They Call Us Bruce 102: They Call Us The Baby-Sitters Club

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

On this episode, we facilitate a deep appreciation of an Asian American icon: Claudia Kishi of The Baby-Sitters Club. We welcome Naia Cucukov, executive producer of the new Netflix series; Jade Chang, writer of "Claudia and Mean Janine"; and Sue Ding, director of the documentary short The Claudia Kishi Club.

Santa Fe Indian Restaurant Vandalized in Racist Attack

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



Indian Restaurant Vandalized with White Supremacist Messages
In Santa Fe, an Indian restaurant was ransacked and vandalized with white supremacist obscenities and hate speech. The unknown vandal or vandals caused an estimated $100,000, damaging the restaurant's kitchen, dining room and storage area. They destroyed bottles of wine, broke tables, and shattered glasses and dishes. They also spray-painted walls and artwork with racist remarks directed at the restaurant's Sikh owners. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime. Oh, the cherry on top: amid the racial slurs, the words "Trump 2020" were spray-painted around the restaurant.

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Why Tina Fey Is in Hot Water With the Asian Community, Too
Tina Fey appears to be taking some responsibility for racially insensitive material in her comedy, but some people online are saying that the multi-Emmy winner still has plenty to answer for. Namely, her shitty track record when it comes to jokes targeting the Asian community. From Mean Girls to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, folks have not forgotten... and now it's apparently time for a reckoning.

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THE COVID-19 ADULT RESILIENCE EXPERIENCES STUDY (CARES)
Researchers at Boston University are conducting a study of how young people, ages 18-30, are coping with the COVID-19 crisis and the current climate regarding racism and the protests against police brutality. They're recruiting participants to talk about their personal experiences, physical health, and mental well being following the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants will be asked to complete a 30-45 minute online survey. Take part and help an all-Asian team of researchers doing important work. Find out more here.

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Sandra Oh layers in her ethnicity on ‘Killing Eve’ because white Hollywood does not
Sandra Oh on how an Asian character subtly affects sound design: "I remember talking to the sound people, it's like, 'Hey guys, you are layering in the sound of me wearing shoes in the house. I don't wear shoes. My character doesn't wear shoes. I know you don't see the feet. But don't layer in the sound of shoes in the house, because that doesn't happen,'" she adds. "But maybe these people, mostly white English dudes, don't know that. It's something that you might not even think is important, but it is because that's how we start building the nuance of a character."

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'Claudia Kishi Club' to Premiere on Netflix
Just in time for Netflix's adaptation of hit book series The Baby-Sitters Club, they'll also premiere the short documentary The Claudia Kishi Club next month. Directed by Sue Ding, the 16-minute film features interviews with Asian American creatives about the influence Claudia Kishi -- the Japanese American member of The Baby-Sitters Club -- had on their lives and work. The short drops on Netflix on July 10.

Making a Scene: How Claudia Kishi Helped Me and My YA Heroine Find Our Voices

Guest Post by Sarah Kuhn



I love Claudia Kishi. Ever since she first emerged on the pages of The Baby-Sitters Club books -- that touchstone series about enterprising tweens who start their own small business and become embroiled in the world of Kid Kits, cruises, and mysteries that involve things like ghost cats -- I've been obsessed with her every move. I related to her creativity, her inability to master math, and her whole Japanese American girl living in the white suburbs thing. I coveted her in-room phone line, her hollowed out books full of candy, and of course... her clothes.

Oh, her clothes. So many bright colors. So many "clashing" patterns. So many bedazzled ankle boots. The endless pages that lovingly describe her outfits (often characterized as "wild") are the most worn and dog-eared in my BSC collection. I wanted every single piece of her wardrobe so very badly.

But I also found myself caught in a classic tweenager-y paradox. I thought I wanted to stand out like Claudia, but I also knew in my heart of hearts that it would probably be better for my whole middle school experience if I did not stand out at all. At least, not any more than I already did, thanks to that "Japanese American girl living in the white suburbs" thing.

