In the fall of 2021, a new animated series premiered on PBS KIDS. Its main character is a six-year-old girl named Alma, who lives with her family in the Bronx. Each episode touches on many social and emotional topics and has a powerful educational message. This cartoon teaches children to think, make decisions, analyze, and compare, and, of course, broadens their horizons. In this article on bronx-trend, we’ll tell you how the idea for this children’s series came about and what makes it different from others.
The Creator: The Famous Maria from Sesame Street
Sonia Manzano, who spent 44 years on the iconic show Sesame Street, became the head producer of the animated series Alma’s Way. As the saying goes, “Never say never.” Journalists often asked Sonia about her plans to work on another major project besides Sesame Street. Manzano would reply, “I’d rather stick a pin in my eye than try to create a series after Sesame Street.” But in 2015, Maria finally decided to take a rest from writing scripts for a show that generations of children grew up with, and she retired.
With 15 Emmy Awards and decades of playing the role of Maria—nearly half a century of working with the same team—Sonia, on the verge of turning 70, realized she had to leave something else behind. Her childhood memories had always troubled her. Manzano grew up in a poor Latino family; her father was an alcoholic, and her mother wasn’t overly concerned with raising her children. Little Sonia always felt lonely and abandoned. She longed for support and understanding, a pain she carried with her throughout her life. It was then that a much older Sonia realized she wanted to help children just like her better understand the world, learn to live in it and build relationships, and make decisions and face the consequences. So, Sonia Manzano enthusiastically set out to create a new animated series, drawing on her extensive life and professional experience and her childhood memories.
Sonia had previously tried to share her personal story, writing the book Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx in 2015. But she still wanted to convey her message specifically through the lens of a child’s perspective. That’s how Alma came to be.
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The Series’ Main Characters
Alma is the Spanish word for “soul.” That’s the name of the cartoon’s main character. She is six years old and lives in the Bronx with her Puerto Rican family: her parents, Papi and Mami, her one-year-younger brother, her dog Chacho, and her grandfather Abuelo.
Alma is voiced by another Latina from the Bronx: Summer Rose Castillo, a 9-year-old girl from Throggs Neck.
For the creators of the series, it was important to emphasize the ethnic factor. It’s no accident that the main family is made up of migrants. It’s this demographic that feels less secure and comfortable in American society. While the situation for ethnic minorities in the U.S. has been improving recently, there are still some disparities in certain areas. But the producers emphasize that this series is not just about Puerto Ricans or Latinos; it’s about different types of families and different people. That’s why you can see a variety of characters. Alma’s friends include white kids, South Asian kids, and African Americans.
The girl’s family also includes people of many different backgrounds. For example, Alma’s father is Afro-Caribbean, her uncle Nestor is Cuban, her neighbor Beto has Mexican roots, and her grandmother Isa (who is, by the way, voiced by the head producer, Sonia Manzano) has traveled all over the world.
Series Format and Concept
The series is available to viewers in both English and Spanish on all PBS KIDS platforms.
“We didn’t have a show about thinking,” said Linda Simensky, head of content at PBS Kids. She was the one who, in 2013, encouraged Sonia Manzano to develop a series about a Latino family. First, because Sonia herself came from such a family; second, because she had written many books on the topic; and third, because she had a massive amount of experience writing scripts for children’s entertainment programs.
The cartoon about Alma is meant to teach children the crucial skill of thinking. Sonia Manzano emphasized that many children feel stupid just because they don’t have certain answers and don’t know how to reason. So the main idea of the series can be summed up in three words: “Use your head.”
Each episode consists of two 11-minute segments. In each segment, Alma faces a situation that requires her to choose a course of action. The little girl then stops and starts considering alternatives and prospects, deciding what is the best thing to do in that situation. Ellen Doherty, chief creative officer at Fred Rogers Productions, which produces Alma’s Way, calls these the young heroine’s “thinking moments.”
For example, Alma in the cartoon figures out how to find a solution when all the kids want to play in one box at the same time, or how to help her mom fix a ruined dish. After this, Alma turns to her young viewers and explains how she came to her conclusions, demonstrating optimism and determination, and stressing that there’s a way out of any situation; you just have to take your time and think carefully about what it is.
Ellen Doherty says: “When Alma thinks things through, she’s modeling self-advocacy, empathy, and social awareness. She is a smart kid with a big heart—we hope that young viewers will love her and follow her example. The new series will show children that their thought processes are valid and will give them confidence to think critically.”
The cartoon also features a character with a disability—Alma’s musically gifted cousin, Eddie Mambo, who has cerebral palsy. The producers approached this character responsibly, using medical experts’ consultations to make the character as realistic as possible. This character is also from Sonia Manzano’s childhood. She recalls a boy she knew who couldn’t walk normally due to polio but still didn’t hesitate to ask girls to dance at school discos. Sonia insisted on including a character with a disability in the cast because she knew how important it was to teach children a proper and tolerant attitude toward these people.
After the series launched, many related entertainment and educational projects were also created. The PBS KIDS for Parents and PBS LearningMedia portals have lots of practical materials and interactive games inspired by Alma’s Way.
The Bronx Atmosphere in the Cartoon
From the very first episodes, it’s not hard to guess that the events are taking place in the Bronx. The producers tried to recreate Sonia Manzano’s native borough and convey the atmosphere of a little girl growing up in a not-so-“rosy” part of New York City.
An agreement was even reached with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to use an animated version of the No. 6 train. In some episodes, you can hear a real phrase that a conductor says on the train in the Bronx: “Stand clear of the closing doors, please.”
The music in the series also deserves special mention. It’s pure Bronx—salsa, bomba, and reggaeton. For the main soundtrack, Bill Sherman created a song with a salsa feel, and Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the lyrics.
The cartoon immediately became very popular, especially in the Bronx. This year, The Magic House, in partnership with Fred Rogers Productions, created an exciting exhibition. Children can visit the following locations:
- The Community Center: Here, kids can learn about Puerto Rican culture and take a masterclass on traditional bomba dance and playing special Latin drums.
- Alma’s House: Kids can cook the Puerto Rican family’s favorite dish, mofongo, play the maracas, hang out in the living room, or have a barbecue in the backyard.
- The Bodega: Everyone can shop at the famous Bronx Bodega from the cartoon and add new colors to the vibrant community mural.
- The Park: Here, kids can enjoy a variety of fun games and activities on the improvised playground.
- Alma’s Dad’s Veterinary Clinic: An educational spot where kids can learn and see many interesting things about animals and help create their own animal show.
- The No. 6 Train: Everyone can take a ride on the legendary train and try their hand at being a conductor.
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