Complete these phrases:
"I'm Cuckoo for _____!"
"Silly Rabbit, ____ are for kids!"
"Snap, Crackle, _____!"
"They're Magically ______!"
If none of them registered, then you mercifully were raised with limited access to TV, for a few decades.
Astonished at how easily these ditties danced to life in your pre-frontal lobe? These branded slogans all danced into our heads as animated cartoon-characters.
Let's drill down on that last animated gem.
Lucky Charms was created in 1963 at General Mills to fill unused capacity at the Wheaties and Cheerios manufacturing plants.
Internal product developer John Holahan had the idea of mixing peanuts in with cereal. But the ‘madmen’ hired to market that concept pointed out the popularity of charm bracelets at the time, and suggested that charms, instead of peanuts, might better sell consumers.
Marshmallows, or marbits, were to be the feedstock molded into charms.
Ok, so how to convince the public that it is okay to have these charmed marshmallows for breakfast?
General Mills had also created the cartoon series Underdog to successfully sell Cheerios. They took what was working with Simon Bar Sinister, Sweet Polly Pure Bred, and Underdog and condensed it into pure gold.
Meet Lucky the Leprechaun, Sir Charms, or L.C. Leprechaun.
Lucky Charms was introduced using 30 second plots of character-driven animation, rather than the 22 minutes per episode of Underdog.
Pow!
Rainbows of primary colors. Conflict. Emotion. Singing. Charmed shapes. Energetic poses and gestures. The Rule of Thirds. Music and sound design. Squash and stretch. Anticipation and follow-through. Timing and spacing. Cycling and looping. Blinking and thinking.
Did it work? Will parent let their kids have marshmallows for breakfast?
“You can lead a parent to the cereal isle, but you can't make them buy." one might have predicted.
Advertisers know how to do an end-run around parents. Salt a horse's oats before you lead it to water. Induce thirst.
When kids saw the box in the cereal isle, they freaked. The parents bought. An animated leprechaun steamrolled any hesitations about the diabetes-inducing contents in the box.
Animated storytelling moves product and fills capacity at cereal factories.
Today, more than ever sound and motion inducements are poured through our kid’s pupils and drummed into their ears.
We know logically that it makes no sense to ingest synthetic-vitamin-induced cardboard chunks mixed with colorfully formatted sugar, but we still buy.
Behold the power of animated character-driven storytelling.
Our experience teaches us that this generation, with its access to billions of Lucky Charms-like messages via the internet, needs inoculation, needs protection, needs a way to combat the effects of massive, passive media consumption.
One strategy is take kids behind the curtain to see the levers and knobs visual influencers use to create “magically delicious”.
By learning the secrets of producing powerfully persuasive media, or at least trying to, kids will be disabused of the magic.
They step backstage and see what it takes to tell a story for the screen using sound and motion. They recognize that it is built with a purpose, that it is nuanced, that it takes smarts to do - indeed, it utilizes all the subjects they are learning in school.
This why we have spent years whittling down all the secret recipes of media persuasion into a framework for young digital natives and their non-film making mentors.
This is Powerful.
This is Relevant.
This is a Basic Literacy!
We can start as early as kindergarten(!) to sensitize kids to the media-saturated world around them via exploring/experimenting with the very strategies and creative techniques being used upon them.
We are thrilled to currently be influencing over 30,000 kids with this type of education. We are looking to turn that into 300,000,000.
Read the testimonials below from teachers and media specialists to hear real world benefits from media production and visual literacy education.
Then join us!
Bon Animate!
