About Donkey Hodie

Donkey Hodie is a puppet series for children ages 3 to 5 inspired by the quirky, funny side of Fred Rogers as well as his mission to help young viewers navigate the frustrations and challenges of childhood. Through eleven-minute, character-driven stories full of adventure and imagination, Donkey Hodie and her pals empower young viewers to dream big and overcome obstacles in their own lives! To work hard and persevere in the face of failure! To be resourceful and discover that they are capable of solving problems on their own! Oh, and to laugh themselves silly along the way!

The learning goals for Donkey Hodie focus on self-regulation and executive function skills, with an emphasis on resilience, persistence, and problem solving. Capitalizing on the whimsical qualities of Someplace Else and its neighbors, the characters model ways to think about creative solutions to problems, which will, in turn, help our viewers as they tackle problem solving in their everyday lives. The show will encourage kids to face fears and challenge with positivity, practice kindness, and enjoy the success that comes from trying hard and doing their best.

In each episode characters will:

• Set a goal and restate it;
• Encounter a dilemma or challenge;
• Think about solutions and try them out;
• Experience failure or disappointment;
• Persist when encountering failure; and,
• Ask for or accept help when needed.

Modeling this problem-solving process for children — and demonstrating the importance of setting goals and planning in order to move forward — will help them as they set their own goals. Throughout episodes, Donkey will be praised not only for her quick thinking and success in her problem-solving process, but also for her effort in getting to a solution – such as the ways she handles disappointment or failure, and her ability to ask for help when she needs it.