Seriously, did they just add my mom as a character in Molly of Denali? My kid loves that show and theme music slaps!
Okay that wasn’t specifically my mom, but the show creators did a brilliant job of nailing the look of a mid60s Filipina Lola- from the Lola cut to the glasses to having to go to ‘dance fractice.’
Arielle Tuliao did the voice and told me she just channeled her own mom.
This episode itself was a really cool look at a part of the Filipino diaspora that you don’t see featured very often- Filipinos in Alaska, many of whom share and mix traditions with native Athabascans.
It’s the first time I’ve seen a show- especially a kids show- go deep enough to recognize the diversity within Filipino cultures, using culturally specific details like a Kapampangan flag.
This show’s pretty next level with their representation game.
Lola of Denali