Joe Summerhays
Founder - Animating Kids | Animation Chefs
"Animating Kids has been a total game-changer for me and my students. Instead of stumbling through media production projects, I now have an entire system to follow. It's like having my own personal film school, even though I haven't been to film school. And the best part is, my students are loving it! They are constantly amazed by the things they are able to create, and it's been a great way to engage them in multidisciplinary learning processes." - Sarah, Media Specialist
"I never thought I'd be able to teach media production in my classroom, but Animating Kids has made it so easy. It's like having an entire film school disguised as fun stop motion experiments. My students are having a blast and learning so much at the same time. And with the pre-planned lessons and project-based learning model, I don't have to spend hours preparing for class. It's a win-win!" - Rachel, 4th Grade Teacher
"I am always on the lookout for new resources to help my students learn visual literacy and media production skills. Animating Kids has exceeded my expectations in every way. It's like giving my kids media-making superpowers! And at less than a dollar per student, it's an absolute steal. I'm trying to get my whole district to buy in!" - Michael, Middle School Science Teacher
"I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical. But after using the platform for a few months, I am a total convert. It has been a perfect fit, and the lessons and step-by -step video training have made it so easy to teach. Plus, with the scaffolded approach, I can easily customize the curriculum to meet the needs of my K-8 students. Animating Kids is a must-have for any media-savvy educator!" - Ryan, District Media Specialist
"My students are constantly coming up with creative ideas and bringing them to life. And with the great customer service and professional development resources, I've been able to improve my own media production skills to the point of looking like a genius to my students, their parents, and my admins!" - Emily, 3rd Grade Teacher
"Instead of winging it, I now have an entire system for teaching media skills to my K-8 students. And the best part is, my students are loving it! They are constantly amazed by the things they are able to create, and it's been a great way to engage them in the learning process." - Ed, Elementary Media Specialist
"Our school has been using Animating Kids for the past four years, and it has been a huge success. It is easy to use and allows for different levels of engagement for my media mavens. We have used the program for writing, reading and math lessons, and my students have loved sharing all the roles in creating new media projects!" - Alana, Middle School Media Director
"We have used this in our classroom as a way to teach sequencing, as well as a way to create and tell stories through still images and word balloons. I love that the program is simple for them to use, and there are so many options for me to be creative with the story telling process. - Katie, 1st Grade Teacher
"Animating Kids has changed the way I teach media production. I have been able to mix up film making skills with animation skills, social media skills, and communication skills for my students. It has enabled me to differentiate my lessons and made them fun for all of my students." Daykwan, High School After School Teacher
"A great program for students to learn the basics of filmmaking. It teaches them how to work as a team, how to be creative and how to express their ideas. I appreciate that it walks students through a step-by-step process to create a movie from start to finish." - Stephanie, Middle School Art Teacher
"Great practice in film making skills, including script writing, story boarding and animation. Allows teachers to create their own sequence of assignments. I add my own questions, videos and links to the mix to get my students brains spinning." - Kevin, High School Media Arts Lab Guru
"This platform offers an easy-to-use interface and great customer service. The students have loved working on animation projects and are always asking for more." - Janice, 6th Grade Teacher
"Animating Kids inspires creativity and confidence in a learning-by-doing environment. They are equipped to thrive!" Jeff, 4th Grade Teacher
"Animating Kids is a great way to get students excited about video production and allow them to learn skills they can transfer over to their off campus life. We don't have to force them to participate. They line up for these classes." - Bridgette, Middle School /High School Media Specialist
"It is all turn-key, out of the box ready (although there is no box!). Whether you are a film teacher, an art teacher, STEM teacher, or just someone who enjoys making films, the process is easier than you could possibly imagine until you see it in action. The Animation Chefs cooking show format is genius. " - Adrian, Site Administrator
"...so well thought out and easy to use. Our whole building is developing the skills and the confidence to tackle their own ideas. It actually assumes they are media savvy, yet refines their experience in a way that helps them to connect the need to stay organized with it's ability to help them amplify the quality of their films." - Ms. Tuttle, Principal
"When they internalize the concepts, any subject matter is game. They remember their movies forever. One student did a short animation on chemical catalysts in 3nd grade with straws and clay. In 6th grade they can rehearse the same concept, in detail, at the drop of a hat. Amazing impact! If there was only a way to make movies of all the subjects on standardized tests! They'd ace everything!" - Mr. Nelson, Principal
"...has a flow to it where I can see the big picture while we're working on any smaller piece. 1. It gives me the chance to supervise from the 30,000 foot level. 2. I can be the only adult in the room, because the kids are so engaged." - Mr Thoma, 4th Grade Teacher
"The way I see it, if you're not making movies when you're a kid, then you're doing something wrong. Animating Kids puts top-spin on empowering non-film making instructors to deliver the process." - Joe, Curriculum Specialist
"My students have been working on a stop-motion film since the beginning of the school year and they're definitely in love with Animating Kids. They always look at me with excitement, eager for me to see what they've created. I would definitely recommend Animating Kids to any teacher looking to engage students by using the medium they already swim in outside of school." - Amber, 7th Grade Teacher