All About Mom: Interview with Ali Schwartz of Wonderoos

All About Mom is a new column on Scarsdale 10583 that will celebrate the amazing women in this community who are so deserving of the title of supermom or better yet, wondermom. It was, thus fitting to kick off this column with a profile of local mom Ali Schwartz, a mother of two who is the brains behind Netflix’s newest children’s program, The Wonderoos which premiers on Netflix this week.

Toby Milstein Schulman sat down with Ali at Metro Deli to hear about her career writing children’s television starting with her role on the smash hit show, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, motherhood and her love of this great town.

What’s it like to be back in your husband’s hometown? How would he describe it?

It’s funny, I always call him a “townie.” But I feel like here, there are so many people who make their way back to Scarsdale and it just goes to show how much people love it here. When we first moved to Scarsdale, he was so excited to show me all of his favorite delis, and where he used to hang out and get into trouble.

Tell us about your career in the children’s media. How did it all begin?

My background is in child psychology. I went to Colgate University where I studied psychology and film and media. Now it’s clear how I ended up putting those two subjects together. After Colgate, I went to Columbia for developmental psychology (my master’s degree at Teachers’ College). From there, I stumbled on a job with the creators of Blues Clues in New York. They were piloting a new show called Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. This was 15 years ago when I was trying to get my foot in the door and was willing to take on any entry level role in kid’s media. I was the assistant to Angela Santomero (creator of many beloved children’s shows including Blues Clues, Super Why!, Wishenpoof, Creative Galaxy and more). She's a wonder woman, a mom of two and I learned a ton from her including how to juggle the work-life balance. But back then, I was her assistant, getting her lunches but also getting a chance to sit in on all of her meetings. So as they say, I was in the “room where it happened.” I grew with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. And years later, I thought, ‘I’ve seen enough of these scripts. I know what they’re supposed to look like.’ So I wrote an episode about how Daniel dealt with having a smelly lunch at school: egg salad (which is actually a favorite of mine). And the spec script eventually became an episode. In addition to the writing, I also grew onto the producer track of the show where I began as a production coordinator and ended up as the showrunner while Angela pivoted and worked on other shows. I was “in the neighborhood” [Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood] for a beautiful decade.

Can you give some more background on Daniel and the link to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood?

Daniel Tiger is the legacy of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Basically, when Fred passed away, the Fred Rogers Company asked many children media creators, ‘what would you do with the brand?’ and Angela Santomero won the pitch. Her idea was to do an animated spin on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. She didn’t think that Fred could be recast and that the role of Mister Rogers could be replaced. So she wanted to do an animated version of it and she chose to make it about the next generation of the characters from the original show. One of the characters in Mister Rogers’s Neighborhood is his beloved puppet called Daniel Striped Tiger. And Daniel Tiger on Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is essentially the son of that character. But the important thing is that Angela’s vision (and now mine) was to be in keeping with Fred’s brand of very intentional pacing for young kids, an educational curriculum, and to make kids feel like the characters on-screen are really talking and listening to you (the viewers) at-home. Those elements are in all the episodes.

What did your time working on Daniel Tiger teach you about children, education and motherhood?

[Daniel Tiger] definitely resonates more now that I have preschoolers of my own who love watching the show. And it’s so special for me that they watch the content that I poured my heart and soul into. Like with Mister Rogers’s Neighborhood, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood was created by many childhood development experts, many of whom worked on the original Mister Rogers’s Neighborhood show. We would all sit around in a room and brainstorm. We would say “what would Fred do?” on each particular topic. We’d get pointers from childhood development experts and then the writers would take it from there and bake it into engaging storylines that children find interesting and fun. We’d work with composers to come up with very catchy jingles that became the thirty second song at the end of the episode. I feel like a better parent, learning alongside our audience of children while producing the show. Another thing about the writing which was very important to us was to model Mom and Dad Tiger as the most perfect parents. As a parent watching the show, you are armed with strategies to teach your kids or even use yourself. Sometimes my husband and I will sing the jingles to each other to help calm down or whatever the case might be.

What was your transition to Wonderoos like?

My transition to my new show Wonderoos from Daniel was a very bittersweet change. I could have stayed at Daniel Tiger forever. But Netflix had an opportunity to develop a new preschool show. And it was a chance for me to spread my wings and feel some ownership over a new concept. So I left the show in New York and I worked remotely. This was one of the silver linings of the pandemic: The ability to work remotely. I don’t even think I would have been considered for this role because the team was exclusively in L.A. and Vancouver. Like Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, The Wonderoos is also a socio-emotional curriculum. But one of the biggest differences [with Wonderoos] is that there are no grown-ups in this world. One of the things I loved most about Daniel was the relationship with parents that were modeled and the reactions from parents that were modeled. And with Wonderoos, we decided to have an exclusively child-led world because the curriculum is about learning from your mistakes. The show’s philosophy is based on Carol Dweck, a psychologist who presents a theory called the “Growth Mindset.” With that thinking, making mistakes is all part of learning. Our show encourages kids to figure things out for themselves through trial and error. In every episode, there’s a “should I do this or should I do that?” The characters always choose the “wrong approach” first and viewers see it backfire. But we felt as writers that in order for the audience to learn, they need to see things go awry. And then we have this cute fantasy piece where the characters get to rewind and retry a situation again the other way, the “correct way”.”

