Angela Santomero Brings New Kind of Fairy Tale to Princess Penelope

Angela Santomero has spent decades helping children talk back to the screen. Long before “interactive” became a buzzword, the creator of Blue’s Clues and Super Why! was building stories that paused long enough for kids to think, answer and feel like they belonged inside the adventure.

With Princess Penelope, her new YouTube Kids series and companion book franchise, she is bringing that same philosophy into a whimsical fairy-tale world where a brave kitten, a magical purse and a series of preposterous objects become tools for problem-solving, empathy and imagination.

For Santomero, Princess Penelope is not a departure from the work that made her one of children’s media’s most influential creators. It is an evolution of it.

“I need to jump in here, I need to fix this,” she said of creating for YouTube, explaining that she saw an opportunity to raise the educational value of what children encounter online.

Where others might see a platform defined by short attention spans, Santomero sees room for something richer.

“I want the audience, I want kids to have a longer attention span,” she told Newsweek. “I know that they do.”

Research-Based Worldbuilding

Her confidence stems from a career built as much on research as on instinct. Santomero, who has a master’s degree in child developmental psychology, said every series begins with a clear question about what children need and how media can meet them there.

“Everything is for a reason. Everything has a purpose,” she said, describing the way episodes are shaped, tested and refined.

Scripts are given to children in early story form, then again as animatics, and finally in finished episodes. That same intentionality extends to literacy, with Princess Penelope designed not only to entertain but to support attention, comprehension and a child’s relationship to story, whether they are watching an episode or listening to a book read aloud.

In Princess Penelope, that learning is woven into the story itself. Each episode invites children to help Penelope decide how to use the strange items in her purse to solve a problem, and the books extend that same spirit by carrying her adventures onto the page in a way that encourages read-aloud connection and early engagement with storytelling.

Santomero described the series as an experiment in encouraging kids to predict, question and stay mentally engaged.

“What do you think is going to happen next?” she said, explaining the pauses built into the narrative. “All of a sudden, the kids’ brains are consistently working and thinking and predicting and leaning into the story.”

On the page, that same invitation becomes a reading experience, giving children another way to participate in Penelope’s world through language, rhythm and anticipation. The result is a franchise designed around critical thinking but softened by warmth, humor and a sense of play.

Purpose-Driven Princess Power

Even Penelope herself reflects a deliberate creative choice. Santomero said she understood that many children are still drawn to princess stories, but she wanted to reframe that tradition around leadership, bravery and curiosity, creating a character who could live fully in both the animated series and the books.

“I’ll give you a princess,” she said. “I’ll give you a smart and brave and little and girly, but she’s, you know, a leader.”

Penelope became a kitten for reasons both practical and personal. Blue (a puppy) from Blue’s Clues, Santomero revealed, “was originally supposed to be a cat,” and Princess Penelope offered a way to return to that earlier idea.

“I had to go back at some point to that kitten,” she said, “because she never got a show.”

What makes the series especially engaging is how seriously it takes silliness. Santomero wants children to understand that creativity is not separate from problem-solving, but central to it. The items in Penelope’s purse are intentionally ridiculous, forcing children to imagine solutions that are unexpected rather than obvious. Beneath the fantasy is a larger emotional lesson.

“I want kids to know that there is a solution to every problem, no matter how ridiculous the problem is,” she said.

In one early story, a fire-breathing dragon is not defeated but redirected, his flames used to toast pink marshmallows instead of wreaking havoc. That approach, Santomero said, is rooted in empathy as much as invention: solve the problem, but do not erase who the character is.

Creating Capable Children

Her respect for the audience also helps explain why Santomero’s work continues to resonate with parents who grew up on Blue’s Clues and children discovering her storytelling now. Trends in platforms may change, but, as she put it, “what doesn’t change is child development.” Children may be exposed to more content and more information than ever before, yet they still need stories that respect their feelings, invite their participation, and give them language for their own ideas. Santomero has spent her career treating young audiences as capable thinkers, and Princess Penelope extends that trust into a new generation’s media habits.

At its core, Princess Penelope is about making children feel seen and capable. Santomero said she has always believed the best kids’ media can be “educationally salient” while still being something children genuinely love. That balance remains her guiding principle.

With Princess Penelope, across both the series and the books, she has created a world where kindness is active, imagination is practical, reading is part of the adventure, and asking children a question is an act of respect. In a media landscape crowded with noise, Santomero is still doing what she has always done best: slowing the story just enough for a child to step inside and help save the day.

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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 12:33 PM.