littleraccooncarl

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https://pbskids.org/videos/carl-the-collector

Carl the Collector has premiered!

"CARL THE COLLECTOR follows the everyday adventures of Carl, a warm-hearted autistic raccoon who enjoys collecting things and loves his friends and family in Fuzzytown. Carl pays extraordinarily close attention to detail and comes up with unique ideas that others might not consider. These traits have helped him amass his extensive collections—from autographs and bottle caps to fake mustaches, pet rocks, sweaters, and virtually everything in between—which can come in handy for solving problems around the neighborhood with his friends."

I designed various locations such as the tree fort, and Carl's living room and kitchen. I'm also the layout supervisor for the production. You can watch the episodes on the PBS Kids website, or if you have a tv channel that has PBS Kids.

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Autistic Characters Being or Wearing Purple (For Autistic Peeps) (Part 3)

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For my day job I am a 2D layout supervisor, and here is the show I've been working on!

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In light of the SAG-AFTRA strike ending (not that I think PBS is really affected, but still, the timing is very suspect), PBS has revealed one of their kids shows for 2024!

Carl the Collector involves the titular raccoon, who is autistic, and his neurodiverse friends as they live a comfy life in Fuzzytown.

This is the first PBS Kids series to lead with an autistic character, but NOT the first series to have one. PBS Kids got that ball rolling with AJ Gadgets from Hero Elementary a few years back (who technically is a lead character, but the series focuses on a group and not on just him primarily), Julia from Sesame Street before that, and Max from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood just recently.

Carl the Collector joins other shows on the slate for 2024, including the upcoming Lyla in the Loop and Odd Squad UK (though that one doesn't really count as it'll just be marketed as Season 4 of the original Odd Squad series by PBS). We'll be seeing more news of it at PBS's upfront, the PBS Annual Meeting, in May. Keep an eye out!

You can read about the show here.

This was originally a submission from @ari-bat, but I didn't see it until after I hit the Post button and put this out as a regular news post instead. Whoops. Thanks to them regardless!

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If I had a nickel for every PBS Kids character named Carl that happened to be autistic I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice.

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IT'S CARL THE COLLECTOR DAY!!!!!! Here's the first episode recap!!!!

The Plushie Collection

Carl has a huge plushie collection, and it's taking up a lot of space in his room, so his mama (fun fact: the closed captions call her Maude) suggests that he organize it, or give some of them away. Carl isn't too happy about having to give them away, and doesn't want to put them in the basement, so he calls upon Sheldon (via walkie talkie) and Forrest to help him organize the plushies. Forrest also makes a Marie Kondo reference ("Does this spark joy?") and that was pretty funny. They have a lot of trouble organizing them and when Carl sees how happy Forrest is with a cheetah plushie, he finally decides that he can give some of them away, and take pictures of them for his scrapbook. He keeps the ones that have names and backstories, and gives away the ones that don't have names and didn't play with much. Forrest wants one of Carl's plushies, Coco, and Carl politely tells him that he can't have him because he's one of his absolute favorites, which Forrest gladly accepts.

Carl is such a great friend, and so generous too. I also like how Forrest was just like "Okay!" when he was told he couldn't have Coco, he didn't whine or complain, and he still went home with a plushie so everything is fine. Maude is also very gentle and supportive. Carl even gives a plushie to her. I think this is a great start to the show; it demonstrates Carl's love of collecting things, his reluctance to part with things he loves, and his generosity. This episode was also based on the writer's personal story.

The Bouncy Ball Collection

Carl's dad, Harold, gives him a special, sparkly blue bouncy ball for his bouncy ball collection, but Carl accidentally spills his jar of bouncy balls and they bounce all over the street, so Carl and Sheldon have to look for them. Later, Lotta joins the search. One of the bouncy balls, a bumpy orange one, is special because it makes Carl think of Sheldon, and then we get a super cute flashback to when they were both three-and-a-half years old and playing on the basketball court. Then, Forrest joins the search, and helps Carl find his fancy bouncy ball, the one that reminds him of Nico. We get a flashback to when Nico decorated the ball in art class and gave it to Carl. Then, Nico and Arugula join the search. It seems like the gang is unable to find it, which makes Carl very sad, because he needs the sparkly blue ball to play the game his dad taught him. I think Carl is a bit...rigid, if that's the right word? But his friends show him how to be more flexible, and that he can play the game with the other balls. Carl admits that telling his friends about his worries made him feel better, and luckily, he does find the sparkly blue ball

I loved how Carl's friends were supportive to him, and listened to him about his worries. They're good friends that everyone should have. The fact that Carl wanted to play the game with specifically the sparkly blue ball reminds me of how overly specific I am sometimes, like how I only start listening to Christmas songs after the Macy's Parade ends (except yesterday I heard some Christmas songs, oh well). I also liked how a lot of Carl's bouncy balls remind him of his loved ones. I think a lot of the things in Carl's various collections remind him of his loved ones.

Pretty good start to the show! The tone is very laid-back, not overstimulating at all, and the chill music adds to this.

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The Philadelphia Inquirer published an article about Carl the Collector's Pennsylvania influence!

A new character is making his big debut — and children’s television history — this week on PBS Kids.

Carl happens to be the Collector, a bighearted little raccoon on the autism spectrum, who along with one of his animated furry friends, will be the network’s first neurodiverse central characters in a series created for children ages 4 to 8. The creators behind the show hope real children will see themselves in Carl and his friends.

For local viewers, Fuzzytown — the home of Carl and his crew — may look familiar.

That’s because it’s Narberth.

“Narberth is a big part of it,” said Zachariah OHora, creator of Carl the Collector and an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books.

OHora, who’s lived in the Montgomery County borough for the past 16 years, basically mapped out Narberth for the show’s animators, from its houses to its downtown, the regional rail station, the library, even the iconic old clock. “Anybody who’s been here, if they see the show, they’ll recognize right away that’s where it is.”

