Not definitely the first time to hear a Bisaya-speaking character on an international television; however, Filipinos rejoiced after hearing another Filipino representation from the Cartoon Network show “Craig of the Creek”.
Netizens took to social media to recognize the use of the Visayan language and some of the notable Filipino food and culture such as “pagmamano” and the bread “pandesal” with peanut butter and a gummy fish.
A Twitter user shared the clip where the titular character, along with his friend, introduced him to her grandmother, who mentioned “lola”.
IM SCREAMING FILO FOLLOWERS LOOK LOOK LOOK IM pic.twitter.com/7H9dKq4azz
— raine? (@Gra_pple) January 19, 2022
The grandmother in the show also asks Eileen—also known as the Sewer Queen in the show—if that was his boyfriend and told Craig was “gwapo,” which netizens found relatable when introducing the opposite sex friend to the members of the family.
Craig of the Creek out here representing Filipino culture with respect and love ??? #DontSleepOnTheCreek #CraigoftheCreek https://t.co/rAuM9XTrQw
— Cartoon Network (@cartoonnetwork) January 19, 2022
The video went viral almost immediately, with Filipino fans praising the show’s representation of Bisaya.
Moreover, it was no surprise after knowing that the illustrator behind the show is a Filipino-American named Tiffany Ford with Cebuano roots.
Ford is the current supervising director of Craig of the Creek, which has been nominated for GLAAD, Emmy, and NAACP Image Awards. She is also an illustrator, storyboard artist, writer, and voice actress for several of the characters in the series. Ford is also one of the creators of “Jessica’s Big Little World,” “Steven Universe,” and Disney TV’s “Big City Greens,” as well as the series spin-off “Jessica’s Big Little World.” Aside from that, she also co-illustrated Rebecca Sugar’s New York Times best-selling children’s book “The Answer.”
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av3Jfb_vmGw
