Little People, Big World
| Little People, Big World | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Matthew Roloff Amy Roloff Zachary Roloff Jeremy Roloff Molly Roloff Jacob Roloff Martin Klebba |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 206 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Production location | Helvetia, Oregon |
| Running time | 30-60 minutes |
| Production company | Gay Rosenthal Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | TLC |
| Release | March 4, 2006 – present |
Little People, Big World is a reality television series produced in the United States that airs on TLC. The series follows the six-member Roloff family farm near Portland, Oregon. Many of the episodes focus on the parents, Matt and Amy, and one of their sons, Zach, who all have dwarfism.
On August 26th 2010 TLC announced that the sixth season would be the last for the show. Little People, Big World debuted on March 4, 2006, and the sixth and final season will premiere on September 6, 2010[1]. The show is also available for download on iTunes.
Premise
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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 of average height. Teenagers Zach and Jeremy are fraternal twins; although Zach is not of average height, his brother Jeremy is above average height (6'1"), (185 cm).
The family lives on the 36-acre (150,000 m2) Roloff Farms, located north of Hillsboro in Helvetia, Oregon (a suburb of Portland). Although crops of 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. He has tried to make his children's lives the best possible.
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 dwarfs in the family, as Matt and Amy are 4'1" (124 cm), Zach is 4'4" (132 cm).
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.
The Roloffs have several close friends who appear regularly on the show, among them actor Martin Klebba who has known Amy for over 20 years.
The family
| This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
Immediate family
- Matthew ("Matt") — 63 year-old (b. October 7, 1961, in California) husband and father; Matt's most recent career was in computer software sales. As the series began, Matt was no longer employed by the 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.
- Amy — 60 year-old (b. September 17, 1964[2], in Michigan) 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. Amy is a graduate of Central Michigan University. When not acting, coaching, parenting, or teaching, she’s a philanthropist. Her Amy Roloff Charity Foundation makes use of her celebrity by benefitting the needs' of kids, at-risk youths, and disability groups. Amy’s also given back to the Dwarf Athletic Association of America (DAAA), helped fund an organization for foster care parents and the kids they’ve adopted, as well as supported low-income senior housing and a homeless shelter focusing on keeping family units together.[3]
- Zachary Luke ("Zach") and Jeremy James ("Jer") — 34 year-old (b. May 10, 1990, in Oregon) twin brothers. Jeremy is 6'1 soccer player that has a history of hernias. Zach has achondroplasia like his mother. Zach is 4'4" and Amy is 4'2". 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 stopped playing for a time due to his size compared to the other soccer players. In Season 2-B, he started playing competitive soccer again as he made his high school's soccer team. However, his play was on hold temporarily as he had surgery to correct the bowing of his legs. He would like to be a soccer coach when he is older and coached Jacob's soccer team. Both twins graduated from high school in the spring of 2009.
- Molly Jo ("Mol") — 31 year-old (b. September 17, 1993, in Oregon) daughter; Molly, who shares a birthday with Amy, is 5'9". She plays volleyball and is a skilled student. She was one of the valedictorians of her middle school class.
- Jacob George ("Jake") — 27 year-old (b. January 21, 1997, in Oregon) son; Jacob is average height. He plays on a youth soccer team coached by his mother.
Jacob's accident
Jacob Roloff and family friend Mike Detjen were seriously injured in an accident on the family farm on Saturday, October 28, 2006, (episode aired April 9, 2007). They were injured when the family's trebuchet (which they use to launch pumpkins as part of the pumpkin season promotion) prematurely triggered. Jacob was rushed to nearby St. Vincent Hospital and underwent surgery to relieve swelling in his head caused by a small piece of skull pushed into his brain. Jacob and Mike recovered from the injuries and were released on Monday, October 30, 2006.[4] PBS Kids Although a TLC camera crew were at the farm recording footage, they were not in the area where the accident occurred. The accident, 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.
Footage taken shortly after the accident occurred on the farm was shown December 16 in the final minutes of the season finale, "Farm Overload." A crowd had gathered around Jacob, who was lying on the ground near the trebuchet. The first two episodes of season 3 focus on the accident, and how the local media reacted to it.
Seasons
| Season | Season Premiere | Season Finale |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 4, 2006 | May 13, 2006 |
| 2-A | October 7, 2006 | December 16, 2006 |
| 2-B | April 9, 2007 | June 4, 2007 |
| 3-A | October 15, 2007 | December 17, 2007 |
| 3-B | March 3, 2008 | May 3, 2008 |
| 4-A | October 13, 2008 | December 13, 2008 |
| 4-B | February 15, 2009 | May 15, 2009 |
| 5-A | October 12, 2009 | January 12, 2010 |
| 5-B | April 5, 2010 | June 14, 2010 |
| 6-A | September 6, 2010 | TBA |
Episodes
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.[5] Critical reviews of the series have been generally positive, citing the show's positive portrayal of little people.[6][7] 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.[8][9]
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.[10]
The Roloffs receive as many as a dozen emails per minute from supporters.[7] The increased exposure, however, has led to safety concerns for the family, who now deal with trespassers and zealous fans. They recently installed a security gate on their property.[10]
The Roloffs have hit the headlines a number of times. In 2006, Jacob and Mike Detjen, a family friend, were severely injured when a pumpkin catapult prematurely launched. In 2007, Matt was arrested on DUI charges. While found not guilty, his driver's license was suspended for three years due to a previous drunken-driving diversion program that he completed in 2003. [11] The sixth and final season of the satellite TV show 'Little People, Big World' will premiere on September 6 at 8PM. [12] Funding Chuck E. Cheeses (2006-Presernt) ZooPals (2008-2009) Rainforest Cafe (2009-Presernt) Kiddie Academy (2010-Presernt)
References
- ^ ""TLC ORDERS SIXTH SEASON OF LITTLE PEOPLE BIG WORLD"". Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2204820/bio
- ^ "Amy Roloff — Cruising for a Cause" ABILITY Magazine (Regina Hall Issue - April/May 2010) Retrieved August 27, 2010.
- ^ ""Pair in pumpkin launch incident still hospitalized"". Retrieved November 5, 2006.
- ^ Crupi, Anthony. (April 24, 2006). "TLC Gives Little People 2nd Run". Mediaweek. Retrieved May 8, 2006.
- ^ Gelman, Pam. Series review. Common Sense Media. Retrieved May 8, 2006.
- ^ a b Mandel, Michelle (December 3, 2006). ""'Little People' delivers big lessons"". The Oregonian. Retrieved December 11, 2006.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Kennedy, Dan. (March 24, 2006). "Will TLC's new reality show change our perception of dwarfs?". Slate. Retrieved May 8, 2006.
- ^ Heffernan, Virginia. (March 4, 2006). "The Challenges of an Oversize World". The New York Times. Retrieved May 8, 2006.
- ^ a b "Accident adds to scrutiny of Roloff family". Retrieved November 5, 2006.
- ^ "'Little People, Big World' star Matthew Roloff found not guilty of DUI". Retrieved September 2, 2010.
- ^ "'Little People, Big World' Is To Air Its Sixth and Final Season". Retrieved August 31, 2010.