When Ella’s family adopted her at age 10, she already had a very clear notion of her likes and dislikes and had never been embarrassed to express them.
Ella’s mother, Emily Kalaygian, told The Dodo that Ella was “quite snarky and demanding.” “However, I can’t condemn her for that since she’s a lady who knows what she wants—all that’s that! She does, however, have her gracious moments. She frequently waits by my door in the mornings until I get up. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t occasionally raise her voice to sing the anthem of her people.
Credit: EMILY KALAYGIAN
About a month after adopting Ella, Kalaygian wanted some background noise as she went about her day, so she turned on “The Grinch.” Almost immediately, Ella was intrigued — and so began the journey of Ella and her obsession with cartoons.
“My husband and I started experimenting to see what she does/doesn’t like, and once 2020 came around and we were stuck inside with her and the TV, it only grew from there,” Kalaygian said.
Ella watches cartoons now every day. Every morning, Ella waits outside her mother’s bedroom door for her to enter and start the TV. From that point on, their routine revolves mainly around Ella’s obsession with TV.
She typically stands by my door in the mornings or yells when she’s feeling fancy, so I choose a show to watch to see if she’d like it, according to Kalaygian. “By this point, I can predict what she won’t or will enjoy, but occasionally she shocks me! After that, she goes to sleep and I go about my business (work).
She generally gets back up when it gets later, and we watch a movie or another show. We used to watch a lot of movies, but recently we’ve started watching shows because so many people have recommended them to see what Ella will like.
Credit: EMILY KALAYGIAN
Everyone on the internet has been deeply engaged in Ella’s TV passion ever since she received her own TikTok, and it’s been so much fun for people to learn about her favorite series and films with her and her family.
Credit: EMILY KALAYGIAN
Her current favorite program is “Oswald,” which we appear to have been watching repeatedly on Paramount+, according to Kalaygian. She was a huge “Phineas and Ferb” fan before “Oswald,” but “Oswald” recently knocked them off the pedestal.
In addition, she is well known for her admiration of Benedict Cumberbatch, so Jim Carrey may excuse her if she only sees the 2018 version of the Grinch.
Credit: EMILY KALAYGIAN
From the very beginning, Ella has always known exactly what she wants. Most of the time, that’s cartoons, and luckily for her, her parents are more than happy to give her that.