1 week Ago By Melissa Hank
Carl the raccoon is a cute little critter. He’s kind to his friends, thoughtful and detail oriented. He also happens to be autistic.
He and his friends are part of the new animated show Carl the Collector, the first PBS Kids series to feature main characters on the autism spectrum. Debuting Thursday, Nov. 14, the show is the brainchild of New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Zachariah OHora (My Cousin Momo).
It follows Carl’s adventures in Fuzzytown with his pals: Sheldon the beaver, who’s sensitive and empathetic; Lotta the fox, who’s also autistic; and Forrest the squirrel, who’s hyperactive and has a tree nut allergy. OHora says his children’s experience at school helped him round out the characters and their world. “Every class had neurodiverse kids in them.
And my kids did not differentiate — they were friends with everyone. This was far and away different from the experience I had growing up,” OHora says. “It was a light-bulb moment that showed if you exposed kids to the full spectrum of humanity, it would take away the fear and stigma of the unknown.
It would not only inspire empathy but also genuine friendship.” Off screen, the production team includes neurodiverse writers, animators, advisers and voice talent. This was essential in creating true-to-life representations of the characters, says director Lisa Whittick.
“Right from the very beginning we knew that we had to give special consideration to how we were going to animate Carl, Lotta and any other neurodivergent character on the show,” she says. “In the pre-production stage, we worked closely with our advisers to nail down exactly what autism looks like for each individual character. Our animation team then got to work figuring out the best way to show traits, such as unique stims (repetitive behaviours that help autistic people cope with emotions) and lack of eye contact on screen in a natural and organic way.
” Carl and his friends join a history of other autistic characters in children’s television. Arthur introduced Carl the rabbit in 2010, for example, and Sesame Street introduced Julia the Muppet in 2017. Both Whittick and OHora hope Carl the Collector can build on that legacy.
“It’s empowering for kids to be able to see themselves represented on screen,” says Whittick. OHora agrees: “I hope that people find Carl the Collector funny and hopeful. And even though it’s through a lens of little fuzzy animals, maybe help us take a step towards understanding what it means to be human.
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