With Wonderoos, what has been your biggest challenge and success to date? Where do you see it heading in the next few years?

One thing that was new to me working on Wonderoos was the freedom I had, which was much different than my experience while working on Daniel. With Daniel, there were so many people from the original Mister Rogers’s legacy who were involved in protecting the brand; many people giving notes on every draft of every script and animation pass. With Wonderoos, it didn’t have the same pressures on it. So in a way, there was more pressure directly on me to do the show right. As a result, my story editor and I set a high bar for ourselves to make sure we tackled every theme appropriately.

And in terms of successes with Wonderoos? We started developing this show while the pandemic was still very much impacting the everyday life of young children. Kids were very sheltered and at-home, not going to the grocery store or activities etc. So Wonderoos became a show not just about preschool firsts but firsts in such a different way. First moments in a very altered state. Super firsts. As we came up with ideas for episodes, we thought, “what do kids need extra help with right now?” And with that mindset, we have been able to tell some really important stories. We have actually talked about death on the show. We have talked about people who are different from you. For a while, my son Harrison was spending his days with his parents, his grandparents, and his nanny. With the pandemic in full force, he wasn’t getting any real socialization outside the home. So we wanted to come up with characters for Wonderoos that showed diverse perspectives: a physical difference, a kid with ADHD etc. Another huge thing that came out of the pandemic was anxiety in children. So we have a character who presents with anxiety. And we talk about coping mechanisms for that character. We really asked ourselves, ‘what are these pandemic children going to need in a year or two when the show airs?’ Luckily, the pandemic is not on our minds the same way anymore. But I would say those kids are still shaped by their first year of life: that formative period in the pandemic.

What are your thoughts on the complex “screen time” debate?

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) say “no screens under two.” Now that I’m a parent, I know that sometimes screen time just has to happen and I have a real appreciation for that nuance now. My whole philosophy has always been, “it’s not the quantity, it’s the quality of the content.” And it’s up to you, as the parent, to decide which shows to offer your kids. I don’t feel guilty putting my son in front of a screen if I know he’s better off watching it than not watching it. I feel good about the shows my son is watching.

The messages that kids receive on TV are powerful and can leave an impact, sometimes even unintended. When I was at Daniel Tiger, we found that kids viewed Daniel as their best friend and would do whatever he did. There was an episode about food allergies where it is revealed that Daniel is allergic to peaches and can no longer eat them. After that show aired, we were finding out from fans that kids were just saying, “I can’t eat peaches” because of Daniel’s allergy. So we had to undo that in future episodes and say “well, your sister Margaret is not allergic to peaches. She can eat peaches.” The moral of that story is that kids really do listen. These shows are like other educators for them.

Any family rituals or traditions?

We cherish our weekend family walks/scooter rides in the Village [Scarsdale], always ending up at our secret (or not-so-secret) spot: the outdoor patio at Starbucks where our boys love to watch the trains whiz by!

What is something you love about Scarsdale?

The Scarsdale Pool! I love how easy it is to spend a whole day there from the playground to the snack shack, and it’s always a treat to run into friends from camp and school for an impromptu playdate!

What is one thing you are looking forward to about being in this town?

Watching our kids develop lifelong friendships, from WRT all the way through high school. My husband’s closest friends today are from his SHS Class of ’08. But hangouts just look a little different now that they’ve replaced their solo cups with baby bottles.

What is one community or organization that you feel connected to in Scarsdale? (Informal or formal group)

I’ve found a wonderful community of moms through yoga with Tara Sussman (Pause to Be Present) and dance cardio with Jess Press Kaplitt (PressON). I love the balance (no pun intended!) of having "me-time" and engaging in adult conversations while also having a great space to share tips and talk about all things kids when needed.

What is one thing you hope to do for Scarsdale’s community?

I always love to volunteer at the school book fairs, and would love to get more involved at the Scarsdale Public Library. As a children’s book author (I’ve published Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood children’s books), it’s great to see what titles are popular year after year, and perhaps one day I can host readings or focus groups for new material I’m working on.

Describe yourself in a hashtag?

#KidAtHeart or #MomTiger

What are you most excited about at this time in your life?

The premiere of Wonderoos on Netflix this summer, and for my one- year-old Ryan to grow up watching and learning from it, the same way Harrison did with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.

What’s inspiring you in life right now?

My kids! It was one thing to work in kids TV having studied about babies and toddlers in textbooks, but another to really experience through their eyes how fascinating springtime is, or how many different colors of peppers we can count in the supermarket. I'm finding inspiration for new shows and episode ideas just in our day-to -day life.

Toby Milstein Schulman is a proud Scarsdale resident and alumnae of SHS ‘10. She lives in Fox Meadow with her husband Judah and two children Samson and Cosette. She serves on the board of Friends of the Scarsdale Public Library and the UJA Scarsdale Women’s Board among several other leadership positions.