Mom’s Choice Awards is excited to announce another post in our interview series where we chat with the inventors, designers, publishers, and others behind some of our favorite family-friendly products.

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Hello, Mom’s Choice readers! We were delighted to get the opportunity to speak with Ani Poghosyan, COO & Producer of the award-winning show, The Incredible Stories of Bimi Boo and Friends! The series has the goal of inspiring children to discover how the world works, find their unique passions, and teach them that you can do great things no matter how tiny you might be. For the curious and easily-excited puppy, Bimi Boo the world is an incredible place with so much to do and learn. There is nothing out there that Bimi Boo can’t probe, interact with or explore. The Incredible Stories of Bimi Boo and Friends is one of five Bimi Boo products that has won an MCA. The other Bimi Boo award-winners include Wooden Shape Sorting Box, Wooden Chunky Dino Puzzle, Wooden Stacking Tower, and Kids games – Bimi Boo Academy! Keep reading to find out more about Ani and her award-winning series, The Incredible Stories of Bimi Boo and Friends!

MCA: Hi Ani, thank you so much for joining us! The Incredible Stories of Bimi Boo and Friends is such a fun and educational series that covers topics such as dance, astronomy, aerodynamics, the environment, art, physics, biology, and so on. The series also teaches its young viewers important lessons about friendship and kindness. It really is an amazing series, congratulations! Can we first start the interview by finding out a bit about yourself?

Ani: I’m a mom, an advocate for children’s rights and for kids with autism. I have an MA in Human Rights Studies from Columbia University, concentrating on Children’s Rights and Informal Education. I researched and still explore methods on how to use media, entertainment, and creative mediums for educating children about their rights, reinforcing their sense of agency and self-actualization. I strongly believe we tend to underestimate children, their capabilities, ideas, and resilience. If given the right tools children can figure out their own path, tell right from wrong, and embark on self-learning. I joined Bimi Boo in 2019 and have been at the onset of the establishment of the Cartoons Division at Bimi Boo and the creation of our series “The incredible Stories of Bimi Boo and Friends.”. I love telling stories because stories really are the most powerful ways to bring about change, to influence, and inspire. I love to accompany my daughter in her quest in learning about the world, observe her pattern of curiosity, and dig deeper alongside her. We both love art, creating something new, and building forts with fairy lights.

MCA: Our own children can sometimes be the best source of inspiration! What needs were you trying to fill when you created The Incredible Stories of Bimi Boo and Friends?

Ani: We wanted kids to explore on their own, to ask questions, and be forever inspired about the many possibilities of the world. We believe that good cartoons make you want to stay home, but great cartoons should inspire to roam. Kids learn when they touch, feel, see and try for themselves.
Since the series really explores a wide range of topics, it is a great opportunity for parents to watch with their kids and learn what really makes their kid tick, what their new passion and interest in and to give them tools to delve deeper into a certain topic.

We wanted to create a show that would appeal to kids and adults alike because we believe that the best way to learn about the world is by having fun.

We wanted the show to be educational, but not in a boring way. We wanted it to inspire kids to venture into the world curiously, not to be afraid of asking questions, to find their authentic voice, to explore, to figure out their unique passions, teaching them that you can do great things no matter how tiny you may be.

MCA: Well I think it’s safe to say you’ve accomplished that goal, The Incredible Stories of Bimi Boo and Friends is both entertaining and very educational for young viewers! Tell us about some of the episodes and lessons that can be found within them!

Ani: Our series tackles difficult subjects in an easy-to-understand manner, teaching everything from dance and art to physics and biology, as well as important lessons on friendship and kindness.
Each episode features a different subject. It’s about letting children explore their world through the eyes of their favorite characters who are always up for new adventures.

It’s hard to pick a favorite episode since each has something unique and fun to offer. Right now at the top of my head, I would mention “The History of Favorite Things” episode where Bimi learns about the origins of his favorite drink – cocoa. And then all of his friends learn the history of their favorite things too.

There is also “Maggie’s Story Time”, which is a very colorful and exciting episode. Maggie is an adult figure in the show, she loves reading stories to Bimi Boo and his friends. And in the episode, Alex and Rudy (mischievous twins) ruin Maggie’s book during story time so it’s up to the friends to use their imagination and create a whole new fairytale. So the episode will teach kids the power of imagination and creativity.

