Latest news with #Tedology
West Australian
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Sesame Street: Why ‘engaging' kids TV shows are more vital than ever
On Monday the 55th season of Sesame Street will hit Aussie TV screens. According to Sesame Workshop, the global non-profit organisation behind the award-winning series, the latest season will focus on emotional wellbeing, 'helping children learn accessible strategies to comprehend and cope with big feelings through fun, light-hearted, relatable, and engaging stories.' Clinical child psychologist and founder of WA start-up Tedology, Dr Louise Mansell, thinks this emphasis is more vital than ever. 'Shows like Sesame Street are so important for children,' Dr Mansell said. 'But I'm particularly struck by how important they are for Australia, because there are a limited number of shows that support emotional development for children. 'We've got Bluey now, but Sesame Street does it in a much more direct way — they will openly talk about emotions and cover topics that might otherwise be difficult to talk about.' You could argue this kind of quiet reassurance is more important than ever — especially for our little ones. But earlier this year Sesame Street's future seemed uncertain after its broadcast partner, HBO, did not renew its deal with the show. Netflix came to the rescue, ensuring the 50-plus year-old series will continue to be available not only to American children via the publicly-funded PBS Network, but also internationally via its enormous streaming service — episodes will continue to air on ABC in Australia. 'ABC and Sesame Workshop enjoy a longstanding partnership spanning 50 years and we look forward to continuing our collaboration,' a spokesperson for the network told The Sunday Times. 'Whether it's taking a volcano breath when angry, learning to give yourself a hug when frustrated, or wiggling it out when disappointed, we're empowering children with the strategies to help build resiliency and the foundational skills for emotional well-being,' he said. Helping children to navigate all this are the show's stable of much-loved characters. This season will see Elmo learn how to do 'volcano breaths' after he feels angry; puppet Abby learns what it means to be kind to yourself to overcome frustration, and Cookie Monster admits to feeling nervous about going to a new cooking school, enlisting his friends to help him prepare. 'That 'don't worry be happy' kind of motto is in so many shows, but you won't find that in Sesame Street,' Dr Mansell said. 'As a child psychologist, you are often trying to help children who don't believe that some emotions are OK... 'If they can see Big Bird have them, and Elmo is often saying how he feels, it just normalises the whole process and makes them realise that emotions happen on a daily basis in response to something else, and that's OK.' Helping the puppets to get the message across this season are special guests including actress and singer Renee Rapp, actor Michael B. Jordan, pop star SZA, and Queer Eye's Jonathan Van Ness. 'We are in this society that is really focused on children becoming addicted to screens,' Dr Mansell said. 'What they are really becoming addicted to is the dopamine and the high arousal they get from shows and screen time. It's quick, it's fast, and I hear that when I listen to my boys watching YouTube. 'Sesame Street doesn't do that: it's slow, it's calming, and there is predictability about it; you always know what is going to happen on the show at the beginning and end. 'That's so important for children, and for adults.'
Perth Now
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Why ‘engaging' shows like Sesame Street more vital than ever
On Monday the 55th season of Sesame Street will hit Aussie TV screens. According to Sesame Workshop, the global non-profit organisation behind the award-winning series, the latest season will focus on emotional wellbeing, 'helping children learn accessible strategies to comprehend and cope with big feelings through fun, light-hearted, relatable, and engaging stories.' Clinical child psychologist and founder of WA start-up Tedology, Dr Louise Mansell, thinks this emphasis is more vital than ever. 'Shows like Sesame Street are so important for children,' Dr Mansell said. 'But I'm particularly struck by how important they are for Australia, because there are a limited number of shows that support emotional development for children. 'We've got Bluey now, but Sesame Street does it in a much more direct way — they will openly talk about emotions and cover topics that might otherwise be difficult to talk about.' If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. You could argue this kind of quiet reassurance is more important than ever — especially for our little ones. But earlier this year Sesame Street's future seemed uncertain after its broadcast partner, HBO, did not renew its deal with the show. Netflix came to the rescue, ensuring the 50-plus year-old series will continue to be available not only to American children via the publicly-funded PBS Network, but also internationally via its enormous streaming service — episodes will continue to air on ABC in Australia. 'ABC and Sesame Workshop enjoy a longstanding partnership spanning 50 years and we look forward to continuing our collaboration,' a spokesperson for the network told The Sunday Times. WA-based Clinical Psychologist Dr Louise Mansell has created an interactive teddy bear for kids through her company Tedology. Credit: Jackson Flindell / Jackson Flindell / The West Aust 'Whether it's taking a volcano breath when angry, learning to give yourself a hug when frustrated, or wiggling it out when disappointed, we're empowering children with the strategies to help build resiliency and the foundational skills for emotional well-being,' he said. Helping children to navigate all this are the show's stable of much-loved characters. This season will see Elmo learn how to do 'volcano breaths' after he feels angry; puppet Abby learns what it means to be kind to yourself to overcome frustration, and Cookie Monster admits to feeling nervous about going to a new cooking school, enlisting his friends to help him prepare. 'That 'don't worry be happy' kind of motto is in so many shows, but you won't find that in Sesame Street,' Dr Mansell said. 'As a child psychologist, you are often trying to help children who don't believe that some emotions are OK... 'If they can see Big Bird have them, and Elmo is often saying how he feels, it just normalises the whole process and makes them realise that emotions happen on a daily basis in response to something else, and that's OK.' Sesame Street runs on ABC Kids. Credit: Supplied Helping the puppets to get the message across this season are special guests including actress and singer Renee Rapp, actor Michael B. Jordan, pop star SZA, and Queer Eye's Jonathan Van Ness. 'We are in this society that is really focused on children becoming addicted to screens,' Dr Mansell said. 'What they are really becoming addicted to is the dopamine and the high arousal they get from shows and screen time. It's quick, it's fast, and I hear that when I listen to my boys watching YouTube. 'Sesame Street doesn't do that: it's slow, it's calming, and there is predictability about it; you always know what is going to happen on the show at the beginning and end. 'That's so important for children, and for adults.'
