- CBeebies has launched a new cartoon with a female obsessed engineer, Bitz
- It’s hoped Bitz will help to address ‘gender imbalance’ in children’s animations
- Old favourites like Bob the Builder and Fireman Sam no longer show on CBeebies
So, farewell Bob the Builder and hello Bitz the engineer.
CBeebies has launched a new cartoon with a female obsessed engineer as the star character to address ‘gender imbalance’ in children’s animations.
It follows the adventures of eight-year-old engineer Bitz and her younger brother Bob, who make creations in her ‘maker-space’ tree house.
CBeebies has launched a new cartoon with a female obsessed engineer Bitz as the star
Kay Benbow, who steps down this month after seven years at the helm of CBeebies, told The Times: ‘She’s the problem solver. We’ve female engineering consultants on board.’
She added: ‘We always aim to inspire on CBeebies and I hope that will encourage a new generation of engineer.
‘Bitz is a wonderful female role model, she is full of creative ideas and energy that will take our viewers on adventures that we know will fire their imaginations.
‘It’s designed to show pre-school children that girls can do science and problem-solving.’
The show follows the animated antics of inventor and creator eight-year-old Bitz and her younger brother Bob
The move is part of a drive to diversify children’s programming which has seen some male-led cartoons axed.
Old favourites such as Bob the Builder and Fireman Sam are no longer shown on CBeebies.
Cherished children’s series Bob the Builder moved to Channel 5 in 2015 with the show’s first prominent black character, oodles of health and safety-friendly hi-vis strips and Bob’s fellow builder Wendy given a glamourous makeover as his ‘business partner and electrical specialist’.
Old favourite, male-led cartoons such as Bob the Builder are no longer on CBeebies
Fireman Sam has also been axed by CBeebies as it seeks a greater gender balance in cartoons
Those shows have been replaced by animations such as Treasure Champs, a series about generosity, empathy and honesty.
Diversity campaigners have also criticised CBeebies for featuring too many male names in the titles of shows, such as Mr Tumble and Mr Bloom’s Nursery.
CBeebies launched in 2002 targeted at children under six and is watched by 2.3 million children a week.