Written by | Ray Cornelius
Hundreds of Atlanta area youth gathered together on Saturday morning to get “check-ups” on their favorite toys. Yep, you heard me right. These little boys and girls participated in Disney Junior’s “Doc Mobile Tour” in conjunction with the Artemis Medical Society (AMS).
The one day event was centered about the popular animated Disney character, Dottie “Doc” McStuffins, a six-year-old girl who communicates with and heals her stuffed animals and broken toys out of her backyard playhouse clinic. The imaginative show features the voice of Kiara Muhammad as Dottie along with veteran actress Loretta Devine as Hallie, Doc’s stuffed hippo and nurse. Reportedly, the show is a hit with Kids ages 2-5 and is the #1 cable TV preschool series. The show is also #1 among the women of the Artemis Medical Society too. Not only do these medical professional see themselves in the show’s main character but they also see this as an opportunity to recruit more women of color as doctors and nurses.
I had a chance to chat with the real “Doc” McStuffins, co-founder of AMS Dr. Deonza Thymes (picutred left). Not only does she see the tour as a way to entertain children but it’s also educates them about healthy lifestyle choices.
“One of our main goals is to increase diversity in medicine and to improve the health our communities and Doc McStuffins encourages both of those. I think this initiative encourages our children to eat right and to take control of their health,” said Dr. Thymes. “It lets them know that there are things that they can do and not have to rely on their parents to improve their health status.”
Dr. Thymes also praises Disney Junior for creating such a character as “Doc” McStuffins and for providing a voice for women of color.
“Working with Disney so far has been great. They’re just very appreciative of what our Artemis Medical Society has to offer. They’ve given us a platform to show that characters like ‘Doc’ are not just make believe but that we are real women. We were once ‘Doc’ but now were adults; ‘Doc’ all grown up. And that’s important to put that positive image of African-American women and women of color into the public eye.”
In addition to performing “check-ups” on their toys, children were also able to play in “Stuffy’s Imagination Playground,” get active in “Doc’s Stretch and Flex” and learn about the importance of drinking water at “Lenny’s Hydration Station.”
Check out the 4-minute “Doc” McStuffins’ episode on dehydration:
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Photo Credit: Megan Alodie for RayCornelius.com
