Susie is a black character, a true African American character.
You're big and you're brave!
Like a big brave dog!
[music playing]
Just seeing someone that looked like me, in general that's so inspiring.
It was one of the first times I saw a character that looked like me
and also looked like my family.
Them being black didn't seem to be their plotline.
It was, at long last, a true depiction of a black family.
- Susie! - I want my sucker!
I'm sorry, dear, you know that's not the way to get what you want.
Here she was, unapologetic, beautiful, proud.
They were like the picture perfect family.
I really loved it, they were all... just themselves.
You studied at the Cordon Bleu?
Well, I didn't study there actually, I was a guest lecturer
but it's never too late to learn a thing or two, right, Didi?
Oh, yes... of course.
The way the world sees you,
having a character like Susie when you're a little kid
on a show that's so popular like Rugrats,
really makes you feel like OK, I'm not weird, I'm not different.
I'm great and so is this character.
Right down to her braids and her berets and her outfit.
Susie inspired me to just be myself.
I've been doing cartoons for 35 years and no one really cared.
So it's a very new thing to be beloved
and to know that people even know who Susie is
but they do know who she is and they love her.
The first thing you gotta do is stop feeling sorry for yourself!
This happens to a lot of kids, it's nothing to be ashamed of.
- Has it ever happened to you? - Well... no.
I love that Susie celebrated Kwanzaa.
I have a feeling we're gonna have an extra special Kwanzaa this year!
- Kwanzaa? - Kwanzaa?
Because there's that very popular episode about Hanukkah
and I felt like I learned so much there that I was like,
OK, well what other holidays are there?
I remember that episode 'cause I didn't know what Kwanzaa was.
[laughing]
That was very educational for me as well to find out what Kwanzaa was.
Representation was more than just like a buzz word to them,
like they really wanted to give her a back story.
Always be proud of who you are and where you came from.
Umoja, auntie.
[laughing]
Umoja, baby.
And also just the sweetness of saying that
she ain't gotta earn any accolades, just being yourself is enough.
She's like, confident, she's very sassy, she knows what she wants.
Just everything about her is like, the ideal human, if that makes sense?
Like, at least in my eyes, I just wanna be her so bad.
Susie was very articulate
but that didn't mean that wasn't ready to throw down when it was necessary.
- Leave them little kids alone. - Oh, yeah? Who's gonna make me?
- Me! - You and what army?
Me and this army!
As you know, Angelica is a harsh and very strong lead in the show
and just to see someone combat that and be kind and smart and talented
all in one person was really amazing to see.
Every time Angelica got checked it was heaven on earth.
That kind of straddling and duality is something I believe
every black person in America has to posses.
[screaming]
I am rubber, you are glue.
Whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you.
So Susie rocked my world and liberated me
and as far as I can tell from what the fans share,
really set them free too.
You know, it was just really great to see that character paving the way
for all these other like, little black girl characters
that now my niece loves
and, you know she doesn't even have a memory
of things not being diverse or celebrated.
To look back on it now and see that's she still a dominant figure,
people still remember her face, her outfit, her demeanor.
- I'm gonna be the bestest! - Mhmm, we'll just see about that.
I'm grateful because it's just good to see
the next generation benefitting so much.
Susie Carmichael represents girl power.
It is really, really magnificent and empowering
to at last see a family that looks like the families you hang out with as well.
It was a long time coming, I still would like to see some more.
[sighing]
You guys are right.
Fighting never fixes nothing.
Come on, let's go inside and get my dad
to make us some peanut butter and marshmallow sammiches!
That's right, Angelica!
[laughing]