Canadian animation studio Mercury Filmworks has partnered with French co-production company Stim Studio for its animated preschool series, Octicorn & Friends. The series, consisting of 52 episodes, is based on the book Hello, My Name is Octicorn by Justin Lowe and Kevin Diller, initially published by Amazon in 2016. The story follows Octi, a character who is half-octopus and half-unicorn, as he embarks on a journey to build his self-confidence and find his place in the world. Each episode features Octi and his friends experiencing an adventure that uncovers a specific emotion, which they then explore and learn coping mechanisms to deal with. Millennial parents are raising their kids at a time when mental wellness help and information is more accessible than ever before and while there’s widespread concern for their children’s mental health, YPulse data shows 81% of parents agree: “My children have more access to mental health resources than I did at that age.” (Kidscreen)
