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Young PBS viewers will get to meet a clever and resourceful seven-year-old heroine this month in a new 2D-animated show called Lyla in the Loop. Produced by Mighty Picnic and Pipeline Studios, the show targets four- to eight-year olds and follows the adventures of Lyla, who lives in a big city with her close-knit family, fantastical blue sidekick Stu and a host of relatable and quirky characters in her community. Created to teach creative and strategic problem-solving and critical thinking, the show will be presented in both English and Spanish on PBS Kids.
Series creator and showrunner Dave Peth says he was inspired by a question posed by the PBS Kids team at a conference. “They asked, ‘What might a show be like that is about learning to code, but that is not about watching someone type at a computer?’” he recalls. “This got me thinking not just about coding specifically but about the creativity and problem-solving skills that are the foundation of careers across STEAM fields (science, technology, engineering, art and math) of which animation production is a part.”
He points out that these careers require such skills as identifying and breaking down complex problems into parts, thinking flexibly through potential solutions, working together with others to try them out, and then trying again and again when things don’t work. “We all do this every day in small and big ways without even realizing it,” Peth says. “And that’s what Lyla in the Loop is all about: a family who puts those skills to use in everyday life.”
The first conversations with the PBS Kids team began back in late 2015. “PBS Kids is great to work with because they put the effort in upfront to grow and develop an idea with creators, so that by the time we get to production, the underlying concept has been thoroughly tested and sharpened,” says Peth. “In 2018, we started work on a pilot, and then in 2022 we began production on the series with our animation partner, Pipeline Studios. Pipeline has truly taken the series to the next level with their talent and collaborative spirit. I’m blown away by their work on our show.”
Clean, Flat and Character-Driven
Peth says that the 2D show is animated in Harmony in a flat, graphic style that fits the spirit of the show, with a color palette that’s warm and inviting like the Loops family itself. “Our stories are character-driven, centering on the dynamics between Lyla and her family and also the fantastical antics of her sidekick, Stu. That clean, flat design put the focus on the action and the characters’ emotional reactions. Plus, it makes Stu look really cute.”
Exec producer and head writer Fracaswell Hyman, who has worked on a variety of shows, including Gullah Gullah Island, Peg + Cat, Blue’s Clues and 101 Dalmatians: The Series, says he loves the fact that the show is beautiful, colorful and welcoming to look at. “The world is visually inviting, warm, realistic and magical at the same time,” he notes. “I also love the fact that the Loops family have been designed to look recognizably Black, from their hair to their noses to their body types. The family feels like a real family. They’re not always saccharine sweet, but they all love each other, even when a little sarcasm or attitude slips in. This is one of the aspects that makes them a real family to me, and I believe our viewers, kids and adults, will recognize themselves and the people they love.
“Lyla has an African American father and a Jamaican mother,” he says. “Black culture is not a monolith, we don’t all come from the same cultures and it’s rare that I have seen a show for children that acknowledges this. We come from many different cultures and celebrate our differences while molding our children to emulate the best of what our different cultures bring to the table. I am proud to have been a part of bringing this family to the screen.”
Hyman says working as a head writer and launching a new show at the tail end of the pandemic had its share of challenges. “We didn’t have a writers’ room where we could meet day after day, get to know each other, laugh and joke with each other, share stories of triumph, pain and humor,” he recalls. “Instead, we met on Zoom a few times as a group, but mostly one-on-one. We had to work harder to build the kind of connective tissue that would make the voices of the characters consistent and true. Many, many times we would get fine scripts from our writers and then have to take the stories ‘in house’ to make sure the voices, the tone of the show and the feeling we wanted to portray remained true to our goals and vision.”
Hyman points out that there are a lot more animated shows than live-action ones today. “I do believe there is a value in children seeing real children on the screen,” he says. “On the other hand, in the days of Gullah Gullah Island, there were fewer writers of color that had been trained to write for children. Today, thankfully, we have development programs and writers’ fellowships specifically designed to encourage a diverse spectrum of young people to create and write for our most precious asset, the children.”
‘Lyla has an African American father and a Jamaican mother. Black culture is not a monolith, we don’t all come from the same cultures and it’s rare that I have seen a show for children that acknowledges this.’
— Executive producer and showrunner Fracaswell Hyman
“I think the industry is finally coming around to believe that diversity and representation behind the scenes is just as important as diversity and representation on the screen,” Hyman adds. “Yes, Lyla in the Loop, a show centered on a Black family, was created by Dave Peth, a white man. In days gone by, that would not have mattered when it came to who was involved behind the scenes. Today it does! But it’s not enough to add one or two Black voices. To achieve diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, Dave and the folks at PBS Kids encouraged us to include people of different ethnicities and backgrounds, gender, abilities, ages and experience. We made room at the table for a true DEIA experience … As artists and creatives, it is our job to stand against what sets out to divide us and use our talents, our strengths and our voices to inspire unity, empathy and compassion in our children.”
Both Peth and Hyman are hoping that Lyla in the Loop will become a staple for family viewing and that it will bring joy to children and their families. “I hope they will have so much fun watching Lyla and Stu on their adventures that the computational-thinking curriculum connected with the show will seep through and become a part of the tools they need to find successful paths in life,” concludes Hyman.
Lyla in the Loop premieres on PBS Kids on February 5.