OHora is well-known to some parents for his beloved kids’ books, like My Cousin Momo. Originally from New Hampshire, he lives in Narberth with his wife , their two teen sons, and a dog named Waffles.

Some of the seeds for Carl the Collector were sown about a decade ago when OHora’s sons attended Belmont Hills Elementary, a Lower Merion school where children with special needs get additional services and help but attend class with their general education peers as much as possible.

“It was just a lightbulb moment for me,” said OHora. “My kids were just friends with everybody right out of the gate. It took away any kind of stigma or mystery and normalized that people are different, operate differently, and think differently.”

It was very different from the schools he grew up with.

“I was like, ‘This is the way it should be.’”

Around that time, Carl the character had begun stirring in OHora’s imagination. And then a contact he had made at PBS approached the children’s author to see if he might have any interesting program ideas.

The series, premiering Thursday, breaks new ground for the children’s network. While other shows have had neurodivergent characters, PBS Kids officials say this is the first time they are the stars.

“Representation is critical to our mission, and we’re proud to debut the PBS Kids series to feature central characters on the autism spectrum,” said Sara DeWitt, senior vice president and general manager of PBS Kids. “We always say we want our content to be both a mirror and a window: showcasing characters who reflect their lived experiences and introducing audiences to kids who are different from them.

“Carl the Collector builds on this commitment by portraying a close group of neurodivergent and neurotypical friends, modeling how all of us can be helpful, supportive, and appreciative of each other’s ways of thinking, and importantly, how we can all sow seeds of empathy and understanding for one another.”

The show puts that into practice both on and off the screen. In addition to Carl the raccoon and Lotta the fox, both on the autism spectrum like an estimated one in 36 children, according to the CDC, the series has a character with ADHD and others with their own unique challenges.

Meanwhile, the show’s production team includes neurodiverse writers, animators, advisers, and others. The voices for Carl and Lotta are provided by two children on the autism spectrum. Some of the staff have contributed their own experiences in the making of the show.

For Lisa Whittick, the series director and mother of a son on the spectrum, working on Carl the Collector has brought her professional and personal lives together in a meaningful way. She said it would have been helpful if a show like this was around when her son was younger.

“If a show like this had been out back then when he was growing up, I think he would have been diagnosed a lot earlier because we would have seen some of the traits that we are reflecting in Carl and Lotta,” Whittick said. “It also would have alleviated a lot of the stress and unknown around what the diagnosis meant and not be scared of it.”

She thinks the show will help children both on the spectrum and those who are not.

“I think this series is going to go a long way in teaching kids who are neurotypical empathy and learning what autism looks like,” she said. “I absolutely think my son would have benefited greatly from a show like this, and he would have loved it because it’s actually very funny and fun as well.”

And, of course, there is the Philadelphia-area angle in all of this. And what’s Philly without a cool, weird mascot?

“There’s a pizza place that the kids always eat in, and it’s called Pyramid Pizza,” OHora said. “An arm comes out and it’s a pizza yeti, who is one of my favorite characters in there that fans of Gritty and the Phanatic will love.”

Philadelphia gets its props, too.

Carl lives with his mom in Fuzzytown, but he also spends part of his time with his dad, who lives in an apartment in a nearby city that will seem a whole lot like Philly, with perhaps a whiff of Brooklyn, another city where OHora has lived.

Carl’s mom and dad, who aren’t married, are great co-parents, OHora said. Having two rooms in different homes can be a challenge for a youngster on the spectrum like Carl, he added, as it can also require adjustment for neurotypical kids. It’s just another way children may see themselves or kids they know in the series.

That’s one of OHora’s hopes for the show.

“I hope people love it and they love Carl,” he said. “I hope it spreads empathy for neurodiversity, and I hope that neurodiverse kids and caretakers see themselves in it, and that neurotypical people can understand a little bit more.”

(Looks like I was wrong, Carl's parents ARE divorced, not just separated)

[littleraccooncarl]

Carl the Collector premieres tomorrow! Here's what's gonna happen. PBS Kids is probably going to do a binge drop of the first 14 episodes because they always do that nowadays, but I will not be recapping them all in one day, because I'm busy with college. I will be recapping the episodes on the day that they air on TV, so tomorrow I will recap "The Plushie Collection / The Bouncy Ball Collection," on Friday I will recap "The Fake Mustache Collection / The Lint Dinosaur Collection," next Monday I will recap "Lemons! / The Butterfly Collection," and so on.

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Carl the Collector has been reviewed by Common Sense Media, who gave it a 4/5 and a Common Sense Selection seal of approval. To be honest, I don't really like this website that much because some of their reviews (such as the Codename: Kids Next Door one) are just awful, and the user reviews open the floodgates for Karens and bored teenagers who hate on kids shows for no reason. In fact, there is a one-star review by a 17 year old already, but don't pay attention to it. However, it is good that they gave Carl a relatively positive review. Apparently, there's a paywall on their site after reading three articles, so I'll just copy and paste what they wrote here:

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Carl the Collector is an animated series about a young raccoon with autism (voiced by Kai Barham, who is also neurodiverse) and his woodland creature friends in Fuzzytown. The series celebrates inclusion and encourages noticing each other's similarities and differences. Characters are kind, helpful, and empathetic, learning to express their emotions and work through problems together. There's no iffy content, making the series appropriate for all ages

Any Positive Content?

Positive Messages - Positive messages around including different types of friends in your play, with a focus on neurodivergent friends on the autism spectrum. A strong focus on being kind and helpful to others, as well as expressing your emotions and working through problems together.

Positive Role Models - The characters are all kind, helpful, and empathetic to one another. They model how to work through problems and how to express emotions. They often put others' needs and interests before their own. They do not always get along, but they work together to make it right.

