Mavka and Swampy the Kittyfrog have joined Duggee and his Squirrel Club for a special animated, musical video, created to welcome Ukrainian child refugees and help them feel comfortable in their new country in “The Welcome Badge.”
The release is a result of a partnership between the creators of Ukrainian animated feature Mavka. The Forest Song and of British preschool favorite Hey Duggee — Animagrad (FILM.UA Group) and Studio AKA for BBC Studios. The animated stars were aligned by indie creative studio Mother, as part of its Friendly Faces project.
“Collaborating together on this project to help thousands of children see the value of friendship, across language barriers, has been an absolute privilege,” said Felix Richter, a Partner at Mother London.
This special episode of Hey Duggee demonstrates the different language that Mavka and Swampy speak being from Ukraine. To help them settle in, Duggee, The Squirrels and Hummingbirds sing “The Welcome Song,” complete with translations of Ukrainian phrases. The hope is that seeing the friendly faces of Mavka and Swampy with Duggee and friends will help real-world new arrivals feel even more welcome, while helping children in the U.K. bid a warm, Ukrainian hello (привіт) to their new friends.
“We are delighted to team up with Mother and Animagrad and feel very proud that Hey Duggee is playing its part to help children coming to the U.K. from Ukraine feel welcome in such a charming and educational way,” said Harriet Newby-Hill, VP Marketing – Kids & Family at BBC Studios.
Egor Olesov, CEO of Animagrad, emphasizes the importance of such projects in war time, both for the comfort and integration they offer displaced Ukrainians and for supporting Ukraine’s struggling entertainment industry.
“This cooperation is very important to us and we are happy and grateful for the support of the Mother in bringing Duggee and Mavka together, allowing us to help the children through a beloved British animated series making friends with much loved Ukrainian animated characters,” Olesov notes.
“The Welcome Badge” is available across all Hey Duggee social channels: YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, HeyDuggee.com and on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer.