West Australian
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Ben Harvey: A cuddly WA invention will work wonders for worried kids
I never had a teddy bear as a child. Does that make me a survivor? I had a pretty impressive stuffed Snoopy but he was quite angular and not very soft, so ill-suited to snuggling. My brother Oliver had a stuffed monkey, which he imaginatively called Monkey. As was the style with toys and cartoons back in the day, monkey had a shirt but no pants. Our sister had several teddies, which Oliver and I considered (and still consider, if we're being honest) proof she was (and is) loved more than us. Georgina also had an array of Cabbage Patch dolls, which we took great delight in hanging from the ceiling fan in her bedroom. Can you imagine what would happen if a kid did that today? The Department of Child Protection would be onto the parents in a flash as part of a wide-ranging investigation into a hate crime. As you can see from the picture below, Monkey and Snoopy are still around. Snoop (that's his name, and yes I know that's only marginally more imaginative than Monkey) is still in mint condition because he lived at the foot of the bed. Monkey is a bit worse for wear because he spent most of his life wedged under Oliver's armpit. His neck was clearly a weak point because after a few years the stuffing started leaking, like a fluff-filled carotid artery had ruptured. We stitched him back together but then he looked like Frankenstein, hence the bandage. I don't know where the Cabbage Patch dolls ended up. They're probably stowed somewhere at Mum's house next to My Pretty Ponies, Alf dolls and other Hasbro relics from the 1980s. If someone had seen fit to give me a teddy in the 1970s when I was growing up (seriously, after re-reading that last sentence I really think I'm allowed to call myself a survivor*) then it would no doubt have been a pretty stock-standard bear-shaped, fabric-wrapped ball of stuffing. We had low expectations of a teddy bear back then so if it didn't poke my eye out like Snoopy's tail did then I would have been happy. Fast-forward a half a century or so and toy animals are very different beasts. They move, make noises and physically interact with their owners. Some are Bluetooth-enabled to ensure a constant life-like presence. They're furry companions that are almost like real animals. We had those kinds of things when I was young. We called them 'pets'. This could be repressed rage from my bear-deprived childhood speaking but I think teddy bears that try to be human are a complete waste of money which a parent could have used more wisely at Dan Murphy's. The bear in the picture is not a waste of money because it's not just a teddy; it's a cleverly disguised psychological tool. Louise Mansell invented Tedology (love that name!) after realising the humble teddy could be a delivery mechanism for mini psychology sessions when kids are a bit overwhelmed by life. In creating Tedology, Louise brought to bear (sorry) 15 years of experience as a clinical psychologist. The toy's functionality extends from the relatively simple (it's weighted differently, its crinkly ears make a pleasing sound when they are squeezed, and different-textured paws invite a child to soothe themselves by rubbing them) to advanced (each squeeze activates one of 10 guided audio activities designed to help a kid manage their feelings). The latest prototype (it's not on sale just yet) was unveiled in Perth on Friday at an event called Future by Design. Future by Design was created by one-time chief information officer for the WA Government, Marion Burchell, who wanted to 'empower individuals, communities, and organisations to actively shape the future through knowledge, innovation, and intentional collaboration'. I have no idea what any of that means but it sounds very exciting and I quite like the idea of designing the future instead of just passively waiting for it to happen. And if a fluffy, intelligent teddy bear is in that future alongside a garrotted monkey, a lynched Cabbage Patch Doll and uncomfortably rigid Snoopy, then all the better. *Plus I was ginger — surely that qualifies me for some kind of government compensation package?