Educational Value - The show models positive problem-solving and social-emotional skills.

Diverse Representations - The show features two characters on the autism spectrum, the lead character Carl the raccoon and supporting character Lotta the fox. They each experience autism in different ways. The characters don't talk about autism, and don't point out the autistic characters' differences. Behind-the-scenes, the production team includes neurodiverse writers, animators, voice talent, and advisors. Other representation includes Forrest the squirrel, who has a tree nut allergy, and Carl whose parents are separated (Carl spends some time living with each). Gender-wise, the supporting characters are both boys and girls, and includes Carl's best friend Sheldon who is an empathetic and sensitive boy. The characters are all animals, and none have an implied race.

What's the Story?

In CARL THE COLLECTOR, Carl (Kai Barham) is a warm-hearted autistic kid raccoon who loves to collect different items. He is extremely detail-oriented, and appreciates all the special qualities of his various collections which range from fake mustaches to bottle caps. Whenever he has a problem, Carl calls up best friend Sheldon (Peter Laurie) the beaver with his walkie-talkie. Carl and Sheldon's other Fuzzytown friends Lotta the fox, Forrest the squirrel, and twin bunnies Nico and Arugula also join in on the day's adventures. They work together to help Carl with everyday problems like organizing his massive stuffed animal collection or tracking down his runaway bouncy ball collection. Carl's Mama (Heather Bambrick) guides the kids as they work through difficult problems and disagreements. They learn about each other's similarities and differences, and have lots of fun along the way.

Is It Any Good?

Creator Zachariah OHora (children's book writer and illustrator) calls his universe of characters "Fuzzytown," and Carl the Collector is sure to give kids and grown-ups the warm fuzzies. Its characters are super relatable: They try really hard to be good friends, but they don't always get it right. They have troubles recognizable to any young kid (like being asked to part with precious stuffed animals). The voice actors sound like real kids, making it seem like the characters could be a friend in real life. OHora's exquisite art is featured in the show's animation, and watching feels like jumping into a picture book. Grown-ups will appreciate the slow, calm pacing and overall gentleness of the show.

Carl the Collector is the first PBS KIDS show to feature a main character on the autism spectrum, and it does a great job of showing how two different characters (Carl and supporting character Lotta) experience autism differently. It simultaneously shows true-to-life characteristics of people with autism, without calling out the differences in a way that feels othering. The neurotypical kids on the show treat the neurodiverse kids the same as their other friends, while having extra sensitivity to how Carl and Lotta interpret the world. It's a beautiful celebration of appreciating everyone's unique qualities.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the empathy characters show in Carl the Collector, or when one character is able to understand the feelings of another character. Sheldon is really good at understanding how Carl is feeling, and helping him to work through tricky situations. Can you think of how Sheldon is empathetic to Carl?

All of the animals in Carl the Collector are really good at communicating how they're feeling. Can you think of a time in the story when one character told another one how they are feeling?

Carl and Lotta are on the autism spectrum, which means their brains and bodies experience the world differently than people who are not on the autism spectrum. How are your friends different than you? How do you find a way to play together even though you're different?

This review confirms that Carl's parents are separated, which is different from being divorced. A legal separation is when a couple lives apart from each other but are technically still married. It's basically like a 'cooling off' period.

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Animation Magazine, a very popular animation news source, has published an article about Carl the Collector! Most of it is stuff we've already heard before, but there are some details about the animation process of the series.

“There are so many things I love about this show,” says director Lisa Whittick. “From an artistic point of view, I love the look and feel of it, as well as the messaging. When you see the finished episodes, they’re both calming and visually beautiful, and that’s a great testament to Zach’s style and vision. On a personal level, I’m a parent of an autistic son who is 19 now. I think about the fact that if we had had this show when he was growing up, we would have had a much easier time as a family. I think the show is going to mean so much to so many people.” A team of about 70 professionals work on the show at Yowza! The 2D animation is created with Toon Boom’s Harmony and Storyboard Pro software. Another 30 people work on the show at Spiffy Pictures in Chicago. PBS is quite confident about the show, as it has greenlit 40 episodes (2 x 11 minutes), half of which have been completed to date. OHora says that he loved seeing his art come alive through animation. “I didn’t know much about TV animation before we started this project, but I knew that I wanted the show to look like my art and my books,” he says. “I have a certain aesthetic which I sometimes refer to as ‘janky,’ and I was blown away at the early designs they’d show me. They looked like something I would [do], but even better!”

The series is animated in Toon Boom Harmony, which is the industry standard nowadays. Storyboard Pro is also provided by Toon Boom.

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Some mainstream Carl the Collector coverage!

The show premieres in 4 days and we have some major websites talking about it!

National Post (archive)

Washington Post (archive only because of their paywall)

New information from the WaPo article is: "Presented in English and Spanish, the show’s first episodes involve Carl’s collections of plushies, bouncy balls, lint dinosaurs and fake mustaches."

This means that Carl the Collector is also getting a Spanish dub, which will likely be accessible through the language option on PBS Kids' video player.

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13. The Autograph Collection/The Rope Collection - When Nico teases Carl about bikes being for babies, he sets out to prove Nico wrong. Bikes aren't for babies - bikes are for everyone! / Carl and his Fuzzytown friends can't wait to build a tree fort, but Carl has a hard time working as a team. (my commentary: Ok, how could Nico even think that bikes are for babies? Babies can't ride bikes, much less trikes. Also, that one promo spoiled what happens in "The Rope Collection." Carl forgets to put a door in the tree fort and is trapped inside, and he uses his rope to get out.)

