Molly of Denali follows the resourceful Molly Mabray, who has cultural heritage from three Athabascan groups: the Gwich’in, Koyukon and Dena’ina, as she helps her parents run the Denali Trading Post in interior Alaska. She and her friends explore the epic surroundings and rich Native culture that is home. In the United States, Molly of Denali airs on PBS KIDS and is also available on the PBS KIDS Video App. In Canada, it airs Wednesday and Saturday mornings on CBC and is also available on the free CBC Gem streaming service.
Thunderbird Entertainment Group is honored to announce that animated series Molly of Denali has been awarded a highly coveted George Foster Peabody Award. Produced by WGBH Boston and Atomic Cartoons for public broadcasters PBS KIDS and CBC Kids, Molly of Denali is the 2020 Peabody Award winner in the Children’s and Youth Category.
“We are deeply honored to be included amongst such a high calibre of award recipients, all of whom are telling stories that celebrate and champion diversity. Nothing is more important at this time, and I could not be prouder of everyone involved in the creation and production of Molly of Denali,” said Jennifer Twiner McCarron, Chief Executive Officer of Thunderbird and Atomic Cartoons.
Since its 2019 premiere, Molly of Denali has been recognized as the first nationally distributed children’s series in the United States to feature an Indigenous lead character. More than 60 Alaska Native actors, writers, advisors, producers and musicians are involved across the production, which is designed to help kids ages 4-8 develop informational text skills through video content, interactive games, and real-world activities.
In Septemper 2020, Molly of Denali won a 2020 Television Critics Association (TCA) award for “Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming” and in 2021, Molly of Denali won an Award of Excellence for Best Animation Program.
“Molly is an authentic voice, and the series has become renowned for its representation and inclusion. To be acknowledged by the TCA, an organization that has been helping curate the best content on television for decades, is a tremendous honour and a testament to the incredible talent and dedicated partnerships behind this production,” said Jennifer Twiner McCarron, Chief Executive Officer, Thunderbird Entertainment.
Additionally, Molly of Denali is grounded in a pioneering curriculum focused on informational text, a foundational aspect of literacy education. In every episode, Molly navigates her world and solves problems with the help of books, online resources, field guides, historical documents, maps, tables, posters, photos, Indigenous knowledge from elders, her very own vlog and more.
