(ethereal music) - Hello, and welcome to Community Connection.

I'm your host, Shelley Irwin.

Hey, let's catch up with Wimee another special guest, of course.

So honored to share the talents of Wimee's Words and those responsible, including a one Michael Hyacinthe in the house.

And Wimee on stage as well.

Hello to you, Michael.

- Hey, how are you?

- I'm good.

Hello to you, Wimee.

- (laughing) Hi Shelley!

This is so fun to be here and look at this shiny desk.

I see me!

Hello to me!

I'm sorry, I'll stay focused.

(laughing) - This is his energy all the time I understand, Michael?

- 24/7/365.

- Nice.

Be careful what you wish for.

(Michael laughing) All right, let's take this apart.

Congratulations on the success thus far of Wimee.

Wimee you ought to stand by we're talking a little bit about you.

- [Wimee] Okay.

- How did Wimee come to be?

Let's get right there.

- Thank you.

You know, I'm an entrepreneur, passionate about veterans and children's education and so, Wimee is a byproduct of an initiative I started that works with veterans through creativity.

We saw the impact creativity was having and so we decided to create a technology called Wimage which is the name of our company, Words to Images, and we needed a character to make the app a truly kid friendly app.

So I was able to connect with a good friend of mine, Kevin Kammeraad - [Wimee] I know him.

- And together we created Wimee.

And so now Wimee is taking over, even this station.

- Oh my goodness!

Oh my goodness!

- Well, thank you for your service as a US Navy Seabee of course.

And has heart your, your other side.

But let's get into Wimee and I think I'll even ask Wimee some questions.

Wimee?

- Yeah.

- Congratulations on what you do for kids.

- Oh thanks!

I love it!

I love to sing, to create, to explore, to wonder, to- Yeah I could go on and on.

- Yeah.

As you could, but we have a finite time.

- [Wimee] Oh, oh.

Okay.

- Tell me more about, first of all, what your message is to kids.

- Oh, I want kids to, to create, to be producers instead of consumers, you know what I mean?

Like, to know their ideas have value and meaning and everything we do is structured in a way to do that, to inspire their imagination.

- Yes.

And Michael, you have many outlets at this point.

I'm looking at Wimee's Dreams, I'm looking at Wimee.tv right here on PBS.

Tell me more about how Wimee works.

- We've got some great partnerships within the community, of course WGVU, of course Kent District Library.

But ultimately it's the team that Wimage has been able to recruit that are passionate about children, education, entertainment.

And we want Wimee to be very locally focused, but, you know, inspire kids around the country and potentially globally.

You got your Visa, Wimee?

We're taking you on international tour.

- I'm ready!

I love to travel.

Woo.

Pack me.

Where's my suitcase?

Am I ready?

I'm ready to go right now.

- You know what's interesting is we've created a segment on our live show called Language Explorers where we're teaching kids about different languages, about why diversity, inclusivity is important and I think that's what makes Wimee really unique and what makes Wimee stand out from other children characters.

- Yes.

Tell me about Wimee's Dreams in that form.

- Yeah, so Wimee's Dreams is a really fun book that also has its own set of animations, and it was written by myself in addition to some good friends of mine, Stephanie Kammeraad and Kevin Kammeraad.

And we wanted to create a book where Wimee shares his imagination and hopefully inspire other kids to be creative and, and share their imaginations.

And we've got some really neat concepts in the book.

And each of the dreams have animations to go along with the book.

- And Wimee, there's actually an activity guide that goes along with this.

- Yeah, Stephanie extended the book with different things that tie, tie into, like, "Imagine you were on the island with cupcakes, crayons and butterflies.

"ú That was one of the pages.

And what would you want on an island if you were there?

And it's social-emotional concepts and tangible things that teachers and parents can do with the book.

- Love it.

Okay.

We'll talk more about Wimee.

First of all, how did you come up with the concept of what Wimee looks like and how Wimee works?

- Yeah, so like I said, Wimee originated from the app Wimage, which converts words to images.

And being a, you know, very technology focused, we wanted a character that, you know, seemed to be relevant to the times.