14. A Collection to Get Rid of/the Button Collection - The Fuzzytown Park is covered in garbage. Yuck! Carl learns about a collection you don't keep - trash! / Carl accidentally breaks a gift for Sheldon's mom and needs to figure out how to forgive himself and help Sheldon find another present. (my commentary: wait, does Carl collect trash? Is he a hoarder? As for "The Button Collection," it seems like Carl is going to beat himself up over what he did. I too struggle with this a lot. My IRL friend, who is also autistic, beats himself up over his perceived mistakes too. He's a workaholic and we were supposed to go see a play together, but he didn't show up because he was too busy. The next week, he apologized to me like a bajillion times even though I told him I forgave him)

One week until Carl the Collector premieres! I'll go over all of the episode titles that have been released so far

The Plushie Collection/The Bouncy Ball Collection - When Carl's growing plushie collection starts taking over his bedroom, he turns to his friends to help him get organized. / Carl's bouncy balls have escaped, and they are bounce-bounce-bouncing all over the neighborhood. (my commentary: according to a post on a certain evil bird site, "Writer @ aashrr was inspired by her own love of plushies and not wanting to give them away for the #CarlTheCollector episode "The Plushie Collection"" aashrr is Ava X. Rigelhaupt, a writer for the show who is also autistic. This should be interesting. "The Bouncy Ball Collection" sounds like a chaotic episode, maybe it'll be distressing for Carl)

The Fake Mustache Collection/The Lint Dinosaur Collection - Nico is tired of being mistaken for her twin sister, Arugula. It's up to the Detail Detectives to observe what makes the twins unique. / Carl gets upset when Nico breaks the Lint Dinosaur Monday rules and makes a Lint Monster instead. (my commentary: both of these episodes center Nico, it seems. I can understand Nico wanting to be distinct from Arugula, as they look exactly the same and there's literally no way to tell them apart other than their voices. I also understand Carl being upset with things not going his way. I used to be like that when I was younger too. Occasionally I'm still like this)

Lemons!/The Butterfly Collection - Carl surprises Sheldon with a lemonade stand, but when Sheldon runs off, Carl is confused. Does Sheldon not want to be friends anymore? / Carl's caterpillars are turning into butterflies, and he's excited to start a butterfly collection. (my commentary: It's interesting how some titles, like "Lemons!" don't follow the title pattern of "The X Collection." I'm sure we've all seen that one "lemonade stand! lemonade stand!" promo that PBS Kids plays nonstop, and it seems that it gave away what really happens - Sheldon just doesn't want to get lemon juice in his eyes. I don't know how a butterfly collection would work though. I bet the episode will involve Carl having to let the butterflies go)

Whole Lotta Lotta/Leaf It to Carl - When Skyler calls Lotta 'headphone girl,' she's determined to find a way to let her know that she's more than that. / Everyone is unsure about the new kid after he caused a hullabaloo on the playground. Are all the rumors about him true? (my commentary: Carl and his friends do go to school after all! We don't know who Skyler is, as she's not in Carl's social circle. I don't think Skyler is intentionally trying to be mean, but I can see why Lotta would be upset. As for "Leaf It to Carl," this one's a bit of a mystery. There's a new kid in school and he causes a "hullaballoo." What did he do? And then the kids start spreading rumors about him. It seems that Carl is going to investigate if the rumors are true. Why is "leaf" in the title though? I bet the commotion the new kid caused had something to do with leaves)

The Tool Collection/The Stick Collection - Carl stretches the limits of honesty when he gets a universal screwdriver for his birthday. / When a storm creates a hole in the walkway to his house, Carl wants it fixed, until he discovers his friends have turned it into something magical. (my commentary: Carl is going to be dishonest and we'll get the 'honesty is the best policy' lesson. How does he stretch the limits of honesty though? Does it involve his screwdriver? As for "The Stick Collection," I bet that Carl's friends are gonna fill the hole with sticks or something)

The Fall/The Word Collection - When Carl freezes after Nico falls, he shares something about himself to help her understand why he didn't know what to do. / Carl learns a new word - shindig. Will he get to say it just the right way at just the right time? (my commentary: I think Carl is going to state point blank in this episode that he's autistic. If he's telling Nico this for the first time, how did she and the others not know? "The Word Collection" will probably involve Carl going to a party)

The Remote Control Collection/The Super Blue Moon Sleepover - Forrest can't wait to try everything at the Fuzzytown Friends Picnic, but his excitement gets him into trouble when he won't wait his turn. / Carl is hosting a Super Blue Moon Sleepover, and everything must go according to his plan. (my commentary: Forrest is confirmed to have ADHD, and it definitely shows in the description for this episode. I bet Carl will use a remote control to "pause" and "slow down" Forrest or something. The latter episode seems like another episode where Carl gets upset that things don't go his way)

A Forrest of Plans/The Marble Collection - Forrest makes too many plans on the same day and leaves a trail of disappointed friends. / Carl and Arugula are building an epic marble run, but despite many attempts, they can't quite seem to get the marble to run! (my commentary: yeah, seems like another episode where it's made obvious that Forrest has ADHD. I forgot to mention this in my commentary on "The Fall," but I like how Carl seems to do things with Nico and Arugula as individuals, unlike many other works of fiction where twins are joined at the hip no matter what)

The Magic Trick Collection/Listen Coach - Carl and Nico argue over who gets to have Arugula as their magician's assistant, but what does Arugula want? / Carl realizes he has trouble listening when playing with a cool collection. Can Sheldon teach him how to become a good listener? (my commentary: speak of the devil, this episode involves Carl and both of the twins. It seems like both of these episodes involve listening. Carl and Nico aren't listening to what Arugula wants, and then Sheldon has to become Carl's 'listen coach')