I sometimes found myself trying to incorporate a Claudia-esque piece into my look -- oversized men's shirts, scrunchy socks in a Technicolor rainbow of colors, barrettes shaped like animals. But I always ended up feeling self-conscious, the bravado I'd felt when clipping that sparkly giraffe into my hair melting as soon as one of the popular white girls sent me one of those disdainful looks that just seemed to say: really?

Casting Call: Netflix is looking for Claudia Kishi

Upcoming 'Baby-Sitters Club' series seeks Japanese American actress to play fan-favorite character.



Calling Claudia Kishi! The upcoming Netflix series The Baby-Sitters Club, based on the popular book series, is searching for a young Japanese American actress to play fan favorite character Claudia Kishi.

They're currently holding auditions to find a 12-year-old Japanese American female to fill the series regular role of Claudia. According to the casting call, Claudia is "a bit of a dreamer with her head in the clouds, the result of which is that she's not the greatest student. She's ahead of the curve level cool and always arty, with a fashionable clothes, a friend and neighbor of Kristy and Mary Anne." That sounds like Claudia.

"Claudia went through a phase where she 'decided she'd rather look like a Barbie than play with one,'" the casting call continues. "Even her bedroom is a cool mess, filled with paintings collages and clippings, and everyone agrees it's the perfect place for the newly formed Baby-Sitters Club."

A Film About Your Favorite Baby-Sitters Club Character

'The Claudia Kishi Club' explores the legacy of Claudia Kishi.



Here's a fun film project that could use your support. The Claudia Kishi Club, by documentary filmmaker Sue Ding, is a love letter to Claudia Kishi, the iconic Japanese American character from the Baby-Sitters Club book series, who inspired a generation of Asian American women and creators of color.

For many Asian Americans who grew up in the 80s and 90s, Claudia was the first time they saw themselves represented in popular culture. A main character in Ann M. Martin's best-selling series, she was one of the only Asian Americans in popular media when the books debuted in 1986. The Claudi Kishi Club explores the character's legacy as a rare Asian American protagonist, a meaningful role model, and of course, a style icon.

The film will feature interview with fans including YA authors C.B. Lee and Sarah Kuhn; comic artist Yumi Sakugawa; and me, Phil Yu, the founder of this website. They also interview producer Naia Cucukov of Walden Media, who is currently adapting The Baby-Sitters Club for a new live-action TV series.

Here's some more information about the film:

Claudia and the Baby-sitters Club Books We Really Needed

Remixed and re-titled book covers imagine all the bullshit Claudia Kishi had to deal with.



For a certain generation of young readers, Claudia Kishi is an icon.

Any fan of The Baby-sitters Club will tell you that Claudia is artistic, stylish, fashionable and a terrible student. She's also the Asian one. As the Japanese American member of The Baby-sitters Club, she was a rarity when Ann M. Martin's prolific, mega-popular novel series debuted in 1986. In a literature landscape so often devoid of characters of color, many Asian American readers saw themselves in Claudia.

In Keep Out, Claudia! (Book #56) the Baby-sitters Club is hired by a new family who are totally cold and rude to Claudia when she comes over to babysit their kids, for reasons she can't understand. But when the BSC's white sitters come over, they're cool. Then later, when Jessi, who is African American, comes over to sit, they won't even let her through the door. Turns out, the family is racist!

It was one of the few times the series addressed issues of racial prejudice, albeit clunkily, in its 200+ volume run. But it gets you wondering how that racism might have further affected Claudia, as one of the seemingly few Asian American residents in the fictional town of Stonybrook, Connecticut. As an Asian American character, Claudia busted some stereotypes. But realistically, she probably had to deal with her share of bullshit.

What would those books look like?

Let us imagine a few Baby-sitters Club stories, using re-titled and remixed covers of actual Baby-sitters Club books, that might have seen Claudia realistically and frankly grappling with her identity as a racial minority.