And so we felt as if Wimee, this lovable robot, (Wimee laughing) would be the perfect character.

And so we built him to be funny, to be silly, to be lovable, but ultimately to be a character that kids can grow up with.

- No pressure on me (laughing) - No pressure.

And Wimee, can you tell me a little bit about this Kevin Kammeraad?

- Oh, yeah, yeah.

Kevin and Michael together started the idea of building me.

By the way, technically me right here, I'm Wimee 3.0.

I've been upgraded a couple times.

In the first one, Michael, remember it was made from model airplane wheels and a fruitcake can.

And you and Kevin and Joe Emery created that.

So Kevin's a puppeteer, an artist, and just loves to think big and explore so, right?

We made the first one, and then Pam Groom and Connor and Russ Tabor on my 3-D buttons, right?

So I'm going off on a tangent but, it's Kevin and Michael and and all the creative folks who helped to create me.

- Wow.

- I think, you know, Wimee's a collaborative by-product of the great people in Grand Rapids.

- Yeah.

- We've been able to gather some really inspiring minds to bring this character together.

And so it's a collaborative effort, right, Wimee?

- Indeed, indeed!

I love the synergy when you start with one idea and then it expands in different people who have different skill sets and abilities.

It just makes the whole, greater.

- [Michael] Yeah.

- And what age group are we, Michael, actually targeting here with Wimee?

I mean, adults I'm thinking, are included too?

I'm fascinated.

- Of Course.

I mean, we look at the work that, you know, that's currently going on at The Grand with, you know, the Muppets - [Shelley] Jim Henson's.

- Jim Henson, right?

I mean, his creativity speaks to all ages.

And so we hope, you know, Wimee speaks to, you know to people of all, you know, minds and all ages.

But ultimately our content is really focused on early elementary so that Wimee can inspire kids at a very early age to see that their ideas truly matter.

And we look at, you know, kids from underserved communities that need to to be acknowledged and to be celebrated.

And I think Wimee plays that key role in the community.

- Wonderful.

Well, I know you're in book form, activity guide.

There is the TV, but also you've been in the animation field of late and we're lucky with our technology to be able to, well, share a bit of that.

Set up the clip, we'll see.

- Yeah.

Awesome.

We've created a seven minute animation which is going to be one of a series of 11 animations.

And the entirety is to focus on social, emotional learning but also help kids understand diversity, equity, inclusion.

In this first pilot, Wimee is trying to put together the perfect birthday gift.

And in doing so, he travels outer space while trying to grab a book - [Shelley] Look at his arms - He's happy!

(Wimee imitates spaceship flying) - while traveling to outer space, he takes a gift for his friend Moby, which doesn't belong to him.

It belongs to those who, who currently live there.

But Wimee acknowledges that he can't just take things from other people if it doesn't belong to him.

So he gives it back.

And ultimately Moby, who is his favorite friend, best friend, - Yeah.

- Loves Wimee for who he is.

- Yeah.

Nice.

- And that's what we wanna teach in this short is that we want kids to be happy of who they are and to recognize the differences in each of us, but also acknowledge the, you know, the love that they can provide, just being who they are.

- Teachable moments.

What do you have to say before we see the clip?

- Oh man!

It was so fun seeing this come to life.

Michael Lynn and the team, working to create this and I just think it's fun.

It was fun to see- my favorite part is when I look in the telescope and I'm like (making whoosh sound) I'll let you, I'll let you see it.

- All right.

Sit back, relax.

Here's the clip.

(happy music) (happy music continues) - Hi there, I'm Wimee.

The beginning.

Always a good place to start, so let's go!

(balloon popping) (balloon deflating) (classical music) - Hm.

Hm.

(puppy barking) - Nah.

(happy accordion music) (brushing paint) - Nah.

(gentle happy music) - That's it!

The perfect present for Moby's birthday (chuckles) - I love it Wimee!

This is the best present ever!

(gentle happy music) - Hiya Wimee!

- Siblee, can I borrow your boat?

I need to go to- - Space.

