If there's a missing necklace, an AWOL baby penguin or a herd of on-the-loose caribou, Ridley Jones is your go-to guy. Or make that your girl. The 6-year-old title character of Netflix's new animated series has the pluck and daring of classic screen heroes who were routinely male, a stubborn trope that "Ridley Jones" creator (and out lesbian) Chris Nee is eager to vanquish for TV's youngest viewers. "Girls have not really gotten to be the action-adventure leads of shows" aimed at preschoolers, she said. "It felt really different to give Ridley that journey." Nee counts herself a "huge" fan of 1970s and '80s thrill-ride movies including "Goonies," "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" — with the latter getting a tip of the fedora from Ridley's own headgear in the six-episode series debuting July 13. An award-winning maker of children's animated fare, Nee's consistent goal is to include an array of characters. She did it with "Doc McStuffins," about an African American girl whose career dreams inspired its viewers, especially Black youngsters, to see medicine as an option, and she does it with "Ridley Jones." An equally nuanced approach goes for a friendly, hairdo-conscious bison named Fred, voiced by Ezra Menas. In the first episode, Ridley asks Peaches the monkey if Fred is "a she or a he." "I don't know. They're just a Fred," replies Peaches. "Cool," says Ridley, and the action resumes. ?️‍??❤️ (?: A scene from Ridley Jones / Netflix)

If there's a missing necklace, an AWOL baby penguin or a herd of on-the-loose caribou, Ridley Jones is your go-to guy. Or make that your girl. The 6-year-old title character of Netflix's new animated series has the pluck and daring of classic screen heroes who were routinely male, a stubborn trope that "Ridley Jones" creator (and out lesbian) Chris Nee is eager to vanquish for TV's youngest viewers. "Girls have not really gotten to be the action-adventure leads of shows" aimed at preschoolers, she said. "It felt really different to give Ridley that journey." Nee counts herself a "huge" fan of 1970s and '80s thrill-ride movies including "Goonies," "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" — with the latter getting a tip of the fedora from Ridley's own headgear in the six-episode series debuting July 13. An award-winning maker of children's animated fare, Nee's consistent goal is to include an array of characters. She did it with "Doc McStuffins," about an African American girl whose career dreams inspired its viewers, especially Black youngsters, to see medicine as an option, and she does it with "Ridley Jones." An equally nuanced approach goes for a friendly, hairdo-conscious bison named Fred, voiced by Ezra Menas. In the first episode, Ridley asks Peaches the monkey if Fred is "a she or a he." "I don't know. They're just a Fred," replies Peaches. "Cool," says Ridley, and the action resumes. ?️‍??❤️ (?: A scene from Ridley Jones / Netflix)