DaMisfit I know, I know…this isn’t anime related at all but it’s a classic nonetheless. So I kind of mixed BH and TBT into this post. Don’t worry, I’ll get around to the anime soon. But let’s get into today’s post. Back when the Disney Channel had some quality shows for children in the middle/high-school age range, they tossed in some quality animated shows as well. One particular show was “Fillmore”.
Fillmore (voiced by Orlando Brown…pre-crazy) was a delinquent with a record was caught by a safety patrol officer raiding the schools chalk supply…because chalk is so important to a 7th grader. The safety patrol officer gave him a choice, either help him solve a case or spend the rest of middle school in detention. Fillmore of course chose to help solve a case….then another case and another after that. He often destroyed school property much to the dismay of the junior commissioner, Horatio Vallejo. What made this particular show so interesting to me was the portrayal of children of color in positions of middle school power. Growing up and seeing cartoons that look like you and the friends you had in school was welcoming and cool at the same time. It was a cartoon for nerds of color and we didn’t appreciate it enough. This cartoon was before it’s time in the aspect of cartoons. It dealt with child friendly versions of crimes such as illegal frog races, counterfeiting cards, smuggling tartar sauce and addiction (Vallejo loved his caffeine).
So let us enjoy and appreciate this Disney classic from a simpler time. I wish I could tell you where you can watch this besides YouTube. Did you watch Fillmore? Tell me about it in the comments! I know this was a late post but work and I didn’t schedule it like I was supposed to so sue (not really). I’ll be back tomorrow for another post. Until next time, Nerd Out!
I remember watching that show as a kid. As much as I give Disney crap for different things and they had a history with racist stuff, I do admit that a bunch of their cartoons unrelated to their main movies and outside their main animation studio were more progressive than people give credit for. Isn’t it crazy that there were more heroes of color in these TV shows than the animation canon movies especially during that time period? You can also throw Recess, Pepper Ann, and The Proud Family (even though that show had some stereotypes) into the mix during the 90s and early 00s.