The Sticker Collection/The Baby Stuff Collection - Carl realizes his favorite sour pickle scratch-n-sniff sticker lost its smell. He must get that sour pickle smell back! / Carl notices that his baby blanket, Knit-Knit, has a hole in it. What could have happened? It's a Knit-Knit mystery! (my commentary: I think there's a clip of the sticker episode in one of the promos or that one behind the scenes video on the PBS Kids website. This episode is also referenced in the theme song, where Carl smells a sticker and imagines flying on slices of pickles. "The Baby Stuff Collection" has cuteness overload potential)

The Puffball Collection/The Bottle Cap Collection - When Lotta competes in the Fuzzytown Music Maker Championship, the noise on stage becomes too much and she needs to leave. / When Carl forgets his bottle cap collection at his dad's house, he must find a way to make it through the night without it. (my commentary: it's been confirmed that Lotta is sensitive to loud noises, so her becoming distressed by the noise on stage is not surprising. Maybe Carl will put puffballs in Lotta's ears to block out the sound. Also; "his dad's house"? Carl doesn't live with his dad? This could mean his parents are divorced)

A Wiggle Waggle Worries/The Pine Cone Collection - Sheldon can't wait for Carl to play his favorite beach game, but Carl is nervous. What if he can't play as well as his friends? / Lotta lost her favorite blanket and her friends are determined to help her find it. (my commentary: we need to keep this episode AWAY from the creepo who runs that one "shirtless cartoon boys" blog. I wonder how pinecones will factor into the plot of "The Pine Cone Collection.")

(there's a 4096-character limit, apparently. will be continued in a reblog)

[littleraccooncarl]

One week until Carl the Collector premieres! I'll go over all of the episode titles that have been released so far

The Plushie Collection/The Bouncy Ball Collection - When Carl's growing plushie collection starts taking over his bedroom, he turns to his friends to help him get organized. / Carl's bouncy balls have escaped, and they are bounce-bounce-bouncing all over the neighborhood. (my commentary: according to a post on a certain evil bird site, "Writer @ aashrr was inspired by her own love of plushies and not wanting to give them away for the #CarlTheCollector episode "The Plushie Collection"" aashrr is Ava X. Rigelhaupt, a writer for the show who is also autistic. This should be interesting. "The Bouncy Ball Collection" sounds like a chaotic episode, maybe it'll be distressing for Carl)

The Fake Mustache Collection/The Lint Dinosaur Collection - Nico is tired of being mistaken for her twin sister, Arugula. It's up to the Detail Detectives to observe what makes the twins unique. / Carl gets upset when Nico breaks the Lint Dinosaur Monday rules and makes a Lint Monster instead. (my commentary: both of these episodes center Nico, it seems. I can understand Nico wanting to be distinct from Arugula, as they look exactly the same and there's literally no way to tell them apart other than their voices. I also understand Carl being upset with things not going his way. I used to be like that when I was younger too. Occasionally I'm still like this)

Lemons!/The Butterfly Collection - Carl surprises Sheldon with a lemonade stand, but when Sheldon runs off, Carl is confused. Does Sheldon not want to be friends anymore? / Carl's caterpillars are turning into butterflies, and he's excited to start a butterfly collection. (my commentary: It's interesting how some titles, like "Lemons!" don't follow the title pattern of "The X Collection." I'm sure we've all seen that one "lemonade stand! lemonade stand!" promo that PBS Kids plays nonstop, and it seems that it gave away what really happens - Sheldon just doesn't want to get lemon juice in his eyes. I don't know how a butterfly collection would work though. I bet the episode will involve Carl having to let the butterflies go)

Whole Lotta Lotta/Leaf It to Carl - When Skyler calls Lotta 'headphone girl,' she's determined to find a way to let her know that she's more than that. / Everyone is unsure about the new kid after he caused a hullabaloo on the playground. Are all the rumors about him true? (my commentary: Carl and his friends do go to school after all! We don't know who Skyler is, as she's not in Carl's social circle. I don't think Skyler is intentionally trying to be mean, but I can see why Lotta would be upset. As for "Leaf It to Carl," this one's a bit of a mystery. There's a new kid in school and he causes a "hullaballoo." What did he do? And then the kids start spreading rumors about him. It seems that Carl is going to investigate if the rumors are true. Why is "leaf" in the title though? I bet the commotion the new kid caused had something to do with leaves)

The Tool Collection/The Stick Collection - Carl stretches the limits of honesty when he gets a universal screwdriver for his birthday. / When a storm creates a hole in the walkway to his house, Carl wants it fixed, until he discovers his friends have turned it into something magical. (my commentary: Carl is going to be dishonest and we'll get the 'honesty is the best policy' lesson. How does he stretch the limits of honesty though? Does it involve his screwdriver? As for "The Stick Collection," I bet that Carl's friends are gonna fill the hole with sticks or something)

The Fall/The Word Collection - When Carl freezes after Nico falls, he shares something about himself to help her understand why he didn't know what to do. / Carl learns a new word - shindig. Will he get to say it just the right way at just the right time? (my commentary: I think Carl is going to state point blank in this episode that he's autistic. If he's telling Nico this for the first time, how did she and the others not know? "The Word Collection" will probably involve Carl going to a party)

The Remote Control Collection/The Super Blue Moon Sleepover - Forrest can't wait to try everything at the Fuzzytown Friends Picnic, but his excitement gets him into trouble when he won't wait his turn. / Carl is hosting a Super Blue Moon Sleepover, and everything must go according to his plan. (my commentary: Forrest is confirmed to have ADHD, and it definitely shows in the description for this episode. I bet Carl will use a remote control to "pause" and "slow down" Forrest or something. The latter episode seems like another episode where Carl gets upset that things don't go his way)

A Forrest of Plans/The Marble Collection - Forrest makes too many plans on the same day and leaves a trail of disappointed friends. / Carl and Arugula are building an epic marble run, but despite many attempts, they can't quite seem to get the marble to run! (my commentary: yeah, seems like another episode where it's made obvious that Forrest has ADHD. I forgot to mention this in my commentary on "The Fall," but I like how Carl seems to do things with Nico and Arugula as individuals, unlike many other works of fiction where twins are joined at the hip no matter what)

