Unusually for a gentle, low stakes live action series for kids like Brum, he can teach me everything I can to survive this cruel world us autistic people inhabit - whether we like it or not! And I like it. Here are three things I've learnt from the little magic car who comes to life....AND HAS MOTOR OIL IN HIS BRAIN!
First of all, he taught me to find his little kitten 'foster brother' Kipper inside animals I miss. When he and his hotel manager friend Mr Steve found Kipper alone in a skip, Mr Steve explained to Brum that Kipper's mother Katie had died the night before, which upset Brum so much...but Brum got to become a big brother to Kipper and give him a new home. Through his experience of chasing Kipper across the hotel, he learnt this simple mindfulness strategy from Mr Steve and his boss, Mr Bellringer:
Look for any signs of panic, trauma, anxiety or signs of a tantrum inside your body. Check your arms, hands, tummies, legs, feet...and, in typical Ragdoll fashion, bottoms if you have the chance. Then once you've done that, breathe slowly two times, in...and out. And then, you can find a solution to the problem - he also taught me that when I experience a malfunction with technology, all I have to do is follow the wire and see where it leads. That way, I have solved quite a terrible problem that requires a Caillou fit. But now those days are history! Mainly because PBS Kids isn't airing Caillou anymore.
Second, I think the beach episode is the first Brum Stratford episode I recall seeing, along with the episode where Brum helped a group of sewer workers sort out the cause of a flood that swept through the Big Town. The family who Brum met and accompanied along to the beach are people who moved to Birmingham from America. Right now, there's a lot of violence and corruption happening in America right now, and American people are hated by everyone all around the world, even by those here where they made Brum - but the little car sees a brighter side of the situation. He taught me to find the good side of America through his immigrant neighbours, and give every family in America who is fighting through those tough times a chance - even if they are very crazy indeed.
Crazy, but in a good way.
Third and final, I think Brum's lollipop lady mentor Miss Lollipop (who is in the same vein of wisdom and comfort as Badger in Farthing Wood and Big Ears in Noddy) gave me some advice based on the time Brum tried to reunite her with her boyfriend, the African accented Swahili word spouting mechanic Jabari. Being a childish animatronic car, Brum always believes that when every couple dances and hands each other gifts like chocolate on Valentine's Day, he thinks either aliens have invaded or there is a nasty epidemic going around that's affecting every man and woman in love in town ever.
But, Miss Lollipop might tell me that when you are affected by an actual illness bug before Valentine's Day and can't go out to run and jump and play and have fun, all you have to do is find the comfort and warmth in the sickness and survival. I can hear her voice - that of who I believe may voice her, Dawn French (of Kipper audio stories, Merlin The Magical Puppy and - dare I say it - Beddybyes) - tell me this advice as I speak.
Which reminds me: from now on, I'm going to make a Sickness Plan, as drawn and written by Miss Lollipop to remind Brum and everyone in town what to do if a nasty bug like mine goes around.
Good luck, dearie!
"Wish me luck, everyone!"
-Brum
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