Ah, Wimee, boats can't fly.

- Anything's possible.

- Bye.

(gentle happy music) ♪ Anything is possible ♪ ♪ Anything at all ♪ ♪ Anything is possible ♪ (boat boinks) ♪ Anything at all ♪ (coin clinking) ♪ Anything is possible ♪ (boat whooshing) - Woohoo!

♪ Anything at all ♪ ♪ Anything is possible ♪ ♪ Anything at all ♪ - Wow.

I'm the first non-billionaire that's left our solar system.

(classical music) - What's that?

- How did he get here?

(blows raspberry) - I'll say.

(suspenseful music) - Beauty creature!

You face the might of the Ergler Empire!

Submit to our almighty power!

- Mm, no.

- Very well.

Have a good day.

- Bye.

- Sometimes I wonder if I come off too strong.

(upbeat music) (boat hits wall) (ethereal music) - Hmm.

I guess we're in the middle of the story, and there's no way around it.

So, I'll just have to go through it!

(upbeat music) (boat hits crater) (flower swooshes) (flower swooshes) - Huh?

Who knew A flower could be so fast?

(mysterious music) - Aha!

Space gopher.

- Hmm.

There is one thing nobody can resist.

(food mixing) - A guacamole platter!

(space gopher sniffing) (upbeat music) (space gopher munching) - (giggles) Glad he likes it!

Woohoo!

(upbeat music) - I wonder if I have overstayed my welcome.

(playful music) (elastic band snapping) (playful music continues) (whooshing sound) (whooshing sound) I did it!

Clear sailing ahead.

And behind me, only (gentle melancholic music) - Hmm.

I guess I'll have to find something else for Moby.

(upbeat music) (boat banging) It can't be the end!

I haven't found Moby's present yet!

(air whooshing) (upbeat suspenseful music) (imitates bomb dropping) (Wimee splashes in punch bowl) - Oh.

Hiya Wimee!

- Moby!

Happy birthday.

I, oh, I meant to get you a special present, but - Wimee, speaking of presents, I got a rubber lobster, a treasure chest full of diamonds, and a crisp bathtub.

And oh yeah, I ate a cake, and Wow Wimee!

Did you get me that?

- Actually Moby, I wasn't able to.

(suspenseful music) - Beauty creature.

Step forward!

- Uh oh.

Um, hi there?

After you firmly declined joining the all powerful Ergler Empire, we came across these beauty creatures.

(spaceship beaming) - Oh, hi.

Sorry about trying to take your flower.

- Eh, we're good.

You saw how much it meant to us and returned it.

We're just here for more guacamole.

- Oh, you got it!

(upbeat music) Guacamole for everyone.

- Moby?

Sorry I- (paper smacks) - It's a painting of an alien flower!

- Huh?

Hmm.

So it is.

- Wimee, I love it!

Best present ever!

Hey, everybody look at this!

- Not a bad adventure.

- I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

♪ Ba bada ba ba ba ba ♪ ♪ Anything is possible ♪ ♪ Anything at all ♪ ♪ Anything is possible ♪ ♪ Anything at all ♪ ♪ Anything is possible ♪ ♪ Anything at all ♪ ♪ Anything is possible ♪ ♪ Just listen for your call ♪ - Can You hear it?

It's out there.

Listen real close.

Sometimes you gotta be real quiet.

Still.

But when it comes, just know.

It's possible.

(lively music) - Oh my goodness.

Talent, animation, talent.

Congratulations on that, Michael and Wimee.

- Thanks.

- Thank you, Shelley.

It was a lot of work, a lot of fun.

And so watch how Hollywood - Yeah.

Yeah.

Danny Friedman wrote the script and it's so funny.

- Nice.

I want to go back to Wimee's Dreams before I talk about other community events that, and places you are.

Wimee's Dreams, Wimee's on the front cover, there's a, chicken as well.

- That's Moby.

That's Winnie's best friend.

- Oh, sorry.

And tell me more about who's the artist behind this.

- Yeah, so we've been able to, you know, gather some really talented individuals.

