| Childrens' TV: Report Card |
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Childrens' TV: Report Card
> Preschool
> Franklin
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Franklin
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| NAME: |
Franklin |
| NETWORK: |
PBS Kids
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| GENRE: |
Educational |
| SHOW DESCRIPTION: |
Franklin the turtle is learning how he fits in the world and how the world fits him. He is surrounded by an array of animal friends like Bear and Beaver who also discovers the world with Franklin.
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Representation |
Does the show use a balanced ratio of male and female characters? |
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Appearance |
How characters are portrayed in terms of their appearance. Does the show use color to identify gender and are broad ranges of features used to illustrate characters? |
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Communication/Interaction |
How characters are portrayed in terms of their communication styles and interactions with other characters. Do they display characteristics such as assertiveness, confidence, sensitivity, kindness, adventurousness, etc.? |
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Leadership & Independence |
How characters are portrayed as leaders or followers. Do they act independently, initiate conversations and actions, show respect for others, etc.? |
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Activities |
How characters are portrayed in terms of their activities and physicality. Are characters portrayed doing only stereotypical activities (girls cheerleading and boys playing sports, for example) or are there a broad range of activities for each? |
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Skill & Intelligence |
How characters are portrayed in terms of their intelligence and abilities. Do they show aptitude with science, technology or math as well as art, dance or music? |
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COMMENTS: Franklin is a lovable and charming character and the show teaches preschoolers important lessons about values and integrity. What disappoints us about Franklin is the weak female characters in the show. Franklin's mom is a very traditional mother archetype. Beaver, one of the main females in the show, is shown to be a leader through bossiness and other subtle negative attributes. There is a severe lack of female role models in the show and tends to be very boy-focused. What we do love about the show, however, is that it does not concern itself with being sure to clearly identify who is a girl and who is a boy. The characters do not wear clothes or have body colors that identify their gender and kids can only identify them based on their dialogue and behaviors.
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