The Magic Trick Collection/Listen Coach - Carl and Nico argue over who gets to have Arugula as their magician's assistant, but what does Arugula want? / Carl realizes he has trouble listening when playing with a cool collection. Can Sheldon teach him how to become a good listener? (my commentary: speak of the devil, this episode involves Carl and both of the twins. It seems like both of these episodes involve listening. Carl and Nico aren't listening to what Arugula wants, and then Sheldon has to become Carl's 'listen coach')

The Sticker Collection/The Baby Stuff Collection - Carl realizes his favorite sour pickle scratch-n-sniff sticker lost its smell. He must get that sour pickle smell back! / Carl notices that his baby blanket, Knit-Knit, has a hole in it. What could have happened? It's a Knit-Knit mystery! (my commentary: I think there's a clip of the sticker episode in one of the promos or that one behind the scenes video on the PBS Kids website. This episode is also referenced in the theme song, where Carl smells a sticker and imagines flying on slices of pickles. "The Baby Stuff Collection" has cuteness overload potential)

The Puffball Collection/The Bottle Cap Collection - When Lotta competes in the Fuzzytown Music Maker Championship, the noise on stage becomes too much and she needs to leave. / When Carl forgets his bottle cap collection at his dad's house, he must find a way to make it through the night without it. (my commentary: it's been confirmed that Lotta is sensitive to loud noises, so her becoming distressed by the noise on stage is not surprising. Maybe Carl will put puffballs in Lotta's ears to block out the sound. Also; "his dad's house"? Carl doesn't live with his dad? This could mean his parents are divorced)

A Wiggle Waggle Worries/The Pine Cone Collection - Sheldon can't wait for Carl to play his favorite beach game, but Carl is nervous. What if he can't play as well as his friends? / Lotta lost her favorite blanket and her friends are determined to help her find it. (my commentary: we need to keep this episode AWAY from the creepo who runs that one "shirtless cartoon boys" blog. I wonder how pinecones will factor into the plot of "The Pine Cone Collection.")

(there's a 4096-character limit, apparently. will be continued in a reblog)

[littleraccooncarl]

Yet another Carl the Collector interview!

Jackson Murphy: Zachariah, I love that Carl is sincere, honest, knowledgeable and passionate. Tell me about creating this lead character.

Zachariah OHora: I’ve always been obsessed with raccoons… looking for raccoon characters and putting them in my stories. I had the idea for Carl to be a collector — I’m a collector as well — some years ago. But I didn’t really have a story with it. When PBS came to me… we started working on developing Carl. At the same time, my kids were going to an inclusion school, which I wasn’t familiar with. It was a new concept to me. A democratic idea of every kid in the district, no matter what their needs are, gets to go to school and have the same classroom time, same social time with other kids, same interaction with teachers and access to education (time out of the classroom every day, be able to wear headphones to not feel overstimulated or have an aide in the class).

Zachariah OHora: I went to visit my kids’ school. I visit a lot of schools for book tours, so I see all kinds of schools. I noticed all the kids didn’t see any difference between them. A real lightbulb moment for me. When you’re at this age and exposed to the full spectrum of humanity, the more that everyone gets exposed to it and it’s normalized, everyone benefits from it. A vehicle for more exposure to kids, especially in the form of a television show… for neurodiverse kids to see themselves and also neurotypical kids to be introduced to the neurodiversity that’s out there was a crucial thing.

JM: The messages are wonderful. The interactions these kids have with each other are fantastic. Lisa, this a great community of animal kids. The conversations feel so grounded and real.

Lisa Whittick: We took a lot of inspiration from the Peanuts specials. The voice actors were children, and that was one thing we decided on early on. That brings a whole element of reality. We use their pacing. We don’t edit their voices a whole lot. We also drew from the autistic community to get our lead character, Carl, as well as some other characters. We try to show kids as they are and not try and sugarcoat relationships and make it all happy and fun. Usually by the end of the episode there’s a resolution of some kind, but we show the real process of getting there — the arguments that take place and the hurt feelings. You don’t see a lot of shows like that out there. I’m really proud that that’s coming through in the episodes.

JM: You are on the money when it comes to Peanuts. Zachariah, the tone makes this show feel like it’s a cousin or a companion piece to the Peanuts universe.

ZO: I love it. My grandma really gave me the love for the Peanuts. The whole Peanuts vibe… is really close to my heart. To see it translated in a new way for a new generation on this new show feels great.

JM: There are a lot of collections. Lisa, how did you want to come-up with them and the unique ways you present them to audiences and to these characters?

LW: Carl loves to collect absolutely everything. I’m on the animation part of it, so we usually get the scripts with all these amazing ideas of what he’s gonna be collecting and how he’s gonna use his collections to maybe solve a problem or relate to someone else through his collections, which a lot of autistic people tend to do. They use their passion and try and interact with people through that passion. Carl definitely does that a lot. The collection jars… work out really great because you can always see what’s in the jars. (laughs) His room is absolutely filled with jars and shelves. It allows for some beautiful visuals on screen.

JM: The show has a great look. Zachariah, watching these episodes made me think about how important collections are to people — about memories and organizing them. How personal did this experience get for you as far as that?

ZO: Collecting is really personal to me. My older son was in such a collector phase when we were coming up with this. We pull from everyone’s experiences on the show. One of the other general guidelines we had for the collections was: we didn’t want it to just be, ‘Here’s this spoiled kid whose mom buys him a bunch of crap and he collects stuff.’ It’s leaves, things in nature, wingnuts, dinosaurs made out of lint from the dryer.

JM: The episode about moustaches uses them for problem solving. Lisa, in working with PBS Kids, what’s the educational component to this series — the next-level lessons?

