The creators of Doug, JoJo's Circus, Stanley, PB&J Otter, Allegra's Window, and other well-known character-based educational programming for children recently expanded their horizons with the October 2004 release of HoopDogz.
HoopDogz follows the life of a 9-year-old pup named V.J. Bumpus who lives in the small urban neighborhood of Wobble Hill with his mother, Yorleen, and his baby brother, Hudney. V.J. spends most of his time with his two best friends — Weiner, who is flighty, and Trina, who is level-headed. The three share a passion for basketball and enjoy shooting hoops with their pals behind the local HoopDogz Diner, home of the world's first circular hotdog.
V.J.'s Grandpa Moe, who operates the diner, keeps an eye on the pups as their real-life experiences teach them biblical truths based on the Ten Commandments.
In addition to following V.J. and his friends, the series features local television personalities Chad Dimple and Rebecca Ruth St. Ester Eve who, as described by the series creators, “haplessly host a cable show promoting super family values. Unfortunately, the couple usually gets the message totally wrong” — prompting HoopDogz to the rescue.
God Good, Idols Bad
The first lesson learned by Chad Dimple and Rebecca Ruth St. Ester Eve alongside V.J. and his friends focuses on the Second Commandment, which is presented in the series' first episode titled, “God Good, Idols Bad.”
The episode opens with the concert of music idol Mad Doggy Dog. V.J. and Weiner are seen bowing down to the rock star as he performs on television. V.J. spends all of his saved allowance to buy a Mad Doggy Dog action figure, leaving him no money to buy his mother a birthday present.
V.J. values the figurine as a prized possession and decides it would be even more perfect if adorned with a personal autograph from Mad Doggy Dog.
So V.J., Weiner, and Trina go to the local Wobble Hill venue where Mad Doggy Dog is performing in concert and do all they can to get an autograph. After a failed attempt, the dogs are allowed in Mad Doggy Dog's dressing room where they anxiously await his return only to find that he is nothing more than a fake.
“I was worried about a great big phony, and I ignored the person I cared about most,” V.J. says after forgoing his mother's surprise birthday party in order to get Mad Dog's autograph.
Chad Dimple and Rebecca Ruth St. Ester Eve learn the same lesson after attempting to sell statues of their own heads as a reminder not to have idols. Trina sets them straight, and everyone learns the importance of only worshipping the one true God.
As a conclusion to the episode, V.J. and the Wobble Hill gang are very straightforward in their message of the Ten Commandments and present a biblical account directly from Exodus.
“God loves people so much He gave some basic rules to keep us safe and live good, happy lives,” Grandpa Moe says. “When we have the one true God in our lives, there is no need for man-made substitutes.”
A Parental Perspective
It is the candid scriptural presentation of the Ten Commandments that appeals the most to Kari Robertson, mother of two boys, ages two and four. “I think the cartoon has a strong message, and I like the idea of teaching the Ten Commandments,” Robertson said.
She also liked how practical examples of modern-day idols such as cars, cell phones, and televisions were presented. “I would definitely consider buying it and the episodes to follow,” Robertson said. “I would also encourage other parents to buy it for their children.”
The only drawback Robertson identified through viewing the first episode was that the content may be too in-depth for her young children to comprehend. While they were entertained through the sports-oriented Bible-teaching approach, she is not certain her sons understood the meaning of false gods.
However, this should not discourage parents from purchasing the video series that has a target audience of four- to eight-year-olds.
“We want to capture people and make them laugh and be entertained so you can create an environment to show them a path or content,” explained co-creator Jim Jinkins.
“You grab the kids because it’s funny and action-packed, and it deals with issues they're interested in, and then you slip them a lesson,” co-creator David Campbell added. “We often say that's the way Jesus instructed people with stories.
Both Jinkins and Campbell agree: If the show is not entertaining, children will not watch it.
While entertainment is a critical component to successful children's programming, so is parental approval.
“And if we entertain parents along the way, it's not just a 'bonus,'” Campbell explained. “It's intentional. We want to provide the whole family perspective in a voice contemporary enough to appeal to the modern generation.”
Moral Beginnings
The duo's character-based approach was decided in the beginnings of their partnership about 15 years ago. “We started with making Doug, and from the moment that started, the mission was to tell stories that have a moral center,” Jinkins explained.
Through the years, Jinkins and Campbell have created programs that entertain, educate, and impart positive values.
“They're the kind of shows that parents and moms, in particular, are happy their kids are watching as opposed to some other kinds of shows that they either ban their kids from watching or they nervously allow them to watch,” Campbell explained.
The Next Level
With HoopDogz, Campbell and Jinkins are taking their initiative one step further by adding a biblical foundation to the positive values already imparted through their well-known shows.
“With this new content, [such as] HoopDogz and some other stuff we're working on, this goes to that next level where we really can talk about God and give Him credit and really try to take things like the Ten Commandments, which are really dusty, and make them relevant to a kid today,” Jinkins said.
“While we love what we've been doing through secular television, our mission and vision has always been to help today's kids understand biblical truths in a way that is entertaining, funny, and never too preachy,” Jinkins explained.
“With Doug, in particular, but with all the shows we've made, it's given us a reputation world-wide for a certain kind of show,” he added. “So to be able to take that and now move it into this new area, it's kind of a cool entry point.”
Together, Campbell and Jinkins entered the world of children's programming after meeting and becoming friends at a local church in Manhattan. At the time, Campbell was involved in theater and Jinkins in children's television. The two men put their talents together and soon founded Jumbo Pictures.
After the creation of several successful programs under Jumbo Pictures, the pair sold the production company, parted ways as its managers, and formed their present animation company, Cartoon Pizza, Inc., in 2001.
Campbell and Jinkins' overall goal is “to build a brand out of Cartoon Pizza that becomes a name, a destination for families,” Jinkins explained.
And they are doing just that one step at a time beginning with HoopDogz, which they intend to use as a tool for developing the Ten Commandments into an aspect of life that becomes relevant for all Christians — children and adults alike.
“I just think that when you look at a story, you just try to make it like a modern-day parable,” Jinkins explained. “You are using a contemporary voice to the characters, and the problems are based in real stuff.”
In addition to presenting a relevant message, the duo would like to see the HoopDogz characters become popular and the series move forward to encompass the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount, and the Fruits of the Spirit.
But for now, they are specifically focusing on the grassroots marketing of HoopDogz, which includes planning a tour to increase audience awareness. The tour is still in the making, but is intended to stop at a variety of venues such as minor league baseball games, contemporary Christian music concerts, summer camps, and churches, among other locations.
In addition, the second episode of HoopDogz, titled “Stealing's Uncool,” will hit Christian bookstores in April 2005. The third episode is set to release in the fall, resulting in two releases per year.
Editor's Note: The creators of HoopDogz offered the following disclaimer regarding a recent report: “We at Cartoon Pizza, while creators of the series Stanley and JoJo's Circus, merely produce them for Disney Channel, and do not have final control over the end uses of the programs. We, therefore, were not consulted regarding their inclusion in the We Are Family video, and did not have any involvement with that decision.” — David Campbell and Jim Jinkins.
(This article courtesy of Agape Press).
