Nearly 15% of young children in Texas struggle with obesity.
The mission of the Texas WIC Program is to help children and families establish healthy habits early in life that will last a lifetime. One of the ways to do that is to teach children that they are “movers” and make dance a fun part of their routine.
How do you convince young children to exercise?
Unlike adults worried about their waistlines, the only way to inspire children to get up and move to a video is to make it genuinely fun — with colorful animation, catchy songs and kid-friendly dances that are designed to match the production value and pace of any popular children’s TV show.
The most recent season of Zobey generated over 4 Million views and 17,000 subscribers in less than 9 months. Testing confirmed that children danced to the videos without prompting, and also asked for fruits and veggies after watching the videos.
When movement and dancing becomes a joyful part of a child’s experience early in life, that imprints on their identity and helps turn them into movers for a lifetime. A huge thanks to Executive Producer Amanda Hovis and the Texas WIC Program for conceiving the project and asking us to lend our creativity to such a worthwhile mission!
— Raina James, Executive Creative Director
Approximately 100 creatives – from dancers, to writers, puppet-makers, singers, animators and more collaborated to create Zobey. This interdisciplinary team ensured the series was not only fun for kids, but also aids in developing critical motor skills.
We wanted Zobey to get kids up and moving the first time it’s watched, but also create dances and songs that children and parents would continue to enjoy the 10th or 25th time.
— Grace Hathaway, Producer & Editor