me, lying to myself: i’m never drinking again
I think I’ve posted about this before, but I can never get over how amazing “Out of the Box” actually was. If you’re looking for a truly feminist children’s show, this is my #1 recommendation.
For starters, the two main characters (who are seen in the gif) are both from marginalised groups but are not stereotypes even a little bit. And as I recall, there was even an episode where they both shared their culture with the children is a positive light.
Secondly, the show is very anti-classist. The premise of the show is that the two main characters are taking care of the children after school until their parents get home from work. They do things such as arts and crafts, and rely heavily on cheap products that can usually be found around the home.
Thirdly, the show was pretty progressive when it came to gender roles and gender expression. As I recall, there was one episode in which the children wanted to do a play about a princess and a dragon. They decided to make puppets by drawing on lunch bags with markers. One of the children, who appeared to be a cis girl, declared that she wanted to be a strong and scary dragon. Another one of the children, who appeared to be a cis boy, declared that he wanted to be a beautiful princess. There was no shaming for this, and no talk about “proper gender roles”. Instead, the two main characters simply applauded the children for the creativity and helped them create their puppets.
I actually might watch all of the episode again one day (if I can find them) and create a full list of reasons why people should watch Out of the Box. But for now, I’ll just leave you with the episodes that I remember.
ruinedchildhood