Little People, Big World
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Little People, Big World | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Genre | Reality |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Starring | Matthew Roloff Amy Roloff Zach Roloff Jeremy Roloff Molly Roloff Jacob Roloff |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original channel | TLC |
| Original run | March 4, 2006–Present |
| No. of episodes | 20 (through season 1) |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Little People, Big World is a reality television series produced in the United States that airs on The Learning Channel. The series follows the lives of the Roloffs, a family of six living near Portland, Oregon. Most of the show's episodes focus on the parents (Matt and Amy) and one of their sons, Zach—all of whom have dwarfism.
Little People, Big World debuted on March 4, 2006 and began its second season on October 7, 2006.[1] The show is also available on iTunes.
Contents |
[edit] Premise
The show follows the daily lives of the Roloff family - parents Matt and Amy, and their four children, Zach, Jeremy, Molly and Jacob. Matt, Amy and Zach are little people, while Jeremy, Molly and Jacob are average height. Teenaged Zach and Jeremy are twins, despite the fact that they are not both little people.
The family lives on the 34-acre Roloff Farms, located in Helvetia, Oregon. Although crops such as peaches and pumpkins are grown and sold by the family, much of the farm has been converted into a series of playground set pieces for the Roloff children. They were designed by Matt, who spent most of his childhood in the hospital.
Episodes of the show typically showcase one or more members of the Roloff family engaging in everyday activities such as shopping, athletics and dealing with household finances. The drama of the show arises from the fact that many of these activities are made more challenging due to the height of the little people in the family (Matt and Amy are 4'1", Zach is just under 4').
As with any reality show, the segments that are aired are ones that are expected to generate viewer interest. However, Little People, Big World avoids portraying the Roloffs in a stereotypical or sensational light. The situations encountered in the show are ones that most families deal with, although the ways in which the Roloffs deal with them are unique to them and are from the perspective of little people.
[edit] The family
- Matt – 45-year-old (as of Season 2) husband and father; Matt's most recent career was in computer software sales. As the series began, Matt was no longer employed by a company, but was engaged in establishing the business he co-founded, Direct Access Solutions. The company markets accessibility kits for little people to the hospitality industry. As the first season ended, Matt started another job as a software salesman with Amdocs in order to provide the family with additional income. Matt's type of dwarfism, diastrophic dysplasia, resulted in numerous childhood surgeries. He walks with the aid of crutches and uses a motorized cart when needed. Matt is also a former president of Little People of America. He also played an Ewok in the made-for-TV special, Ewok: The Battle for Endor.
- Amy – 43-year-old (as of Season 2) wife and mother; Amy is a stay-at-home mother, although she recently took part-time jobs as a soccer coach and preschool teacher to provide the family with additional income. Amy's type of dwarfism is achondroplasia, and she has experienced very few (if any) complications.
- Zach and Jeremy – 16-year-old (as of Season 2) twin brothers; Jeremy is average height, while Zach has achondroplasia like his mother. Unlike his mother, however, Zach has had numerous medical complications. As a child, Zach had a skull shunt implanted to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid. The shunt failed and had to be replaced surgically (as depicted in the season one episode "Zach's Emergency"). Zach used to play soccer competitively, but no longer can since children his age are now much bigger and faster than he is.
- Molly – 13-year-old (as of Season 2) daughter; Molly, who shares a birthday with Amy, is average height. She plays volleyball and is a skilled student.
- Jacob – 9-year-old (as of Season 2) son; Jacob is average height. He plays on a youth soccer team coached by Amy.
In addition to the main family, Matt's average-height parents Ron and Peggy Roloff are shown in numerous episodes. They live a few miles from Roloff Farms.
[edit] Reception
The first season of Little People, Big World generated solid ratings for TLC (especially in the important 18-49 demographic), leading to the show's renewal for a second season.[2] Critical reviews of the series have been generally positive, citing the show's positive portrayal of little people.[3][4] Conversely, other reviews have claimed that the show has a voyeuristic bent to it (albeit a non-sexual one), but allows the viewer to feel good about watching because it is not outwardly or overtly exploitive.[5][6]
Since the show began airing, Roloff Farms has become an extremely popular tourist destination. While the farm and its many attractions have long been available for public viewing during pumpkin season (October), it is now receiving far more visitors than can be accommodated. During the 2006 season, more than 30,000 people arrived to buy pumpkins and tour the farm, which only has space for a few hundred vehicles. The farm was shut down temporarily by Washington County deputies on one Saturday in October 2006, due to massive traffic. Area residents have complained about the gridlock caused by the visitors, as well as about the increased media scrutiny the show has brought.[7]
The increased exposure has led to safety concerns for the Roloffs, who now deal with trespassers and zealous fans. They recently installed a security gate on their property.[7]
[edit] Jacob's accident
Jacob Roloff (along with family friend Mike Detjen) was seriously injured in an accident on the family farm on October 28, 2006. They were injured when the family's trebuchet (which they use to launch pumpkins) prematurely triggered. Jacob was rushed to nearby Legacy Emanuel Hospital, and underwent surgery to relieve swelling in his head caused by a small piece of skull pushed into his brain. Roloff and Detjen were released on October 30 and are expected to make full recoveries.[7][8]
Although a TLC camera crew was at the farm recording footage, they were not in the area where the accident occurred. The incident, therefore, was not recorded. Prior to the airing of two new episodes on November 4, TLC aired a brief segment with Matt and Amy acknowledging the accident and thanking everyone for their support. Jacob was shown with what appeared to be an injury around his right eye.
[edit] Episodes
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Martin, Denise. (Apr. 23, 2006). "TLC thinks big with 'Little'". Variety. Retrieved May 8, 2006.
- ^ Crupi, Anthony. (Apr. 24, 2006). "TLC Gives Little People 2nd Run". Mediaweek. Retrieved May 8, 2006.
- ^ Gelman, Pam. Series review. Common Sense Media. Retrieved May 8, 2006.
- ^ Mandel, Michelle (3 December 2006). "'Little People' delivers big lessons". The Oregonian. Retrieved on 2006-12-11.
- ^ Kennedy, Dan. (Mar. 24, 2006). "Will TLC's new reality show change our perception of dwarfs?". Slate. Retrieved May 8, 2006.
- ^ Heffernan, Virginia. (Mar. 4, 2006). "The Challenges of an Oversize World". The New York Times. Retrieved May 8, 2006.
- ^ a b c "Accident adds to scrutiny of Roloff family". Retrieved on November 5, 2006.
- ^ "Pair in pumpkin launch incident still hospitalized". Retrieved on November 5, 2006.
