Sid the Science Kid, Positive Biracial Representation
- As a stay-at-home mother to a two year old, I spend a fair amount of time watching children's programs on PBS. One that impressed me is Sid The Science Kid. Not only does it teach kids the basics about scientific observation, but the central character, Sid, is biracial. His father is Jewish and his mother is African-American. The show does not make a big deal of this. Rather, they are presented as any other normal family, which I appreciate. Below is a blurb about the show that I cut and pasted from one of the online encyclopedias. You can most likely learn more at pbs.org
Sid the Science Kid
He is about 4 years old (then he turned 5 from the episode I Want Cake) and wants to be a scientist when he grows up. Sid is the most practical character on the show and is often portrayed as a very supportive friend. He wants to know everything about everything. He seems to enjoy to sing and dance, too. He is a well-noted observer, and possibly the brightest of the group. His daily day consists of playing in his room, coming up with a question-asking people about his question, studying his question in school, going home, and presenting his 'Super-duper-ooper-schmooper Big Idea!' Sid is half black and half Jewish. In the Hanukah/Christmas/Kwanzaa episode, Sid speaks about how his father celebrated Hanukah as a kid, and his mother celebrated Christmas and Kwanzaa. The idea of the show's writers was clearly to let the viewers know that Sid is in fact, the bi-racial child of black mother and a Jewish father. Voiced by Drew Massey.