,” said Naomi Dambreville, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist at Mount Sinai Health System and assistant professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine.
Further down in the article, Paul D. Hastings, PhD, a developmental psychologist and professor of psychology at UC Davis describes how "Research around 'Sesame Street' and other PBS programs found children pay more attention and more readily learn from characters who look like them…it contributes to forming a sense that this is personally relevant, this is something that speaks to me, that I can learn from.”
“It’s important to see yourself as the protagonist,” says Jacqueline Hargrove, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist at Mount Sinai Health System, further down in the article. “In psychology, we talk about how the narratives we tell ourselves are powerful, impact how we feel and the choices we make. If there aren’t narratives that center Black, Brown, and Indigenous children of color, it implies, [that they] can’t be the author of their own story.’”
In addition to racial diversity, the 2010s have also noted a rise in LGBTQ+ representation in children’s television shows. While most of these shows don’t center solely around an LGBTQ+ main character or an obvious LGBTQ+ storyline, many of them do feature queer characters that can allow for children to learn more about different identities and to feel more understood if they are having identity exploration for identities that don’t align with the traditional cisgender and heterosexual landscape. Shows like “Arthur”, produced by PBS Kids, “Muppet Babies”, produced by Disney Junior, and “Ridley Jones”, produced by Netflix, and more all have featured either queer characters or storylines relating to feeling comfortable in accepting yourself. “Muppet Babies” featured a storyline in which a male character, Gonzo, wants to express himself by wearing a ballgown dress to a ball. One of the side characters in “Ridley Jones” is the character of Fred, a nonbinary bison. When the characters question if Fred is a “boy or a girl” they conclude that Fred is “just Fred”. In “Arthur”, for another example, the main characters’ teacher Mr. Ratburn gets married to his husband in a 2019 episode entitled “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone.”
An important thing to note, however, is that much of this inclusion is met with backlash from more conservative communities. For example, the “Arthur” episode was censored, as PBS affiliate Alabama Public Television opted not to broadcast the episode. The network's director of programming, Mike McKenzie, said that “the decision was made because some children might watch the episode without their parents, and some children younger than the episode's target demographic might watch the segment”.
I would counter this standpoint by arguing that queer representation in children’s media fosters inclusivity and acceptance. LGBTQ+ representation in kids' TV shows helps foster a sense of inclusivity and acceptance among all children. It exposes them to diverse identities and experiences, promoting empathy, understanding, and respect for differences. When children grow up watching positive portrayals of LGBTQ+ characters, it normalizes LGBTQ+ identities and reduces stigma and discrimination. Queer representation in kids' TV can also play a role in preventing bullying and promoting a safe and inclusive environment, challenging harmful stereotypes and prejudices. Just like racial diversity in the 1960s and 70s, queer diversity and inclusion is the next step towards acceptance, understanding, and learning.
I believe that the future of diversity in children’s television will be rooted in promoting more LGBTQ+ characters, and main characters that are people of color. Many of these choices by studios are met with backlash criticizing the creative decisions as “woke”, which has a negative connotation. Some conservatives criticize "wokeness" for challenging or rejecting traditional cultural norms and values. They argue that it disregards the importance of preserving traditional family structures, religious beliefs, and social institutions, which they see as essential for societal stability and cohesion. Some also argue that "wokeness" encourages a culture of victimhood, where individuals are encouraged to see themselves as oppressed or victimized by societal structures. They contend that this mindset can lead to a sense of entitlement, and an avoidance of personal responsibility. I think that studios should embrace the so-called “wokeness” and emphasize how, instead, the inclusion merely leads to acceptance, learning and progressive development. For when children are able to see themselves as strong and empowering characters, they can feel inspired to change the world in their own way, and understand that world around them.
Works Cited:
“History of Children’s Television” This is America, 2004. https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/a-23-a-2004-05-23-1-1-83121432/122888.html
Kamp, David. Sunny Days: The Children's Television Revolution That Changed America. Simon & Schuster, 2020.
McPherson, Katie. "Representation in Children's Media Has Come a Long Way." Verywell Family, 2022. www.verywellfamily.com/representation-in-childrens-media-has-come-a-long-way-6674352.
