My childhood can be summed up in two words: Little Bill. "Little Bill" was a cartoon TV show that aired on Nick Jr. from 1999-2005. Created by well-known comedian Bill Cosby, the show followed a 5-year-old young African American boy in Philadelphia named Bill Jr. who learns a lesson in values or morals at the end of each episode.
The show also focused on several characters in Bill Jr’s family; his mother Brenda, his father Bill Sr., his big brother Bobby, his big sister April, his great-grandmother Alice, whom he refers to as Alice the Great, and his hamster Elephant. The show also featured characters from Bill’s school, such as his kindergarten teacher Ms. Murray and his friends Andrew and Kiku.
There were very few black cartoons in the early 2000s and if there were, they were usually featured as the friend or supporting character of the main character. Rarely did they have a black male character in the lead, especially a little black boy.
For my six year old self at the time, I was elated when "Little Bill" premiered. Every time it came on, my eyes would be glued to the television. I saw myself when I saw Little Bill. I didn’t see a stereotypical depiction of a black boy, always in trouble or always causing harm. I saw a little black boy who was allowed to be curious. A little black boy who was allowed to imagine. A little black boy who was allowed to be a kid. Little Bill represented a revolution in black boyhood.
Every episode after the theme song played, Little Bill would break the forth wall and say to the camera, “Hello Friend.” The show would then follow Little Bill on some extraordinary ordinary adventure, from going to the zoo, visiting the mall to see his favorite superhero Captain Brainstorm, to learning the true meaning of friendship, to owning up to his mistakes, and how important it is to be the best person he can be.
I reflect back on that show so many years later as a crucial moment in my life. Many of the philosophies I have built my adulthood on I learned from "Little Bill." I believe who I am as a black man could not have come about if I didn’t have such as kindred friend in Little Bill.
It’s important to revisit this paramount figure in popular culture in such a crucial time. In the eleven year absence since Little Bill stopped airing, little black boys who also grew up with Little Bill have now come of age. Due to the events in recent years, the legacy of Little Bill has been threatened.
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Black boys such as Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice are the casualties of this legacy. Their lives represent how far we still have left to go in the revolution of black boyhood. I’m sad for little black boys today because many of them like Trayvon and Tamir will never know Little Bill. They will never find solace in seeing a cartoon character that personifies all the hopes, dreams, and wonders that resides in them.
