Thoughts and illustrations on living on the autism spectrum.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

“Dude, I’m An Aspie” Making First Animated Short

Fuzzy and pals are coming to life in animated form! Their first cartoon short will appear in the pilot episode of the TV show Flummox and Friends.

Flummox and Friends is an offbeat, live-action comedy designed to help kids navigate the social and emotional world. Viewers will join Professor Gideon T. Flummox and his friends as they put their minds to work creating inventions that help them understand the most perplexing scientific mystery of all: other people! Inspired by Pee Wee’s Playhouse, The Big Bang Theory, and the original Electric Company, Flummox and Friends lets families talk about social and emotional challenges as they watch and laugh together.

The show is targeted to elementary school age children who are struggling socially or emotionally, with or without a diagnosis of autism or a related condition. A key difference of Flummox and Friends from typical children’s educational programming is its message of acceptance of the kids who watch, with no expectation that they need to change who they are. The pilot episode was recently filmed thanks to a successful Kickstarter fundraising campaign. The creators hope to produce more episodes and bring the show to the air in many potential outlets, including cable TV, online, and DVD.

I’m thrilled to be working with Flummox and Friends! It was a natural fit, given that we both mix a quirky sense of humor with information that respects the intelligence of all ages. It reminds me of some of my favorite shows growing up, and I know it will be well-received by children on the spectrum and their families.

“We’re so excited that Matt will be contributing his talents to the Flummox and Friends pilot!” says Executive Producer Christa Dahlstrom. “Matt’s characters and illustrations are a perfect compliment to the live action story line of our show and representative of the eclectic mix of music and animation we hope to incorporate in every episode.”

Stay tuned for further updates as we start work on this awesome project, and be on the lookout for the Flummox and Friends pilot! Until then, enjoy this video preview:

10 comments:

  1. Dude. This is everything I love wrapped up in one happy post. Fantastic! Congratulations!

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  2. that's fantastic news, congratulations!! It will be super cool to see Fuzzy and friends animated.

    - Hanne

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  3. Matt, thank you for this. My son has PDD, NOS and I can't wait for him to see this :)

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  4. Dude, they are so funny and so cool. You will be an addition to the magic. I remember the first time I saw the promo...I hope I threw a few bucks their way because I recall NEVER seeing anything like it in all my special ed years teaching.

    I never liked the idea of social skills for my son. Seemed like it just set him up to be belittled by his peers. But here...humor is a great equalizer. Sharing laughter is the greatest gift we can give each other. I really am doing a happy dance for you and hoping upon hope for the success of this project!!!

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  5. Omg, the film clip was hilarious, and awesome... I could really relate in every way with it, and conversations i've had with my son!

    Cindy

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    1. Oh yes, they really have made it relatable to so many people!

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