‘Paw Patrol’ Spinoff Features Nonbinary Character

Topline

Animated children’s series Rubble & Crew is set to feature a nonbinary character—a first for the series—but it’s sparking anger among right-wing critics who have questioned the inclusion of LGBTQ characters in children’s media, amid a broader pushback against so-called woke moves that’s led to right-wing ire directed at a broad range of entities from the U.S. Navy to Chick-fil-A.

The cast of ‘Paw Patrol.’

David M. Benett/Getty Images

Key Facts

A nonbinary character named River, a skateboarder who loves photography, is introduced in the episode “The Crew Builds an Observatory,” in which the central group of construction worker dogs build an observatory so River can take pictures of stars.

The episode was written by LGBTQ activist Lindz Amer, the founder of Queer Kid Stuff, a Web series that discusses LGBTQ topics for a family audience, and author of Rainbow Parenting: Your Guide to Raising Queer Kids and Their Allies.

River is voiced by nonbinary actor Cihang Ma.

Though River’s nonbinary identity is reportedly not directly addressed on the show, some clues include the character’s pink, white and blue socks, which are the same colors on the transgender pride flag.

The addition of River to Rubble & Crew has rattled right-wing critics, who have long accused LGBTQ activists of attempting to “indoctrinate” children through media, education and events like drag queen story hours.

Chief Critics

“I regret to inform you that Paw Patrol has gone woke,” former music video director and conservative pundit Robby Starbuck posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. He targeted Amer, accusing them of indoctrinating “kids into the trans ideology,” and accused Hollywood of “working to indoctrinate your kids into the woke cult.” Anti-trans organization Gays against Groomers—which campaigns against gender-affirming care for trans youth—stated the character appears to be a “tomboy” and should not have been forced to “identify” as anything. Right-wing pundit Matt Walsh accused Amer of being an “LGBT extremist activist” and considered the inclusion of a nonbinary character in a popular children’s show to be “indoctrination.” Walsh criticized Amer’s children-focused content, particularly a video clip from their social media in which they read a book titled, What’s an Abortion, Anyway? for their young audience. Some critics also targeted Amer through their social media accounts. Though they turned off comments on their Instagram post about Rubble & Crew, commenters turned to their other posts to accuse Amer of “coming after kids” and urging them to “leave the kids alone.”

Crucial Quote

“I wanted to write a nonbinary character that was aspirational and incredibly cool, someone for the pups (and kids at home) to look up to. They found an awesome non-binary actor to voice River and I’m so so happy about how it turned out,” Amer wrote on Instagram.

Key Background

Rubble & Crew premiered in Canada in January and the United States in February as a spinoff of Paw Patrol, another popular children’s show that premiered in 2013. Paw Patrol, an animated show featuring dogs as a police officer squad, has received consistently high ratings on Nickelodeon in the United States and has been praised by Viacom as a source of ratings growth. The series inspired a film, PAW Patrol: The Movie, which was a 2021 box office hit, and a sequel, PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, which opens September 29.

Tangent

Other films and television series, particularly those that attract a young audience, have garnered criticism from the right wing for including characters and storylines deemed “woke.” Elemental also sparked some anger from right-wing critics for featuring a nonbinary character, the first for a Disney film. Right-wing critics attempted to link Elemental’s box office underperformance to its supposedly “woke” ideology—though other films that have been branded “woke” have been box office smashes. Barbie, the highest-grossing film of 2023, was similarly slammed by conservative critics for its feminist themes, with some taking offense at Ryan Gosling’s portrayal of Ken, which some considered emasculating. The live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid, which stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, came under fire from anti-“woke” critics for casting a Black woman in the starring role, which was a white character in the animated original. Conservative critics have also targeted the upcoming Snow White live-action adaptation and its star, Rachel Zegler, whom they have accused of trying to put a feminist spin on the original story.

‘Paw Patrol’ Spinoff Features Nonbinary Character—And Angers Anti-‘Woke’ Crowd