Milestones and Misses: Arthur’s Representation of Autism Through Carl

By Vanesa Simic

The beloved show Arthur, which depicts the adventures of an anthropomorphic aardvark, has maintained a reputation for balancing being an entertaining show for children while also portraying realistic characters with diverse experiences and backgrounds. While many people who watched Arthur as children remember his realistic relationship with his sister DW and the inclusion of LGBTQ characters such as Mr. Ratburn, one character often not talked about is Carl, who appears in a few episodes and was introduced in 2010. Arthur’s friend George, a moose, meets Carl, a rabbit, who has Autism, although labelled as Aspergers when he is introduced. George, although initially confused by Carl’s behavior and mannerisms, gradually learns more about Autism and how to be a good friend to Carl. The inclusion of Carl is one of the first times an autistic character appeared in a children's cartoon, and Carl continues to be the subject of debate over whether he was good representation for Autistic children.

In the opening scene when George is asking Carl what he thinks about his drawing of a lion, Carl begins sharing facts about lions [1]. George clarifies that he’s asking Carl if he likes his drawing, and Carl says that the drawing is brown, and that he hates brown [2]. George, addressing the audience, says that he likes Carl because of his honesty and artistic skill, not taking offense at Carl’s response to his question [3]. This moment in particular illustrates George’s acceptance of Carl having unexpected responses, and his appreciation for Carl being a more straightforward person, offering the audience, mainly composed of children, a look into what a friendship with someone with Autism may look like. In a flashback, George meets Carl and offers him his hand as a greeting, but Carl does not shake his hand [4]. Instead, Carl begins listing facts, such as how he is in the classroom with his mom every Tuesday and Thursday, but she left to get him apple juice, “in a box, not a bottle” [5]. While George is confused over Carl’s response and suggests that they should hang out sometime, Carl asks if they should “hang out of what”, taking the phrase literally [6]. George assumes that Carl is joking, not understanding that Carl is misunderstanding what he’s telling him and that he needs to speak plainly with Carl. As a result, children watching the episode are also advised on how someone with Autism may want to be spoken to and that conversations may look a little different than expected.

When George returns on Thursday, Carl recalls several details from the last time they met, including that George wasn’t wearing a backpack [7]. After Carl has a panic attack in response to George bringing out a puppet, George goes to the ice cream shop where the ice cream man tells him that his uncle has Autism and that “his brain works differently” [8]. The ice cream man tells George that his uncle told him that sometimes he feels as if he is from another planet, and learning how to communicate with others is difficult as he often does not find the same things funny or entertaining [9]. This scene clearly conveys to neurotypical children what having autism might feel like in a way that is easily understandable to them, and when George understands that Carl has been misunderstanding him, the audience at home also does. The next day, George brings a book on trains to see Carl, and when Carl is engrossed in the book and does not say thank you, George says that it’s ok [10]. At the end of the episode, Carl tells the viewer that it was nice to meet them [11]. George says he taught him that, and Carl taught him to “speak quietly, be clear, and to not take it personally if he ignores” George [12]. 

Although not as popular as other autistic characters, Arthur’s depiction of Carl has received both criticism and praise from autistic writers. One blogger with autism, Emmy Pflugh, wrote that she enjoyed the episode and “the story artists and animators who have worked on Arthur have really showed the real description of autism, and they really animated on Carl’s character brilliantly” [13]. Much of the support for Arthur’s characterization of Carl centers on how the writers focus on how neurotypical children can have friendships with autistic children while respecting that they may behave “differently”. However, the criticism of Carl’s character has centered on him being, in the eyes of critics, a one-dimensional character. One writer, who goes by Oni, stated that Carl “works alone, monotone, loves trains, is a boy”, all of which are well-recognized traits in autistic children [14]. Critics with similar perspectives as Oni argue that Arthur had an opportunity to show a new perspective of autism and instead chose to rely on what, in their view, people already associated with autism. Oni additionally writes that throughout the show, the audience never really sees any other aspect of Carl besides him being autistic, and wishes that other aspects of his personality or life were explored [15]. 

Carl’s character being part of a children's show is especially significant, as acceptance of people with autism should begin at a young age, with many autistic adults likely first experiencing prejudice for being autistic while they were children. As one anonymous blog writer adds, he believes that “ children are much easier to teach than adults, who often think they’ve learned all they need to know” [16]. Although Arthur’s portrayal of Carl has received criticism from the members of the community he was supposed to provide representation for and therefore is lacking as good representation in some aspects, Carl was likely one of the first introductions to autism for children. Carl’s autism is never portrayed as something that should be fixed or something that prevents him from forming friendships with other children, helping promote acceptance of autism to non-autistic children. 

Sources

[1] “When Carl Met George.” YouTube, uploaded by Arthur [PBS], www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDRYoINqPQY.

[2] “When Carl Met George.” YouTube, uploaded by Arthur [PBS], www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDRYoINqPQY.

[3] “When Carl Met George.” YouTube, uploaded by Arthur [PBS], www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDRYoINqPQY.

[4] “When Carl Met George.” YouTube, uploaded by Arthur [PBS], www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDRYoINqPQY.

[5] “When Carl Met George.” YouTube, uploaded by Arthur [PBS], www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDRYoINqPQY.

[6] “When Carl Met George.” YouTube, uploaded by Arthur [PBS], www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDRYoINqPQY.

[7] “When Carl Met George.” YouTube, uploaded by Arthur [PBS], www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDRYoINqPQY.

[8] “When Carl Met George.” YouTube, uploaded by Arthur [PBS], www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDRYoINqPQY.

[9] “When Carl Met George.” YouTube, uploaded by Arthur [PBS], www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDRYoINqPQY.

[10] “When Carl Met George.” YouTube, uploaded by Arthur [PBS], www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDRYoINqPQY.

[11] “When Carl Met George.” YouTube, uploaded by Arthur [PBS], www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDRYoINqPQY.

[12] “When Carl Met George.” YouTube, uploaded by Arthur [PBS], www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDRYoINqPQY.

[13] Pflugh, Emmy. “Reviewing ‘Arthur’ Episode: ‘When Carl Met George.’” The Autistic Animator’s Desk, 15 Apr. 2024, theautisticanimatorsdesk.wordpress.com/2024/04/10/reviewing-arthur-episode-when-carl-met-george.

[14] “Representation of Autistics in the Media –  Carl (Arthur) and Julia (Sesame Street).” Aut-Ish, 23 July 2019, autish.wordpress.com/2019/07/23/representation-of-autistics-in-the-media-carl-arthur-and-julia-sesame-street.

[15] “Representation of Autistics in the Media –  Carl (Arthur) and Julia (Sesame Street).” Aut-Ish, 23 July 2019, autish.wordpress.com/2019/07/23/representation-of-autistics-in-the-media-carl-arthur-and-julia-sesame-street.

[16] “The Fictional Spectrum: Carl From ‘Arthur.’” Aspie Catholic, 18 Apr. 2015, aspiecatholic.wordpress.com/2015/04/18/the-fictional-spectrum-carl-from-arthur.