OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes, an animated series that ran for three seasons on Cartoon Network, follows the titular K.O. as he proves himself in a world where heroism is valued above all else. However, like many of the best cartoons, OK K.O. finds ways to quietly share messages and teach younger audiences about how to operate in the world.
One episode in particular, “No More Pow Cards,” offers a simple lesson on the issue of inclusion in media. In the show’s world, when anyone does something heroic, a "Pow Card" is manufactured of them. K.O. and many others collect Pow Cards, but when his friend, Dendy, informs him that people of her species (known as "Kappas") are excluded from Pow Cards due to misconceptions about them being predatory, evil and incapable of heroism, K.O.’s love for the cards is turned on its head.
Though the duo’s first impulse is to throw their card collections away for promoting exclusion, this impulse gives way to proactivity. The two confront the manufacturer of Pow Cards about Kappas’ ineligible status as heroes. The manufacturer’s reasoning is similarly based in ignorance and misconceptions about Kappas. After the two convince him to make Kappas eligible, the company’s computer that tracks heroes and prints cards overflows with new, previously overlooked Kappas, Dendy among them.
The message is simple, but strikes at the heart of the ongoing issue of the visibility of diverse groups in mainstream media and pop culture. When media doesn't represent a group, it can make members of those groups feel like their experiences and stories aren't worth telling, or make them question their sense of belonging in a culture where nothing mirrors their personal -- and very real -- lived experiences. Exclusion has palpable effects on people, who might like O.K. and Dendy’s initially wish to withdraw from that which is excluding them. This has, for example, happened in real-life with the 2016 Oscar boycott, when the underrepresentation of people of color at the awards showed alienated the very artists who should have been being celebrated.
But K.O. and Dendy’s love for the cards is too intense for them to walk away forever, so instead they try and fix what's broken. "No More Pow Cards" promotes being heroic by having difficult, uncomfortable conversations about stereotypes and prejudices so as to foster understanding. The episode calls for those not seeing enough “cultural mirrors” around them to speak up, like Dendy, and validates their desire to be represented. Change comes because K.O. and Dendy choose to fight, and this results in a literal explosion of recognition, compelling viewers to stand up for representation and what's right.