LW: The writer will start with an outline of a story idea they might think is fun and it will then go to advisors, PBS and a whole team of people who weigh in and say, “This story would really lend itself well to teaching this lesson about how a child can work through certain emotional triggers or situations they maybe wouldn’t have tools for.” We’re teaching kids actual strategies on how to calm themselves down, how to deal with anxiety — breathing techniques… it’s very unique that way.

JM: Lisa, this is an important show for the here and now.

LW: It’s… a really entertaining, funny, fun show for everybody. There’s little bits and pieces that anybody watching is going to watch and think, “Wow. I really relate to that.” Especially to parents.

JM: Zachariah, how does this fit into — or shake-up — your Fuzzytown world?

ZO: Yowza! [Animation], Lisa and everybody did such an amazing job translating my Fuzzytown world with 2D and books to animation and movement. That’s a huge shift for me. To see how it went and how it turned out to be — it feels exactly like the world I’ve created, and the characters seem like they live in that world. It’s a very believable space to explore endlessly. I’ve been blown away by everybody’s work on it.

[littleraccooncarl]

Here's another Carl the Collector related interview!

Zachariah, [in] tackling this series, the subject matter may seem difficult or even taboo to some people, but it feels like this show is already part of the zeitgeist. It just feels very familiar. What made you want to create the show? 

Zachariah OHora: It's been nine years in production, so it's been a long time coming. At the time, it just seemed obvious that we should have more stories about this. I had some experience—at that time, my kids were going to school. They attend an inclusion school, and we're lucky that they could go there. In all of the classrooms, there were kids with different needs. It was a lightbulb moment for me; it normalized the idea that people have different needs.

My kids were friends with everyone, and they accepted each person as they were. It was a moment where I realized, "Oh, yeah, this is the obvious thing." If everyone has more exposure to the whole spectrum of humanity, then we’ll all understand each other better, and the world will be a better place. That's how it started.

Lisa, I know you've been a part of some of my favorite shows. I grew up watching Martha Speaks, and I thought you were a storyboard artist for it. This is a really cool full-circle moment. Coming on to direct, how has it been collaborating with Zachariah to help bring these ideas to life?

Lisa Whittick: Zach has been amazing to work with. He really trusts us at Yowza! [Animation] to fulfill his vision for the show. Zach is obviously an illustrator, and taking those flat drawings and the perspective he created and turning them into an actual show is a bit of a challenge.

Early on, we came up with certain rules for Fuzzytown that we needed to stick to regarding perspective. Not everything is going to look perfect, and that's the point: we don’t want it to look perfect. The environment isn't perfect, and people aren't perfect either, right? So it's a nice, full-circle thing that way. It’s been amazing working with Zach. He’s a really incredible creator.

The aptly titled production company, Fuzzytown Productions. When I looked at the key art and, in general, this episode, the illustrations and animation elicit a very warm and fuzzy feeling—a safe space, in a way. I'd love to know, as an illustrator, your inspirations for the drawings prior to the animation. ZO: It's a lifelong thing. When I was a kid, I collected comic books and wanted to be a comic book artist. I also loved picture books. I admire Ben Shahn, an illustrator from the '50s and '60s known for his heavy black lines. Inspiration comes from so many places. The other part of it is just working with what you have. There are things that I am terrible at—I can’t draw realistically—but I lean into the things I can draw so it's all those elements.

Some writers on staff are neurodivergent. Ava Rigelhaupt is part of the team. It’s incredibly necessary, and almost mandatory, to bring these voices into the show. What was that dynamic like in the writer's room? What perspectives did you all have when crafting the storylines?

ZO:  The point from the beginning was that we wanted an inclusive atmosphere as possible, with different voices. We don't need to hear only my voice. We wanted an authentic representation of all the kids and parents that we show in the series and in order to do that, we have to have the same range of people writing. And that's what we attempted to do. And it's been really, really great. Lisa technically is not in the writer's room, but when we go through [story] boarding, she has so many ideas, too. On every level of the production, some people are adding valuable additions to how the stories get crafted that no one person could do.

LW: We also have, not just neurodivergent writers, but we have neurodivergent animators. The voice actors are neurodivergent as well for Carl and Lotta. That's Kai Barham and Maddy Mcllwain. And yeah, it's a really collaborative process where I feel like it's becoming more of an outlet for autistic voices to be heard throughout the entire production, which is really, really great.

We can't forget about our star, Carl, and how he moves throughout the show, as well as the lead character, who loves collecting things and being around family. When it came to crafting Carl as a character, what was that process like? Was he an amalgamation of people or kids? How did that come to be?

ZO: I originally came up with Carl as he looks now, with the sweater vest and everything else. Often, when I create characters, they don't come with a backstory, so I'll make a drawing or usually a card for my wife if I've upset her and need to say I'm sorry. I try to think about what the cutest animal with the cutest outfit possible would be. Not that Carl was created that way, but sometimes these characters will hang on the wall of my studio for a year, and then they start to talk to you and reveal their personalities the more you draw them.

Eventually, a story and scenarios develop. Carl followed a similar process. I want to emphasize that a lot of the development occurred when we got to the animation stage. There were different aspects of Carl that had to be figured out from an animation standpoint—things I hadn't even considered. 

LW: Once Zach provided us with the artwork and the story premises, we had to work closely with advisors to ensure we were accurately portraying the autism aspects of Carl's personality. We worked with two advisors, and many of the crew members also contributed. As a parent of an autistic son, many of Carl's mannerisms—like the stimming and pacing—are things I've observed in my son as he grew up so it feels like he is an amalgamation of various people.

From the perspective of an audience—whether it’s a parent, a caregiver, or a young child watching—they know it’s authentic, and that’s the best part. I also noticed there's a character named Forrest, a squirrel with a tree nut allergy. I want to talk about that for a minute because I love the humor behind it. When developing the other characters and their personalities, was it just ideas that came to you, or what was that process like?