All the episodes really do have some practical knowledge about the world, science or arts, engineering, and whatnot. However, the biggest lessons offered, I believe, are the ones about the need for community, the importance of staying consistent in reaching your goals, hard work, offering cues to children on how to manage their emotions, how to recognize and celebrate differences, staying positive, mending relationships and learning from all of our mistakes.

MCA: How are The Incredible Stories of Bimi Boo and Friends so beneficial and important for young children?

Ani: The series is very beneficial and important for young children.

The stories have a positive message that teaches children the importance of friendship, being kind to others, and accepting people’s differences.

The episodes are short, only 5 mins long, which makes them ideal for young children and their parents to help control screen time.

The stories are based around kids’ interests. The Bimi Boo series is built on the interests and fascinations of modern children.

We’ve utilized the methodologies of leading child development experts, educators and psychologists such as Maria Montessori, Rudolph Steiner, John Dewey, Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget, and Lev Vygotsky.

In a nutshell, children will get to learn different things, yes. But really, the biggest benefit would be creating a pattern of curiosity and independent learning. When children find out that they can explore and learn on their own, a wide range of new possibilities emerge. They develop habits that will aid them throughout their life.

MCA: What are some of the distinguishing features of the series from the competitors?

Ani: We imitate children’s play patterns because we have studied these patterns from the very beginning of our company, whether we build apps or wooden toys. We know how children learn from playing and how they interact with a toy, a game, and the world overall. We don’t hold ourselves back in giving children more and try not to limit them, so we offer them a wider range of topics and introduce them to things that will seem difficult at first but are put forward in an easy-to-understand manner.

The series is a great way to inspire children about the natural world and demonstrate diversity. As mentioned already, it’s perfect for co-viewing, since it will encourage parents and kids to spend more quality time together. Also, the episodes are conveniently 5 mins long which can help to control the screen time.

We’re glad to know that parents also enjoy watching the show; they don’t get bored. And let’s be honest, some kids’ shows can become a bit annoying for adults. With the Bimi Boo series kids and parents will get aesthetic pleasure and the excitement of Bimi and his friends’ adventures.

Also, the show is not overstimulating, and the 3d graphic is soft and enjoyable because we don’t use very bright colors and fast-paced scene cuts and changes.

The show is filled with educational songs for little ones. The songs can become a part of your kids’ routine – they are available on youtube and major music streaming platforms.

One more benefit of the show is that more than 100 m kids around the world already know Bimi Boo and his friends. We have 17 educational apps for kids, all of which are educational and fun for the little ones. So watching their favorite heroes going on adventures take education to the next level.

MCA: What has the response been like from viewers?

Ani: We’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback from parents about our series. Adults love it as much as kids do. Some parents use the show to learn more about their kid’s interests, some to get some me-time, and others just to have quality time as a family.

We’re thrilled that so many people are enjoying our show! We know how important it is for families to spend quality time together, and we want to make sure that everyone has a chance to enjoy the same experiences we had growing up.

We’ve had parents tell us that their kids have become way more curious about things that they already were slightly curious about, whether it was dinosaurs, space or art. But also heard from parents that their child has developed a whole new interest that they had no idea that their child would like, such as a love for sea animals, building things or aerodynamics! This is exactly what we hoped to achieve.

MCA: What is next for The Incredible Stories of Bimi Boo and Friends?

Ani: I’m so excited to announce that we have started production on the second season of our show! The first season is nearing completion and we are currently negotiating with major streaming companies and linear television networks to place the cartoon on their platforms. We hope this way more kids will enjoy watching the adventures of Bimi Boo and his friends as they explore the world around them.

We are trying to take Bimi out into the wider world, to new cultures, countries, and people. We are trying to create a new season where Bimi Boo will travel and develop an appreciation of how colorful and wide the world is, creating an international feel. Bimi Boo will make new friends and teach kids that the world is not just your town/city/village and that there are kids everywhere, that are very different from you but also very similar.

MCA: We love that vision, and we cannot wait to see it come to life, please be sure to keep it posted on its release! 

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You can learn more about Ani Poghosyan and her award-winning book, The Incredible Stories of Bimi Boo and Friends by visiting her MCA Shop pages.