A few years ago, Bluey aired an episode where Bandit stepped on the scales to weigh himself, pulled at his belly, and groaned. The episode followed the Heelers' attempts to exercise and diet to lose weight. The internet was divided. Some though it was like, so relatable, and praised the series for depicting the reality of parenting. Others pointed out the blatant anti-fatness and body shaming and highlighted the risks this poses for kids vulnerable to body image distress and disordered eating. So, all of them.
For me it raised something slightly different. It spoke to a deeper problem in children's media which is this: where are all the good fat characters? I don't mean 'good' in the moral sense. I mean 'good' as in well written, complex, 3-D people (or dogs, whatever). Yes, kids seeing Bandit step on the scales and feel disgusted with himself is not OK. And, this is symptomatic of a culture whereby the only fat representation we have is of the villain, the doofus, or the funny friend.
Fat kids deserve better than that.
At the time, I wrote about the slew of fat characters we have who play into these damaging stereotypes – from Daddy Pig to Augustus Gloop – there's no shortage of these well-worn clichés, which undoubtedly play into the violence that fat folks experience daily.
But while we're waiting for the revolution, I came up with a list of kids' media that features fat protagonists (or prominent characters). Since I wrote that 2.5 years ago, the kids' media landscape hasn't gotten any better. And arguably, the focus on extreme thinness has become more intense (think, Wicked and KPop Demon Hunters, for instance).
Let's be really clear. Media representation of fatness is not the same thing as fat liberation; it's just a few crumbs when we want the whole damn cake. AND. I know how important it is for fat kids to be able to imagine themselves as the hero, the love interest, the baddie (in the Gen Z sense of the word). To be complete people rather than one-dimensional stereotypes. To have possibilities and options rather than falling into seemingly inevitable tropes. We want kids to know that fat bodies are deserving of love, care, and respect. And that, whatever this is, is not OK.
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In a world of corporate DEI and disposable diversity, it is very easy for 'representation' to become a stand-in for 'tokenisation'. We have seen how quickly Lucy and Yak dropped sizes when Ozempiccore hit, for instance. We're not asking for a token fat character. We're asking for complex, multidimensional, complete characters, who happen to be fat.
For the past little while Jennifer and I have been updating this list for 2026. Adding titles that weren't on the original list, most of which were published between 2023-25, with a few older titles. We'll keep updating as we learn of new titles (please send us any you come across). Some of what follows is more generic 'love your body' type stuff, which I think there is space for, but we all know what happened to Body Positivity without a fat politic!
This list is free to access; this is only possible thanks to the support of paying subscribers. If you have the means, please consider becoming a paid sub to keep our work accessible. It's £5/month or £50 for the year and you'll get a ton of cool perks, like joining The Snackcord server, and my monthly Dear Laura column.
You can also support the newsletter by buying books through the CIHAS 'book shop' using Bookshop.org affiliate links. This doesn't cost you any extra, but we get a small commission for each book sold. There are some Amazon links in the following (because that was the only place we could find them), but we encourage you to check with your local bookstore or a second-hand bookstore.
And please, let us know in the comments if there's anything we missed.
New Additions For 2026
Pre-School - Books
The Belly Song by Mother Moon, illustrated by Leah Giles
Based on the super catchy song from creator Mother Moon, this short and sweet board book affirms that whatever kind of belly you’ve got it’s a good belly. A perfect song and book for toddlers and preschoolers. I wish I’d known this song when A was younger!
Mamá’s Panza by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by Iliana Galvez
Panza means ‘belly’ in Spanish and this book is a joyful celebration of one mama’s panza and all the different ways it cares for her child – from being their first home through to being a soft landing while playing wrestling, or a shield for hiding from strangers. Ngl, it made me cry.
A rhyming A-Z book that makes the case that all bodies are worthy, no matter their size or shape. Each letter of the alphabet covers a different body-related theme - like ‘J is for Jiggle’ and ‘K is for Kindness’. A very sweet book that introduces kids gently to ideas of body respect and diversity.
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