Whomever came up with the idea for a show about the day to day life of little people is stupidly smart. I mean seriously, who doesn't love midgets? Yes I know, the PC word is little people and technically the Roloff family are actually dwarves, but sometimes you just have to say midget, it's a fun word.
I think everyone has had a fascination with little people at some time in their lives, dwarves and midgets have been in the spotlight dating back to the middle ages when they were often viewed as very special or being "touched by god" (with an oddly shaped finger I suppose), and then eventually fell out of favor and became "freaks" relegated to the difficult life of the circus. (I'm skipping ahead a few hundred years here but you get the point) I've read quite a bit on circus freaks (in a purely scholarly basis I can assure you...) and even there the dwarves/midgets had a tough time. When some guy with a second head on his chest or a women with no arms and three legs would show up, the dwarf and/or midget just wasn't quite freaky enough and would be forced to freak it up a bit by wearing a humiliating outfit and doing stunts that must have been quite tough on that little body. So like anyone with physical differences, little people have it a bit tougher than regular folk and that's sort of the point of the show. Little people may have it tougher but that doesn't mean they can't do what we do, they just do it differently.
More on "Little People, Big World" after the jump.
If you haven't seen the show, the married couple and parents are Matt and Amy and they are both little people. They have four children and this is where things get a little mind bending. The oldest are Zach and Jeremy and they are twins. But one is a little person and one is not. The other two children are Molly and the youngest, Jacob both of whom are regular size. So out of all the kids, there is one little person and he is a twin of a regular person which I think qualifies as a cosmic joke. I imagine that Zach must look at his twin and think "that's what I'm supposed to look like" and meanwhile his twin must look at him and think "man did I get lucky in those odds. I should go to Vegas."
Watching the show definitely gives me a few pangs of guilt every so often. I went through my Little People Fascination when I was in high school although then we just called them all midgets. I can't really remember a lot of what we joked about but I do remember something about wanting a pet midget that would feed us grapes. Since then I've heard other people say similar things and somehow it just doesn't seem quite as funny, so maybe there is something to be said about the P.C. movement after all, although I prefer to think I am just more mature and tolerant. I'm sure that's it. In all seriousness, during the high school period of my life I probably would have watched the show with friends and laughed at the Little People every time they did something physical and especially when they spoke with those helium inflected voices, but now I find myself watching because I am honestly fascinated by their family dynamic and how they sometimes struggle to do day to day tasks that we take for granted.
One thing I find very interesting is that the Roloff family own a farm. It's like they said "ok, what is the most strenuous, stressful, physically demanding and difficult business to run. A farm? We'll take it!" When I think of farmers I think of big gruff men with dirty clothes, sun browned skin and muscles built by manual labor. What I don't think of is a family of midgets. Dwarves. Little people! Sorry. It's sort of hard to gage from the editing of the show just how much physical work they actually do on the farm. It seems more like they pitch in when it's needed but other than Matt (the dad) driving around perched on top of a huge tractor and making things really muddy, they don't seem to do a whole lot. And then there's all that crazy stuff that Matt had built on the property like a miniature castle, a wild west town and a mine shaft with some sort of underground maze, it really has all the makings of a horror film. Imagine being chased through an underground maze by a family of Midgets gone rabid! Dwarves! Little People! Sorry! I really should stop that!
I think I am going to stop writing now because apparently the more I talk about little people, the more I regress. I like this show because I always find it interesting to see people doing the same daily tasks that I do, only in a completely different way. I think about if I were a little person, how I would have to reorganize things like what's on the top refrigerator shelves and I how I wouldn't even come close to getting clothes out of my closet. Would I hang my pictures lower or have smaller furniture to sit on comfortably? Would I get a big dog because I'd feel safer from big people or a small dog because I'd feel safer from a big dog? Each time I watch the show I think of how different my every day life would be if I were a little person and I think that's part of the success of a show that preaches empathy and understanding. Check out Little People Big World Monday nights on TLC, you might not laugh as much as you would think.
NJ says:
I love the Roloff's. 'Little People, Big World' is probably one of the greatest shows on television at the moment.
Judi (a little person) says:
Your review was good, but would be better if you would lay off the word "midget", it's just not necessary.
We are real people, with real feelings and lives. I happen to be an Information Systems Manager for a school district, married, with an "average" size son.
The Rolloffs show is one of the best about a family on TV today. Give them the proper credit for showing people we are not circus shows or to be cast aside as not real people.
Trust me, we are.
Steve says:
If you like the little people you will LOVE my dear friend, Tanyalee Davis.
She lives in LA, but this is a commercial filmed for England's Disability Rights Commission which provides disabled access on public transport:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFG-Ul8xvyk
She's little, she's a comedian, she's a little comedian.
al says:
I agree with Judi... She took the words right out of my mouth.
molly says:
I have seen only a few episodes of Little People, Big World. I guess unlike most people I haven't ever been interested in little people, like the poster discusses above. They are people and they are little..so what?! I need a bit more to it to make it interesting and worth my time. So I was fairly surprised by the show, not because they are little people but because they seem like a happy family and the parents seem to have a fairly happy marriage....something completely never seen on television these days. Today on television, families are usually dsyfunctional and marriages are hostile, at best. The Roloffs are the only normal family on television today and that is what makes them strange and worth watching.
