Preschool learning and entertainment Hopster has commissioned a new original preschool series, Saturday Club, which aims to help kids explore empathy and emotions. The company has partnered with children’s media company, Dog Ears, to produce the show. The deal announcement is timed to celebrate Empathy Day, a nation-wide initiative by EmpathyLab that celebrates the power of empathy to make the world a better place.
Dog Ears are the producers of the popular animated preschool series Puffin Rock. Creative lead on the show will be illustrator and animator Robin Davey, whose distinctive style will be familiar from his work for clients including Google and Wired, as well as to fans of the CBBC favorite Hey Duggee. The Saturday Club game is being developed in consultation with EmpathyLab, a new org dedicated to helping children develop strong empathy skills.
Set in a makeshift den, the show will follow Jo, Suzy, Jamie and Tian, as they gather every Saturday to discuss their week. Guided by their grandfather, we’ll see the four friends leap into the lives of people they’ve seen or heard about and explore how they would feel in their shoes. The show will provide a fun way to develop kids’ emotional intelligence and build their capacity for empathy.
Saturday Club is slated to arrive on Hoopster in early 2019 and will be accompanied by a game featuring the familiar characters, allowing kids to practice their skills in recognizing various expressions and related emotions.
Ellen Solberg, Hopster’s content lead says: “It is so important that kids learn from an early age what it means to empathize with others. Understanding how others feel equips us with important social-emotional skills that help us form strong relationships. We feel there is not enough content like this on the market and we’re so excited to partner with Dog Ears to create our very own original animation and game teaching kids about empathy.”
John McDaid, Creative Director at Dog Ears says: “Hopster is the perfect home for Saturday Club. We’re excited to announce this partnership and bring this joy-filled show exploring empathy to life! The power empathy has to change how children see the world, and understand themselves better in the process, is something we’re passionate about.”
The trailer of Saturday Club can now be viewed here:
