#Carl the collector

[rkherman]

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.

[wyattlife]

Carl the Collector fanart

In celebration of Carl the Collector releasing on the 14th, I decided to make fanart it

Also, Fun Fact: It'll be PBS Kids' first show to center on an autistic character

[sophiebyers]

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

[theautisticnerd]

I just watched the new PBS Kids show and OMG…

I watched Carl The Collector yesterday and it was absolutely a masterpiece!

So the show follows Carl an autistic raccoon, who collects things and has friends like Sheldon, Lotta (who is also autistic, TWO autistic characters), Nico and Arugula, and Forrest, who I am headcanoning with ADHD because she is so hyper and impulsive.

So my thoughts?

I was absolutely impressed. I am autistic with ADHD, and this show was absolutely amazing. The fact they had not one, but TWO autistic characters? PBS Kids did it again! The friends are all super lovable characters. I really relate to Carl because I have a lot of anxiety, and I do collect a LOT of things. In The Sticker Collection episode, he had his sticker collection in a notebook in the dresser next to his bed, just like mine. And Lotta I relate to because I hate loud noises and I love music. Every little detail was thought out, like when Carl and Lotta stim when nervous (Carl flapping, wiggling fingers, scratching arms, Lotta twirling tail) Sheldon is a super supportive friend and reminds me of my sister.

Overall, definitely worth the wait!

100/10!

[littleraccooncarl]

Welcome to littleraccooncarl, a blog centered around the show, Carl the Collector, which is set to premiere on November 14.

"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."

As an autistic person myself, autistic representation is very important to me, so I want to spread the word about the show and provide episode recaps, character analysis, etc. This blog isn't affiliated with PBS or anyone involved with making the show. This is an unofficial fanblog run by me, @volleypearlfan

[ultra-nohai]

First time drawing Carl the Collector!

I've just finished watching the first 14 episodes of the newest PBS Kids show, Carl the Collector, a show about an autistic raccoon named Carl who collects things. It was created by Zachariah OHora and was produced by Fuzzytown Productions in co-production with Spiffy Pictures, while the animation was done by Yowza! in Canada. I gotta say, I think I'm starting to like this show more often since I realized that I also have autism like Carl. Not only that, but I'm shocked that Carl was actually voiced by an autistic child actor. Isn't that crazy? At least I'm glad to see Carl the Collector part of the PBS Kids lineup!

(WARNING: Any unauthorized copying of this artwork will be reported and will urge the user to take it down without warranty.)

[heavensmonsters-blog]

I love this show

[tumblydove]

Carl the Collector spoilers:

Nobody:

Lotta: *panicking because of all the noise*

The citizens of Fuzzytown:💃🕺💃🕺

[lesbomination]

autistic girl you will live forever

[volleypearlfan]

I've been thinking about making a sideblog specifically f0r Carl the Collector-related stuff. If you don't know, it is an upcoming cartoon starring an autistic main character and it will premiere next month. As an autistic person, autistic representation is very important to me, and so I thought I could start a little "fanblog" for it where I recap episodes, analyze characters, post a gif or two. Maybe the show's production team will somehow notice me. However, I don't know if it will gain a lot of traction. Maybe I'll just get 5 notes max per post. I'm trying to decide whether I should make the blog at all

[rkherman]

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

[sophiebyers]

Me as a Carl the Collector character

[nintenpuppy]

carl the collector and his friends

[littleraccooncarl]

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)

[pbskidsnews]

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!

[notscary]