OAK9 Entertainment Launches ‘Stomp! Stomp! Rhinos!’
For Lithuanian animation company OAK9 Entertainment, there is a clear purpose behind its new animation. How can young children learn to manage their emotions and how can parents use different techniques and tips to support them?
The Covid-19 pandemic caused major disruption to people’s lives, and the impact on children’s mental health is still being felt.
After several months of investigation and development – which involved speaking to parents, clinical psychologists and cognitive behavior psychotherapists – “Stomp! Stomp! Rhinos!” was created by clinical psychologist Rugile Kazlauskienė, along with art therapist Vytautas Tautkevičius and producer Mindaugas Jokubaitis.
“Stomp! Stomp! Rhinos!” season one's central topic is anger. It was chosen because research and professional experience shows that it’s one of the most challenging emotions in preschoolers and their parents. Season one runs across 13 seven-minute episodes and helps children and their families learn how to normalize and relieve “big” emotions by showcasing tips that can be incorporated into everyday family life.
Little Rhinos show 13 emotional regulation techniques across season one of "Stomp! Stomp! Rhinos!.“
The series focuses on the Rhino family – a mother and father and their three children Noah, 7, and 4-year-old twins Ela and Ron, along with their pet tortoise Bobo. The family live in a cozy, two-story home and the children love to play in the slightly overgrown garden and make the blueberry muffins they love eating.
All rhinos share one particular trait – they are quick to get angry. When something frustrating happens, they tend to impulsively feel anger.
It’s normal for young children to feel angry and frustrated when things don’t go their way, but how can we help them manage their emotions?
Other techniques used in the series include mindful returning to the here and now, sensory techniques, physical exertion techniques, drawing your emotions and much more. Psychologist worked really hard to include various types of evidence-based emotion regulation techniques and to show them in the way that's attractive to children.
“We believe we have created a program that is both entertaining and educational. We are teaching to recognize and name variety of emotions, like jealousy, disappointment and loneliness. Furthermore, we are teaching [children how] to regulate it. According to research, emotional recognition and emotional regulation are two essential parts of building emotional intelligence in small children,“ says Kazlauskienė.
“Also, we really wanted that 'Stomp! Stomp! Rhinos!' would inspire the audience for fun activities that they could do at home. That's why in every episode rhinos do some original and educational activity or game,” adds Tautkevičius.
ABOUT OAK9
OAK9 is an intellectual property development company that produces and animates at the same time, while collaborating with other people and companies to get the best ideas. The company was founded in 2011, originally focusing on outsourcing in games and animation before recently moving into original IP.
“Stomp! Stomp! Rhinos!,” which has been shot in 2D with a 3D special in the making, is OAK9’s biggest creative project to date.
The company is currently looking for broadcasters or streamers to air the show. The aim is to sell “Stomp! Stomp! Rhinos!” to broadcasters for licensing worldwide in merchandising categories such as educational toys that teach about emotions.
OAK9 will look to extend “Stomp! Stomp! Rhinos!” to at least three to five seasons, and to develop the characters and their stories.
“This is an exciting time for both OAK9 Entertainment and Lithuania's film scene,” says Jokubaitis. “Ideally it will be watched by a worldwide audience and parents can see the benefit for them from an educational perspective. Parents we’ve spoken to say anger management is an important issue and there is no series currently addressing it effectively. We hope to change that and ultimately make children’s and parents' lives happier.
“Lithuania is a bit of a hidden gem, and most artists are self-taught. It is my goal to continue to give back and help fellow Lithuanians enter the animation industry,” adds Jokubaitis.
Full episodes of season one of “Stomp! Stomp! Rhinos!“ will be available during MIPJr screenings and at additional fall markets. The first season will launch in 2024; while production also begins on season two. Visit OAK9 Entertainment's website to find out more.