Molly of Denali wins Peabody prize

The Canada/U.S. animated series from Atomic Cartoons and WGBH Boston was one of the projects feted by the awards.

Molly of Denali has done it.

The animated series produced by Thunderbird Entertainment’s Atomic Cartoons and WGBH Boston for PBS Kids and CBC Kids has earned a George Foster Peabody Award.

Recognized as the first nationally distributed children’s series in the U.S. to feature an Indigenous lead character, the action-adventure comedy aimed at ages four to six follows the adventures of a Molly Mabray, a resourceful girl who has heritage from three Athabascan groups: the Gwich’in, Koyukon and Dena’ina. Officially announced in 2018, the Peabody Children’s and Youth winner sees Molly help her parents run the Denali Trading Post and embark on adventures with friends.

“We are deeply honoured to be included amongst such a high calibre of award recipients, all of whom are telling stories that celebrate and champion diversity,” said Thunderbird and Atomic Cartoons CEO Jennifer Twiner McCarron in a statement regarding the win. “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.”

The show airs on PBS Kids and is available via the PBS Kids Video app in the U.S. Molly of Denali also airs on CBC in Canada and is accessible on the pubcaster’s streamer CBC Gem. Other winners from the awards include: When They See Us, Chernobyl, Apollo 11, Fleabag, Dickinson and Ramy, to name a few.