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Netflix’s Ridley Jones and Hulu’s The Mighty Ones feature new queer characters your kids (and you) are going to love.
Children's television programming continues its trend of becoming more inclusive in 2021 by introducing two new LGBTQ+ characters to the ranks of kids’ cartoons. Both Hulu’sThe Mighty Ones and Netflix’s Ridley Jones will feature queer characters in their current seasons.
Dropping on July 13, Netflix's Ridley Jones is a new preschool series that’s “steeped in representation, diversity, and inclusivity,” the service said in a press release. The series was created by Emmy-award-winning creator, producer, and LGBTQIA+ mom Chris Nee, who previously created the series Doc McStuffins and Vampirina.
The series follows the titular Ridley and her friends as they work to “protect the Museum of Natural History's treasures and keep its magical secret safe” and, of course, everything in the museum comes alive at night. Along for these adventures are LGBTQIA+ characters including Fred, a non-binary bison who’s making history as the first recurring non-binary character in a preschool series. The voice cast is also packed with queer faves including Sutton Foster, Jane Lynch, Blythe Danner, and Chris Colfer.
While Ridley Jones has yet to premiere, there’s no need to wait for The Mighty Ones’ second season, which is now streaming on both Peacock and Hulu. It introduces the character Fire-Fly, “a fabulously fluorescent entertainer whose mildly-obsessed fan base will flock from near and far to stand under her light and jitter all night long,” the network says.
Fire-Fly is voiced by none other than drag queen royalty Manila Luzon, who took to Instagram to share a video of herself transforming into her animated character IRL.
The series focuses on a group of tiny characters — a twig, a pebble, a leaf, and a strawberry — who call themselves “The Mighty Ones” and have adventures as they explore the backyard wonderland where they live.
The Mighty Ones is on Hulu and Peackcock now. Ridley Jones premieres July 13 on Netflix but you can watch the first episode below:
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Rachel Shatto, Editor in Chief of PRIDE.com, is an SF Bay Area-based writer, podcaster, and former editor of Curve magazine, where she honed her passion for writing about social justice and sex (and their frequent intersection). Her work has appeared on Elite Daily, Tecca, and Joystiq, and she podcasts regularly about horror on the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network. She can’t live without cats, vintage style, video games, drag queens, or the Oxford comma.
Rachel Shatto, Editor in Chief of PRIDE.com, is an SF Bay Area-based writer, podcaster, and former editor of Curve magazine, where she honed her passion for writing about social justice and sex (and their frequent intersection). Her work has appeared on Elite Daily, Tecca, and Joystiq, and she podcasts regularly about horror on the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network. She can’t live without cats, vintage style, video games, drag queens, or the Oxford comma.