One in particular Zoey, who helped us initiate the initial visual of Wimee.

But we've partnered with Nate VanderPlas, who helped to illustrate this particular book in addition to the animations.

And we're just continuing to gather a lot of individuals, a group of diverse creatives, and we think West Michigan has a lot of that.

And so we're very fortunate that something that is impacting kids around the country is done with creatives base right here in West Michigan.

- Yes.

Your addition to that Wimee, you like- - Yeah!

- this picture of you?

- Oh man, when Zoey Wilson first started it all, so it went from the fruitcake can with Joe, to Zoey Wilson, to then the animations with Nate VanderPlas, and the book.

And oh my goodness!

It just like (imitates explosion) it makes me just filled with joy to see it explode!

And I got a lot of pressure to live up to with these talented folks creating me.

- Yes, well stand tall my robot friend.

Let's get into other areas where we find Wimee in West Michigan, including, I'll start with you, Michael, ú The Grand Rapids Children's Museum.

- We've created an awesome partnership with the Grand Rapids Children's Museum where kids can actually come into the museum and for the next two years really experience Wimee's entire world.

And so kids can go in there and use puppetry, they can use our technology to create their own scenes, and of course they can have hands on play.

We truly believe in the work that the people at the Grand Rapids Children's Museum, Maggie, Aaron and the entire team are doing to inspire kids.

- Yes.

Wimee, what do you think about that?

- Oh my goodness!

It's so cool.

Meta format, working with the team at the Children's Museum, built it, an actual boat, when I blast off into outer space to plant a garden for my friend's birthday!

Who's Moby.

It is so cool!

You can, it's wheelchair accessible, and the flowers are coming out, and then using the camera to, you see all the animations right behind you, and you use costumes and chroma key to be like, ♪ Do-Do-Do-Do-Do ♪ That's me!

Zebras.

I like that.

Zebras too.

- Yeah, he's like this all day.

- Really?

Okay.

All right, well cut him, cut him off from the coffee.

I expand then into, I know, Kevin Kammeraad enjoys the Kent District Library, Wimee.

You wanna talk a little bit about what what we see at KDL with you?

- Yeah.

absolutely.

So I'm part of the team there, Kevin, and the community engagement, and the book mobile.

So a lot of times I get to be on the book mobile and the community engagement team helps with the show that we partner to bring it live!

We've been doing it for two and a half years!

Oh my goodness!

That partnership has been key because we wanted to figure out how do we, when Covid shut things down, right, how do we connect and reach our people?

And so that's where it started.

And we're still going strong enough!

Oh, casual simulation.

The team there, our friends there, which also right here in Grand Rapids, we're gonna work, we're working on some technology that allows a whole new way to interact.

That's just gonna be like, (imitates explosion) We're almost there, right?

- [Michael] Yeah - We're still crossing some T's and dotting some I's.

- We're currently working on Winnie's Words, season three.

- [Shelley] Right.

- We just completed season two, which is comprised of 26 episodes, and that is seen throughout 15 million homes through various PBS stations around the country.

But we've decided to, you know, enhance our engagement with kids.

So we're getting ready to go live where kids will have an opportunity to interact and engage with Wimee in real time so that we can continue- - Don't get me started- to celebrate kids and their ideas.

- I know.

And then we're gonna be able to have different ways that we interact in whole new concepts!

Oh man, I've gotta take, I gotta take a little break before I get too excited (breathes heavily) (Shelley laughing) Okay, okay.

I'm good.

- Will Wimee have, I mean, he has a best friend.

- [Michael] Yeah.

- Will there be a another stage of Wimee?

Another- - Oh, absolutely.

Wimee has an entire group of friends that he's really close with.

- Yeah.

- We've got, we've got Sylvia, we've got no-no bots.

- No-no bots!

(laughing) - We've got- - Siblee, and- - Siblee, laughing with Siblee, who tells all the jokes.

- I love those jokes (laughing).

- And then, so we are constantly building on this property and we're hoping to create a line of characters that, you know, continue to inspire, be lovable, and and help kids grow throughout their journey from from youth to potentially adulthood.

