Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
We all know who Warren Buffett is. The billionaire businessman is often heralded as one of the world’s wealthiest people. He’s the chairman, CEO, and largest shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway. He’s constantly railing on about economic policies. He loves Ben Franklin. He also is a charming kids show mascot.
Wait — what was that last one?
Warren Buffett became the Ms. Frizzle of finances a few years back when he launched his very own children’s show called Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club. The show, which aired on XFinity as a series and as a webseries online, imagines a world where Warren Buffett is the best friend of three enterprising youngsters. He advises Elena, Jones, and Radley on how to overcome small business disasters. His advice is full of capitalist messaging that imagines a world where if all work hard, think hard, and make sound economic choices, there’s no way we can fail. Buffett voiced himself on the series in early seasons before outsourcing playing himself to a voiceover actor in 2013.
The series is…weird. Putting the idea that a tween would be friends with Warren Buffett aside, the show seems unsure of who its audience is. Is this technicolor animated series for kids? If so, why are the kids speaking with a college-level vocabulary? (I see you, Radley, and your obsession with perfect grammar and the Oxford Dictionary!) Still, you have to admire the show for at least trying to educate the masses about economics. It’s one of the most important subjects and it’s hardly taught in schools.
Perhaps the most ironic part of the series is how it so perfectly defines the catch-22 in American capitalism: We believe everyone can accomplish their dreams if they work hard enough, but the truth is that it’s hard to get to Buffett’s level of success without mentorship, patronage, and easy access to education. The Buffett character on the show is providing all three to the kids. The secret to joining Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaire’s Club? You have to know billionaire Warren Buffett.
[Watch Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaire’s Club on Starz] or [Watch the Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaire’s Club webseries on YouTube]
