Representation Station: 2023 Kids TV Shows

By: Rebecca Kuntz

Continuing with our Representation Station series, today we bring you three Kids TV show episodes that have great casual representation of disability to help show kids that disability is natural and part of everyday life.

Bluey Season 3 Episode 31

If you are a parent of a toddler or child under 8 years old, there is a high likelihood that you have seen every Bluey episode ever created and find yourself singing the theme song in your head all day long. In the newly released season 3 episode 31 titled “Turtleboy” Bandit and Bingo find a lost toy at a park and decide to leave it in case its rightful owners come back looking for it. Dougie and his mom come to play at the park and find the toy, and engage in a conversation all in sign language.

The production company that makes Bluey in Australia partnered with a local service provider for Deaf, Deafblind and hard of hearing Australians to ensure that Dougie and his language were represented accurately and authentically.

This Bluey episode isn’t about disability or deafness, but the fact that Dougie is deaf is incidental. This casual, but very important, representation has been applauded by Bluey fans worldwide.

A cartoon shows two cavapoo dogs from the tv show *Bluey*. Dougie on the left and his mom is on the right. They are communicating using Auslan (Australian Sign Language) in a park. Between them is a toy that looks like a turtle.

Yoga Friends

Noggin, a Nickelodeon company, has a video series called Yoga Friends where kids can follow along to yoga and mindfulness activities. Season 2 Episode 2 is titled “Rock n Roll Yoga” and leads children through poses with a fun musical theme. There are two children in the show who are modeling the yoga poses in this episode, one of which is a wheelchair user. The child is adapting the poses to be accessible to them, and is showing other wheelchair using children watching the show that doing yoga is possible!

Goldie & Bear

This Disney Junior series is re-imagining the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears in which Golidlocks becomes best friends with the youngest bear. Goldie’s mother is named Marian Locks and she is a businesswoman who travels around the world collecting items for the people of her home forest. She uses a custom purple and gold whimsically designed wheelchair to get around. Marian is seen moving around the forest and flying through the air using her purple mobility device. At the end of season one of the show, she is first mentioned as a wheelchair user when she is scouting other forests looking for a new location for her family to live.

Marian’s representation of being disabled and a wheelchair user is perfectly executed to show young viewers that disabled moms exist in the world. These types of representation can open up conversation with kids around accessibility and inclusion.