Nanc' says:
I'm in agreement with Molly. I've worked with little people and never gave them or their size much thought. "Little People" really is the only reality show that I watch regularly...along with Deadliest Catch and, really, that's just a bunch of guys fishin'. Who'd have guessed?
Matt Roloff says:
A really close friend of mine brought this post tomy attention knowing i would TOTALLY appreciate the spirit and honesty of it.
I Did.
I was soooo intriqued by the original post that I asked Amy to read it as well. When the poster asked
[quote]
"One thing I find very interesting is that the Roloff family own a farm. It's like they said "ok, what is the most strenuous, stressful, physically demanding and difficult business to run. A farm? We'll take it!" [end quote]
I'm like... Amy, You have to read this.... Whoever posted this totally gets why we do the show! :)
Best,
Matt Roloff matt@mattroloff
Gina says:
I Love Little People Big World!!!!!!
I find it Rude to call Little People midgets.. I am short,4 foot 10, and I get called that Alot by kids. I have had kids majorly disrespect me because of my height, they think I am not really an adult, I find name calling mean even though I am not a Dwarf.
Being Short makes life harder, and different. I know this for a fact, since I can't reach things in the back of the frige, or in cabinets. doing laundry was a pain until we got front loading washer and dryer. Step stools are my best friends. but still doesn't solve all problems.
I also didn't like the comment you made about Jeremy and Zach. I Love watching Zach play Soccer.. He's really good at it. And No Zach was never ment to be Jeremy's height.. he is exactly Perfect Just the way God made him.
I really Love watching the show alot.
Isabel says:
I love this show so much. I can't wait for the LPA convention to be in Seattle this year. I'm totally going to stake it out and try to find the Roloffs!
(And hooray for Matt's comment. It crazy to think they are real people who read what's on the internet!)
Applespice says:
This show never interested me... until I watched it by accident one night (we lost the remote and it's hard to flip channels on the satelite receiver).
I AM HOOKED. I love watching them and find myself constantly amazed at how much they do. How much I take for granted. I always feel truly inspired by this family that no matter what, I can do it. They just remind me of the good neighbors you don't find much anymore. I wish they were my neighbors. :(
Joy says:
I love this show!! And the review was freakin' hilarious!!! My opinion is if you can't laugh at yourself, then you are a miserable person. Seriously. I'm not a little person, so I can't sit back and say I know how it feels or if that review even offends me. I mean, I hope it doesn't offend anyone. Maybe the word 'midget', but I don't think it was meant to hurt anyone. Anyhow, I love watching the dynamic of the show and plainly said, the 'human spirit'. I have four kids, so I can totally relate with Amy. What I love most is how their house is always messy! I point that out to everyone who happens to be with me when the show happens to come on because MY house is always messy because I have a ton of kids too!! It feels so good to know that I am not the only one that doesn't have a clean house 100% of the time like you're expected too!! OK, I've rambled on long enough... just want to say one more thing. I am so glad Jacob and Mike were OK after that accident with the pumpkin throwing thing. If it were me, I would have burned that thing down. But, what do I know!?
Louis says:
I enjoy this show but If the shows was not there who would foot the cost of all this crap. I just say "SHOW ME THE MONEY" in my opinion they have life style of over a $150k/ yr budget. with no true bread winners.
Michala says:
Actually Louis, Matt is a successful businessman and Amy is a part-time teacher. I love watching this show and keep telling people about it. As everyone else is saying, they are the best family on television right now.
Mary says:
I am so happy the Roloffs decided to participate in this show. The awareness it brings to the world regarding little people is amazing. I have so many friends that are hooked on it. They are normal people that are short. My son is a little person and he also loves the show. It is very educational to anyone that has never been around a little person. Can't wait to go to the convention this year and see the Roloffs again!
CHRIS says:
I LOVE YOUR SHOW.... I JUST FOUND OUT I'M A DWARF, NOW... I'M 4' 9" TALL.... I WAS VISITING MY AUNT THIS SUMMER, FOR TWO WEEKS...AND SHE DOESN'T MISS YOUR SHOW AT ALL... SO I GOT TO FALL IN LOVE WITH IT...BUT WHEN I GOT HOME I DON'T HAVE CABLE, SO NOW I CAN'T WATCH IT.... SO I CALL HER AND SHE PUTS HER PHONE NEXT TO THE TV AND I CAN HEAR YOU ALL TALKING... BUT IT SURE CAN MAKE ONES CELL PHONE GO SKY HIGH.... BUT I LOVE YOUR SHOW... I'M DISABLE AND CAN'T WORK SO I'M ON A FIX INCOME AND CAN'T AFFORD CABLE.... WELL, JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU I LOVE YOUR SHOW.... AND LOVE ALL OF YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE ON THE SHOW.....THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL SHOW....