A spinoff of the highly rated children’s show Paw Patrol recently introduced a non-binary character that wears sneakers that are the color of the transgender flag.
On Tuesday’s show, Megyn was joined by community activist Carrie Prejean Boller to discuss how gender ideology is working its way into kids’ programming and why parents need to pay attention to what their children are watching.
[Editor’s Note: You can learn more about Megyn’s position on preferred pronouns here.]
Paw Patrol Goes Woke?
For the uninitiated, Paw Patrol is an animated show featuring a pack of rescue dogs who use their talents to protect the fictional town of Adventure Bay. Geared toward preschool-age children, it premiered in 2013 on Nickelodeon and has since spawned two movies and a spinoff show titled Rubble & Crew.
Rubble & Crew debuted in the U.S. in February. It is based around Rubble, a bulldog who works in construction from the original series, and his crew of pups that build and repair things in their community Builder Cove. Earlier this month, the series introduced the franchise’s first non-binary character named River.
The human character first appears in the episode titled “The Crew Builds An Observatory.” As the story goes, the skateboard-loving photographer recently moved to Builder Cove and the dogs decide to build an observatory to help River get a picture of a shooting star.
River’s non-binary identity is apparently not addressed directly, though the character wears socks and shoes with white, blue, and pink stripes (i.e. the colors of the trans flag) and is voiced by non-binary actor Cihang Ma.
The episode’s writer, non-binary activist Lindz Amer, confirmed River’s gender identity on Instagram. “They brought me on to consult on the first non-binary character… for the [Paw Patrol] universe and write their episode,” Amer captioned the post. “I wanted to write a non-binary character that was aspirational and incredibly cool, someone for the pups (and kids at home) to look up to.”
Amer, the self-described “Queer Mister Rogers” and creator of Queer Kids Stuff, has also written LGBTQIA-themed content for Blue’s Clues and The Fabulous Show with Fay and Fluffy, in addition to authoring a children’s book set to be published next year.
Why Parents Need to Speak Up
The non-binary character in Rubble & Crew comes on the heels of Disney introducing its first gender nonconforming character in the animated box office flop Elemental. Megyn said it’s hard to know what kids should watch these days. “It’s true, you can’t trust anybody anymore,” she said. “Who hasn’t put their kids in front of Paw Patrol? I mean, I always thought it was one of the most wholesome, sweetest little offerings for kids – absolutely nothing controversial, just the sweet little dogs [that] half the kids want to be… for Halloween.”
Prejean Boller said it is yet another reminder that parents need to be aware of the media their children are consuming. “For all the moms out there that are listening right now, make sure you are paying attention to what your kids are watching,” she emphasized. “They want to indoctrinate our kids. It’s not a secret anymore.” Megyn’s advice: “Don’t put your kid in front of it unless you personally watched it.”
In Prejean Boller’s view, it’s time for “normal” parents to start speaking up. “This is why conservatives and just normal parents in general need to play on offense consistently,” she concluded. “We need to come out swinging and… say, ‘Hard no – this is not acceptable.’”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Prejean Boller by tuning in to episode 635 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.