PBS Kids, home to childhood legends like Clifford and Arthur, recently introduced a new face to the neighborhood: Carl the Collector. And Carl, a fuzzy raccoon with a penchant for finding interesting things, isn't just any new character — he's the first autistic lead in a PBS children's series.
Voiced by 10-year-old autistic actor Kai Barham, Carl is already making waves. Barham himself expressed how thrilled he was to see himself represented, hoping the show would help bust some long-held myths about what autism 'looks like.' Because, as anyone who knows a human knows, stereotypes are rarely useful.
More Than Just a Character
This isn't just a token gesture. The team behind Carl the Collector, aimed at four to eight-year-olds, is stacked with autistic voice actors, writers, and directors, or people with autistic family members. This hands-on experience ensures the show's core message hits home: that the autism spectrum is, well, a spectrum — and not everyone on it acts the same way. Imagine that.
We're a new kind of news feed.
Regular news is designed to drain you. We're a non-profit built to restore you. Every story we publish is scored for impact, progress, and hope.
Start Your News DetoxZachariah OHora, the author of the original children's books, put it simply: these are human stories for everyone. Stephen Shore, an autistic professor and advisor for the show, pointed out that many strategies used to support autistic individuals are, frankly, just good practices for everyone. Empathy? Listening? Clear communication? Revolutionary, we know.
Shore hopes the show helps all viewers, autistic or not, learn a little more about each other and realize that, despite our neurotypes, we're probably more alike than different. Which, if you think about it, is a pretty solid message for a show about a collecting raccoon.
Emmy-Winning Empathy
On March 1st, Carl the Collector snagged an Emmy Award. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences honored it with the "Outstanding Public Service Initiative" award at the 4th Annual Children's & Family Emmy Awards in New York. Let that satisfying number sink in.
The show was recognized for its stellar public service, specifically for raising awareness and supporting community causes. OHora summed it up perfectly: Carl the Collector celebrates neurodiverse characters and, by extension, all of humanity. He hopes Carl and his friends will inspire a little more empathy and understanding, showing that when we recognize and embrace our differences, everyone benefits. Even the raccoons.
