Julie Andrews’ New Netflix Original Series Showcases Gender-Neutral Puppet

Julie’s Greenroom is the first preschool series to ever have a non-binary character.

Released on Netflix on March 17, 2017, the show follows Julie Andrews and her assistant Gus as they teach the “Greenies”, a group of original puppets made by The Jim Henson Company, “the wonder of the arts”.

Riley, played by Jennifer Barnhart, is seemingly gender-neutral. When asked about the character, Emma Walton Hamilton, daughter of Julie Andrews and co-creator of the show, said:

“If pressed we’d say she’s a girl, but maybe not forever. We wanted to be diverse as possible.”

The show not only features racially diverse cast members as well, but Hank (played by John Tartaglia) is a piano-playing prodigy who uses a wheelchair and says in the series:

“Yep, I was born this way. But I’m used to it. And I can do a bunch of cool stuff. Check this out!”

He then proceeds to race around the room in his wheelchair, exclaiming with glee.

Besides the diversity in the cast, the show also features many guests stars including Sara Bareilles, Tituss Burgess, Chris Colfer and Idina Menzel.

This joyful series comes at such a crucial time, as the Trump administration plans to cut funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. Emma Walton Hamilton highlighted this, saying:

“We hope by aiming our program at a young audience – although we really hope it’s a family experience – that we are nurturing and cultivating, not just the arts, but the art appreciators and the audiences.”

All 13 episodes of Julie’s Greenroom are binge-watchable now on Netflix.