ZO: I try to think about characters in a similar way. I focus on three elements: humor, a little bit of weirdness, and a lot of heart. I'm always trying to incorporate those three aspects. With Forrest, he has ADHD; he runs around really fast and is quite impulsive. I considered the different things that can make us feel isolated from our families or communities. For a squirrel, eating nuts is a staple, so having a nut allergy—which many kids can relate to—would be particularly tough. There’s a great pizza place around the corner, and he loves pizza, which is his favorite food. So it’s about addressing serious issues while adding a touch of levity, making it relatable and fun to watch.

Do you two have a favorite character that out of all of the people, all of the characters in the ensemble, is there one that sticks out to you?

LW: Forrest is the funny one. He's the one that I think the audience is really going to love because he's got all these funny little quirks and sayings and just the way he moves. I do really love him. I do have a kinship with Mama, Carl's mom. I feel like she's me, and everything that she is thinking and doing, I've thought and done all those things before. There's going to be a lot of parents out there with neurodivergent kids who are going to really relate to her.

ZO: Carl was the first, so Carl is the closest to my heart. There are some ancillary characters that we are starting to explore that are also my secret favorites. There's a skunk who's a DJ named Jam Master Spray, who I really love, but we haven't actually really gotten deep into his story yet. There are those other little fun characters that have come out of this process that we're waiting to explore.

[littleraccooncarl]

Actually, I'm going to copy and paste this entire Q&A that Zachariah OHora did last month.

PBS Wisconsin: What inspired you to create Carl the Collector?

OHora: I originally had this character of Carl who collected stuff and who was a raccoon. And, often I get characters who I don’t really know what to do with for a long time. At the same time, my two boys … were starting school, and we live in an area where we’re lucky enough to have inclusion schools. I didn’t know what that was at the time. Inclusion schools are sort of this philosophy of democratic access for all kids in the school district to have the same access to education as everybody else, no matter what their needs are, in the same amount of teacher time, same amount of class social interaction time. So that means that whatever kids need they get, and that could just be certain accommodations like time out of class or up to having an aide full-time in the class with them.

My son Oscar was just friends with everybody. And there was a kid in his class who was on the autism spectrum. It was just like a lightbulb moment because Oscar didn’t see any difference. It was like, “Hey, this is my friend. Sometimes he needs to take a break in class.” It was all the same to him. And it was such a lightbulb moment for me that with all neurodiverse people that you encounter in life that the earlier you get exposure to them and for them to be able to socialize with everybody else, the better it is for everybody.

PBS Wisconsin: How is that reflected in the series?

OHora: The goal of Carl the Collector is to just show the whole spectrum of humanity as it is. And, hopefully that reflection also sows seeds of empathy for the struggles that people have. And at the same time, the overall idea is that just like we have cutout curbs for sidewalks, for people with mobility issues, that when we understand neurodiversity better that all of, if society can shift a little bit, we’re all going to benefit. Society will benefit from people who think a different way, and they obviously will benefit too by being more integrated into society.

PBS Wisconsin: How did this character and his story evolve from there?

OHora: My background is writing and illustrating picture books. So, whenever I come up with characters, it’s to eventually come up with a story, to make a book. At the same time, PBS had reached out to me, and they were looking for creators that were sort of outside of their normal creative pool for new show ideas. So, we kind of worked on that together, and then it just kind of clicked.

PBS Wisconsin: Can you relate to Carl?

OHora: I’m a collector. I probably have 3,000 or 4,000 vinyl records, and I collected comic books as a kid. And, my oldest son, too, was really into collecting at the time. It got to the point where we weren’t even collecting actual things sometimes. We were collecting containers for potential future collections that didn’t exist yet, which I really identified with.

PBS Wisconsin: How was the experience for you working on this story then, knowing that this would be a TV series rather than a book?

OHora: It was a long process. It’s been a little over nine years since we started talking. I knew nothing about animation or television production or any of that stuff, but at the same time, PBS KIDS was the perfect home for this idea and to incubate it as they really care about authentic representation, getting things right, empathy, all the themes of the show is what PBS is all about. It just made perfect sense and … it kind of seemed like the only place that a show like this would actually happen.

PBS Wisconsin: Integration is really at the core of this new series.

OHora: It’s really all the way through any character that we show who is on the spectrum. The voice actor is also autistic. We have autistic writers, the experts on the show, even one of our autism experts is on the spectrum. And, amazingly enough, he collects argyle sweater vests just like Carl does. Everybody that’s involved with the show has some connection with the autism spectrum. So, it’s really drawing on all those people’s personal experiences and their points of view. It makes it a really authentic representation, that I can’t imagine any other place would take the amount of time and effort to make sure that we get it right.

PBS Wisconsin: What was your role in the creation of the series?

OHora: I did the original character designs, and whenever we have a new character, most of the time I’ll do the initial design of that character. The entire backdrop of it is Fuzzytown, and that is based on my town where I live in Narberth, Pennsylvania.

PBS Wisconsin: What is your ultimate hope for this series?

OHora: My hope is that neurodiverse kids, kids with neurodiverse members of their family and neurotypical kids all see themselves in the show. It’s an ensemble cast of kids. I hope that it’s a fun and funny enough show. There are little Easter eggs for adults, too, that parents are going to not mind sitting down and watching this show with their kids, and enjoy it just as much.

For adults, it seems like a lot of adults with autism love animation, and I love animation as an adult, so I really hope that there’s no age limit on who enjoys the show. But the main thing is just that it spreads more empathy for the struggles that everybody’s going through, particularly in beginning school-age kids, whether they’re neurodiverse or not, trying to figure out their self-identity and sort of find their way in a larger world that they’re being exposed to.