Collecting Empathy with Carl

by Christy Yao Pelliccioni

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About a year ago, I was nine months pregnant and letting my two-year-old have some extra screen time while I lay on my mother’s couch. I was pretty exhausted when a new show came on—Carl the Collector. 

I then forced myself to pay attention. I had heard about this show before: PBS had been running promos, and a news article had popped up on my phone reporting that this show was unique in that the main character openly explained how he is autistic. 

Although representation is one of the reasons I like my kids to watch PBS Kids, I was wondering if this show would be gimmicky or have concepts that were hard for my toddler to understand. Was this show really about a neurodivergent cartoon hoarder? Who also happens to be a racoon? 

But I soon realized that is not the main premise of the show—Carl the Collector shows a wide range of characters coping with all their various idiosyncrasies.

Carl the Collector doesn’t harp on Carl’s diagnosis or focus solely on his collections (which I must say are quite well organized). There are episodes where autism isn’t mentioned and episodes where it is a main focus. There is a wonderful balance of autism being a part of Carl but not defining him. The same is true for Carl’s friend Lotta, who is also autistic but has different traits than Carl. 

In “The Fall,” Carl explains his diagnosis to his friends following an incident where his friend skins her knee and Carl doesn’t express appropriate concern. Carl is worried that his friends won’t think of him as the same when he tells them he is autistic, but his mom Maude (who has an amazing fashion sense, usually wearing clunky clog heels and a dress with clouds on it!) encourages him. When Carl tells his friends, the moment is truly rehumanizing. Carl explains to his friends why he had a tough time expressing his emotions and his friends express great empathy and understanding.

During some of the episodes, Carl “collects his thoughts,” where the viewer gets an inside scoop of Carl’s brain. For example, in “The Pet Rock Collection,” Carl does not think his friends are playing with their pet rocks in the correct way. He tries to show them how he thinks they should be playing with their pet rocks, and his friends are so bored with his lessons that one of them falls asleep! Carl tells them he has had a pet rock the longest, so he knows best. He then is confused as his friends have more fun playing their own way. As he “collects his thoughts,” he realizes that there is more than one right way to play with a pet rock, and he does not need to dictate how others play. He can have fun watching his friends play with pet rocks in their own way, even if it’s not the way he would play. I love Carl’s process of taking information, processing it, and realizing he needs to change his behavior. It shows critical thinking skills and a humility I wish all adults had. 

One of the more recent episodes, “A New Friend,” introduced a character named Paolo who uses a device to communicate. While playing outside, another child tells Carl not to bother trying to play with Paolo since he cannot speak. This reminds Carl of a time someone labeled him as “the autistic kid.” This evokes a sense of justice in Carl as he stands up for Paolo and decides to play with Paolo if the other children won’t. When Paolo is worried about getting his device wet in the rain, Carl brings umbrellas so the two of them can still play. Carl’s empathy for Paolo, courage in standing up for his new friend, and creativity in figuring out how his new friend can also be included are lessons I am so happy my son is learning. 

Another episode we recently watched, “The Green Piece,” had a wonderful peace-keeping message. An armadillo named Dylan wants to play board games with Carl and his friends, and brings along a board game he has just received as a birthday present. He keeps losing the marbles that go with the board game and gets really upset. His friends give him tips for how to deal with these negative feelings. My personal favorite is Carl’s suggestion of “smelling the soup, then blowing on it”—taking a moment to assess and understand an intense emotion before deciding how to express it.  I have already used this one a couple of times with my three-year-old! When these methods don’t work, the other children run outside and Carl’s mother comes in to talk to Dylan. She suggests he goes for a ride on his scooter when his anger is overwhelming, which helps him immensely. 

Throughout the episode, it is emphasized that it’s OK to feel mad at times, but it’s not OK to yell at others or make them feel scared. How wonderful would it be if all adults remembered this lesson?

As my kids grow up and meet people who may think and act differently from them, I am so glad to have resources such as Carl the Collector to reinforce messages I am trying to teach them at home. Shows like these will teach my children to be inclusive and humanizing and to accept their own idiosyncrasies while always trying to improve themselves and how they treat others. We all have different brains, but kindness and acceptance are lessons all children can share!