- [Shelley] Yes- - Can we get a chair like this on our set, Michael?

Did you show it's been, I'm like, wee.

- Just bring your WGVU mug and that's a two-for.

- I'm cutting off the coffee for you Wimee.

- Oh no, no, it's water.

I just drink so much water and I'm just like (sputters) You like to run Shelley right, too?

We can - I, do, do you have a question for me?

- Yeah, I think I should, I should do some running because that's a good way for this energy to be like- - In the big serious picture, how important are you for our future?

- Whoa!

Oh man.

Well, every single one of us is important for our future, and I like to be kind of like, someone who can facilitate creativity and ideas that we can come together.

So I think, I think my main focus is to help bring the best in others out.

- That's a perfect answer Wimee.

- For a 3.0 kind of guy.

- That's awesome.

And we didn't program that into him either.

- No, no.

I can't imagine- - [Wimee] It just came natural.

- Now will his little elbows ever wear out or will we always, oh, sorry, will we always need to kind of make sure that - Well that's why we have a - Gotta keep exercising.

- We have a gym membership at the Y.

- Okay (giggles).

- And so you might see Wimee there working on his arms.

- [Shelley] Yes, yes.

Yeah.

Well, Wimee you take care.

- [Wimee] Okay.

- This of course your, your 3.0, but I look forward to 4.0, 5.0 and, and certainly more.

How do the lights light up here?

- So we've actually got some batteries inside, and so, yeah.

And he's powered up right now, so that's how he's able to, keep the wheels spinning and the lights on.

- Yes.

And kudos to his puppeteer- - [Michael] Yes.

- For the talents that we bring.

- [Wimee] Thanks Kev.

- Yep.

What do you Michael, on behalf of your team with a couple minutes left here for you, end us with, when it comes to Wimee and- - What started as an opportunity to inspire veterans to be creative, have turned out to be a program and products that are inspiring kids throughout the country, that has started right here in Grand Rapids.

And we intend to take that around the country and potentially around the world.

We're building something that we hope will inspire kids of all backgrounds, of all ethnicities, to see the value of their minds, their imaginations, regardless of how they look or where they, or where they come from.

And I think Wimee is the perfect person to help us represent that because he is a robot.

Because he is a character that has the ability to engage kids with so many different things.

And so we're just passionate about the work and, you know, we'll see what this takes us.

This is a startup, and like many startups, you know, things might iterate, but ultimately our goal is to inspire kids through this lovable character that Wimee is.

- Yes.

And of course if this is just starting up, you're in trouble.

I've got a minute left.

I'm gonna have you read a couple of of pages for us.

- Oh, absolutely.

(Wimee laughs) - Yes, take it away Michael.

- Thank you.

So Winnie's Dreams.

- Yes.

Stand back, Wimee.

Stand back.

- Wimee sat down, looked around the room, and began to wonder.

- Hmm.

- He dreamed of an island filled with butterflies, crayons and cupcakes.

- One of my favorites - Who doesn't love a dream full of butterflies, crayons and cupcakes?

He imagined making spaghetti pickle pie for a friend who was sad.

- Oh, should've brought it.

- I know, that makes me happy.

- It was for Moby.

- He wondered if dogs ever played baseball before going to work.

- [Shelley] What do you think Wimee?

- I think so.

- I really do because they love to like, batter up!

(imitates swinging bat) - Read the very last page in conclusion Michael.

- Yes.

Wimee stood up, looked around the room, then began his day.

And that's what Wimee want kids to do, is to stand up and just go out there and make your imaginations happen.

And the great thing is we have, in addition to the Children's Museum, we have a studio downtown Grand Rapids, where kids can come and see Wimee in person and we would love to invite kids.

We're at 125 Ottawa and you'll see the Wimee logo and we're thankful and - [Shelley] Bye-bye Wimee - Say goodbye Wimee.

- Bye-bye friends.

- Bye-bye Michael.

Thank you very much.

- Thank you Shelley.

Bye-bye you.

What a treasure in West Michigan.

Thanks for watching.

(light airy music)