Online Cartoon Teaches Kids About Global Warming
Hippo Works, an environmentally-themed online cartoon created by Los Angeles Sierra Club member Denis Thomopoulos, above left, features a lineup of animal characters including Simon the Hippo, above right, Peep the Bird, and the ever-skeptical Bob the Rodent, among others. Weekly episodes of "It's a Jungle Out There" are syndicated to subscribers and Web sites like AOL's Kids Channel.
Thomopoulos is now producing a weekly series to teach kids about global warming. The series, which debuted on February 11, opens with a view of the earth from space, zooming in on the melting snowcap atop Kenya's Mt. Kilimanjaro. Episode Two picks up the theme with a musical offering by Peep the Bird, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," with lyrics suggesting ways people can take steps to combat global warming. And at the end of each short segment, a colorful form appears that lets kids forward the cartoon to their friends.
To watch episodes of "It's a Jungle Out There," play games like Hippodoku and the Extinction Game, create your own cartoon, send environmental e-cards, and to subscribe, visit hippoworks.com.
