Kirk Cameron counters woke kids' shows with 'Iggy and Mr. Kirk' on Brave+

Parents alarmed about the woke direction of children’s television programming, never fear: Kirk Cameron is here.

The Christian actor is pairing with a puppet iguana on “Iggy and Mr. Kirk,” an original kids’ show dedicated to teaching high character and traditional values that debuts Thursday on Brave+, a newly launched streaming service from Brave Books.

“The first season of ‘Iggy and Mr. Kirk,’ which is 10 episodes, is going to be available exclusively at Braveplus.com,” Mr. Cameron told The Washington Times. “This is Brave Books’ brand-new streaming platform that has traditional, wholesome, fun shows that parents can trust.”

The launch comes as the latest project in the partnership between Brave Books and Mr. Cameron, who has written two books for the conservative children’s publisher and became the face of its campaign to counter “Drag Queen Story Hour” readings in public libraries.

The next front: children’s television. 

Gender ideology has made inroads on shows like “Muppet Babies,” which has a transgender character, and “Blues Clues & You,” which featured an animated “Pride Parade” hosted by a drag queen in a 2021 episode.

“Sesame Street” has celebrated LGBTQ Pride Month for years. Disney producers and creators acknowledged promoting LGBTQ storylines and characters in a leaked 2022 video.

It’s a different story on “Iggy and Mr. Kirk.”

“Iggy is our adopted son and we’re raising him in our backyard treehouse,” Mr. Cameron said. “In each episode, he’s learning a new important lesson like forgiveness, like putting others first, like self-control, honesty, and overcoming fear.”

Brave+ plans to keep the shows wholesome without shying away from difficult topics.

“Episode 4 actually teaches kids about identity,” Mr. Cameron said. “With all the crazy stuff like drag queen story hours and ‘Antiracist Baby’ and nonbinary trans culture books for kids, we have a TV show with beautiful visuals teaching biblical truths.”

I support Brave Books and the wonderful messages they put out in their children stories.https://t.co/soOeDkCl0y

— Kevin Sorbo (@ksorbs) March 27, 2025

Nobody could accuse Brave+ of doing “Iggy and Mr. Kirk” on the cheap.

Behind the scenes are some seasoned pros in children’s programming. The show’s score was created by composer Kurt Heinecke, formerly the music director for Big Idea Entertainment, creator of the iconic animated Christian series “Veggie Tales.”

“Sesame Street” and Jim Henson Productions veterans John Kennedy and Rickey Boyd are behind the puppets, including Iggy the Iguana, Carlos the Squirrel, and Culture the Vulture, Iggy’s antagonist.

“Iggy has to learn the difference between what’s true and false, and what’s good and what’s evil,” Mr. Cameron said. “And he’s got this vulture named Culture who’s always lying to him. So he has to rely on a non-woke super computer named Maple that he has in his treehouse. And he relies on the biblical wisdom of his parents, Mr. Kirk and his wife.”

The Brave+ platform also includes episodes of old favorites like “Davey and Goliath,” “Bob the Builder,” “The Adventures of Paddington Bear,” and “Strawberry Shortcake.”

“They’re going to repurpose some of the classics that we as parents already trust, because we grew up with them,” Mr. Cameron said. “All of them have been vetted by parents for kids. There are really stringent qualifications. Only 1 in 20 shows actually makes the cut.”

The programming is available by subscription at Braveplus.com. The shows are free of charge to subscribers of the Brave Books book of the month club.

Mr. Cameron knows a thing or two about kids. He has six now-adult children — four of whom were adopted — with his wife Chelsea Noble, his co-star on the 1980s-era ABC-TV sitcom “Growing Pains.”

“When we raised our kids, we spent as little time on screens and television as possible,” he said. “Our kids were raised on a diet of an occasional ‘I Love Lucy’ episode and ‘Little House on the Prairie.’ So one might think, isn’t that sort of a mixed message that you’re telling parents to watch this TV show?”

Given that the vast majority of children will end up watching TV at some point, however, Mr. Cameron said that the important thing is to “replace the junk with the healthy and the good.”

“This is going to be just one tool in the parenting toolbox that will build your kids’ character while igniting their imaginations for good,” he said.