PBS KIDS Programming

Molly of Denali Premieres on SDPB

First nationally distributed kids series in U.S. features Alaska Native lead character

Molly of Denali, a new animated series from WGBH Boston and PBS KIDS debuts this month on SDPB1, SDPB4 (the 24/7 SDPB KIDS channel) and all PBS KIDS digital platforms.

Molly of Denali is an action-adventure comedy that follows the adventures of feisty and resourceful 10-yearold Molly Mabray, an Alaska Native girl. Molly helps her mom and dad run the Denali Trading Post, a general store, bunkhouse, and transport hub in the fictional village of Qyah, Alaska. Each episode follows Molly, her dog Suki and her friends Tooey and Trini on their daily adventures in Alaska, from fishing to building snow forts to delivering a camera to friends on a volcano via dog sled.

Molly of Denali is designed to help kids ages 4-8 develop knowledge and skills for interacting with informational texts. In each episode, Molly’s life and adventures are enhanced, illuminated, and broadened by using and creating books, online resources, historic documents, indigenous knowledge from elders, maps, charts, photos, and more. Molly also shares the information that she gathers through a vlog, offering short-form videos in which she shares aspects of her life in Alaska with kids in the lower 48 states and around the world.

One of the goals of the series is to bring Alaska Native voices into all production aspects, both on-and offcamera. A working group of Alaska Native advisors and consultants are working with WGBH. Princess Daazhraii Johnson (Neets’aii Gwich’in) producer and Fairbanks resident, is creative producer of the series. Molly of Denali will also feature Alaska Native voice talent in key roles, including the lead role of Molly, and Alaska Native scriptwriters. WGBH and its animation partner, Atomic Cartoons, will host Alaska Native interns for production and animation roles.

“Molly of Denali showcases values paramount to all Alaskan Native cultures,” says Princess Daazhraii Johnson. “These values will be woven into each storyline and provide important learning moments. I’m especially excited that Alaska Native children will get to see themselves in Molly, who’s such an inspiring role model for all kids. The project’s Alaska Native advisors worked hard to ensure that our children will get to see our beautiful cultures in a respectful light.”

Molly of Denali Series Premiere SDPB1: Monday, July 15, 7:30am (6:30 MT) & 3pm (2 MT) Molly of Denali airs weekdays on SDPB1 at 7:30am & 3pm and also on PBS KIDS 24/7 on SDPB4. Check listings at SDPB.org.

Sesame Street Introduces Character Who Lives with Foster Family

Historically, PBS KIDS – from Mr. Rogers to Electric Company to Odd Squad have been at the forefront of ensuring that those who are chronically under-represented in the media are better represented. The education specialists and producers at PBS KIDS work mindfully to portray multiple cultures, abilities, and backgrounds – not merely in trite, surface ways, but as multidimensional characters with agency. From some of the first characters of color, to showing Buffy St. Marie (Cree Tribe) normalizing breastfeeding, to smart girls like Molly of Denali and kind-hearted boys like Elmo, to the autistic character Julia.

Now Sesame Street is introducing you to Karli, who lives with her foster family. “My mom can’t be with me right now, even though she loves me

very much,” Karli tells Elmo in a scene titled “A Heart Can Grow.” It’s all part of Sesame Workshop’s new initiative to offer support to children, foster parents, and providers who serve foster families. Children in foster care often experience many transitions—from their separation from birth parents, to their placement in foster care, to many moves—and the new resources are designed to help children in crisis cope along the way.

In response to the introduction of Karli, social media is erupting with messages posted by fostering families reaching out to others who may be thinking about fostering. Kids who grew up in foster families are posting, “thank you for representing me.”

The number of children in foster care in the US has grown for five consecutive years. In 2017, nearly 443,000 children spent time in foster care—6 out of every 1,000 children in the US. Every 47 seconds a child is abused or neglected, and children under age 6 made up nearly half of all child maltreatment cases in 2015. Over 40 percent of all children in foster care in 2016 were under age 6.

Once again, Sesame Street and public media fill the gap.