The children’s television cartoon franchise “Paw Patrol” has added its first “nonbinary” character in a spin-off aimed at young children.
“Paw Patrol” is one of the world’s largest entertainment properties, according to market research firm NPD.
From 2015 through 2018, “Paw Patrol” made $1.4 billion in DVDs, books, toys, and video games, according to a report by NPD.
The show is designed for toddlers and very young children.
The Canadian-made children’s show produced by Spin Master Entertainment and Guru Studio traces the adventures of animated dogs who work with children to rescue people and solve problems.
Its spinoff, “Rubble and Crew,” is produced by Spin Master Entertainment, Corus Entertainment, and Jam Filled Toronto.
The spinoff includes the first “nonbinary” character in the “Paw Patrol” universe, a girl named “River.” People who identify as “nonbinary” often use plural pronouns and say they have neither a male nor female gender identity.
The Epoch Times reached out to the companies producing the show but did not receive a response.
Adding River to the show was evidence “Paw Patrol” has “gone woke,” conservative activist Robby Starbuck lamented on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The addition of a nonbinary character to the“Paw Patrol” franchise falls behind the pace at which other companies have moved on LGBT inclusion.
Popular children’s TV shows already featuring LGBT characters include “Andi Mack,” “Adventure Time,” “Diary of a Future President,” “Doc McStuffins,” “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power,” “Steven Universe,” “The Loud House,” “The Owl House,” and “The Legend of Korra.”
Movie franchises that have long appealed to children have also added LGBT characters.
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” featured the franchise’s first lesbian kiss in 2019. Also that year, Marvel spotlighted its first opening gay moment in the so-called Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as a non-superhero gay man described his dating struggles in a group therapy scene at the beginning of “Avengers: Endgame.”
And in 2022, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” part of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, announced that Dumbledore was gay.
Disney’s “Strange World” made a teenage boy’s same-sex attraction a minor plot point. Before that movie, Disney already had revealed 17 LGBT characters.
Most of these characters received mere seconds of screen time. In “Zootopia,” two arguing male antelopes aren’t obviously in a homosexual relationship.
Other LGBT Characters
Traditional children’s characters also have announced LGBT identities in recent years.Gonzo from “The Muppet Show” has cross-dressed as “Gonzo-rella.” “Sesame Street” introduced a family with two gay dads. “Blue’s Clues” celebrated LGBT Pride Month with a sing-along video featuring drag queen Nina West and an animated beaver with breast amputation scars. The children’s show “Peppa Pig” featured a same-sex couple.
Exposing children to entertainment with alternative gender identities and sexual orientations is effective at convincing them to accept those as normal, physician and psychologist Leonard Sax told The Epoch Times.
“Kids are not born knowing what normal is,” Dr. Sax said. “They need to be taught. It’s not hardwired.”
Research suggests that gender identity is far more changeable than people might expect, he said. If children are taught that being transgender is normal, they will be more likely to identify as transgender, he said.
Children who struggle with gender identity are far more likely to be anxious and depressed, Dr. Sax said.
LGBT Children’s Programming
About 11.9 percent of characters scheduled to appear on scripted broadcast primetime programming for the 2021-2022 season were LGBT, according to research by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.A 2022 survey by Gallup polls found that 7.2 percent of American adults identify as LGBT.
In “Rubble and Crew,” River received a post-debut gender clarification that made her ambiguous LGBT status explicit.
The Epoch Times reached out to Ms. Amer for comment but did not receive a response.
“They brought me on to consult on the first nonbinary character—meet River!!—for the PP universe and write their episode, talk about a bucket list item,” Ms. Amer wrote in an Instagram post.
River is represented by the voice of Cihang Ma, who also identifies as nonbinary, Ms. Amer said.
Ms. Amer’s YouTube channel “Queer Kid Stuff” describes a long history of encouraging children to express their LGBT gender identities. She calls herself the “Queer Mr. Rogers.”
“Teddy and I make LGBT educational videos for all ages where we imagine a kinder and more equal future,” said Ms. Amer in a video on her channel, referring to a plush toy bear perched on her shoulder.
Her videos include songs about gender, “queer” teddy bears, “privilege,” and a ditty in the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It.”
Ms. Amer’s version leads small children through a series of gestures to lyrics based on the theme “If You’re a Drag Queen and You Know It.”
