Based on the Caldecott Honor book series by Jon J Muth, “Zen Shorts”, Stillwater is an award-nominated children’s show about the beautiful friendship between three young siblings and a wise panda named Stillwater. Stillwater gives children a deeper understanding about their emotions and equips them with the tools to face their own day-to-day challenges using the practice of mindfulness. This groundbreaking show inspires kindness, empathy and connection while shining a light on the wonders of the world around us- and the art focused on doing just the same.

Based on the Caldecott Honor book, Zen Shorts, by Jon J Muth comes Stillwater, a CG animated series about the beautiful friendship formed between siblings Karl, Addy and Michael and their next-door neighbor, a wise panda named Stillwater. In a landscape of children’s programming that shouts to grab a viewer’s attention, Stillwater invites you to slow down and “Marvel in the moment.” With a target audience of 3-7 year-olds and their parents, as well as fans of the book series, we wanted a brand identity that felt intentional, wondrous and reverent.

The Stillwater hero art is an invitation into the world of Stillwater where you can be aware, calm and live each moment at is unfolds. The hero art depicts Stillwater, Karl, Addy and Michael as they relax in the lawn in a moment in time to marvel at nature and the sense of that given moment. Framed by dancing Sakura flowers , the cast of Stillwater illustrates the play, curiosity and texture of the world from the eyes of a kid.

Through a strategic release of hinting at the world of Stillwater with tease art and then revealing the lovable panda at launch, we were able to garner early social excitement from parents and fans of the book series. The poster was widely used across multiple teams to effectively market the show across a multi-title Apple TV+ kids paid campaign, owned and earned, used as part of Awards campaign that garnered Annie animation nominations, and anchored several virtual events at launch to drive excitement for the series.