Let’s Talk About Audrey Antelope: Jane Startz and the importance of disability representation in Llama Llama.
Have you ever seen the Genius Brands International show for Netflix “Llama Llama”? You know, the show that stars Shayle Simons as Llama Llama and Jennifer Garner as his mum?
I have and to say I nearly screamed the house down in excitement is an understatement. People asked me why am I so enthusiastic about a children’s show? Especially as I’m a grown woman and have no kids of my own. Well, I am so enthusiastic because of one particular character called Audrey.
So who is Audrey? Audrey is a character on Llama Llama that has a very visible disability called limb difference. She wears a prosthetic leg. She is active, happy, and fully engaged with life. And she is blowing bad representation of disability out of the water.
Audrey is the disability representation I wanted to see when I was a kid in the eighties.
The tv shows I grew up watching had little to no disabled characters to speak of. Round the Twist, Alf, The Wonder Years, and Who’s the Boss were my watching vibes. In these shows no-one represented me. The closest I ever got to seeing someone like me, really, was Inspector Gadget, with his extendable arms and legs. Or Captain Hook from Peter Pan, with his snarly attitude and metal…
