Category: Animations

A WOOLLY WOOLLY Welcome!

Posted on by Anna

I have big news! TV-big!

WOOLLY WOOLLY is a new animated series based on the world that I’ve been knitting since 2007. More than eight years in the making, this show goes beyond my wildest dreams of where my stitches could go, thanks to Groupe PVP, co-producer Normaal, and an incredible production team that spans two continents!
The episodes, which are created for a preschool audience, follow the adventures of a family of knitted gnomes (the Woollys) and the creatures who live in their woolly world. The Woollys can knit anything! So soft, cozy adventures and creative play abound.

Each story begins as two “real life” kids turn to their knitted friends to work through something in their non-knitted lives. I love how this captures the imagination and anything-is-possible rules of real kids engaging in open-ended creative play.

In addition being an executive producer, I’ve been involved with WOOLLY WOOLLY as a creative consultant throughout its development, so I’ve gotten to work with the uber talented team of designers, writers, and animators who have brought this world to life.

The series is computer animated with a stop-motion style that blows me away every time I see it. Seriously, from the textures to the movement to the little bits of fuzziness, director Emmanuel Linderer has created some unbelievable woolly magic!

The 52 11-minute episodes of WOOLLY WOOLLY are now airing in Canada on TVOkids and TVOkids Smart TV App, and on Knowledge Network and its Knowledge Kids App.

The French version is airing in Canada on TOU.TV and on ICI TÉLÉ as LES WOULLIS, and it’s available in Europe on France TV as WOOLLY WOOLLY.

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(Will WOOLLY WOOLLY come to other countries outside of France and Canada?? I sure hope so! And I’ll be sure to share the news when that happens.)

You can meet all the Woollys and learn more about their world, and even play a little Woolly game at woollywoolly.tv.

I’m so grateful to everyone who’s been involved in this project. I hope it will amuse and delight the kids and adults who see it, and it’s my dream that it will inspire viewers to create their own worlds, woolly or otherwise!

Nickelodeon spots from 2013

Posted on by Anna

Ten years ago I got to work with an incredible team of creative people at Nickelodeon to make a collection of network IDs for the holidays. It was the opportunity of a lifetime and an experience I’ll cherish forever.

Together we came up with the concepts and I worked like crazy to knit up a ton of characters and props, including some Nick stars that I got to render in yarn. 🤩 Then we did an intense 2-day shoot in Times Square to make the stop-motion magic happen.

I remember feeling bittersweet when it was over, because this unique educational and affirming experience was coming to an end, and also because it coincided with my move from NYC to Chicago. It was quite a way to say goodbye to the city!

Then, incredibly, I DID get to work with them again the following year, although the next time I stayed in Chicago and shipped my knits out to the team, who then animated them in NYC.

So much gratitude to Matthew Dunteman, who made the whole thing happen. And to Steph Shank, who was the brilliant mind behind much of it, including those adorable 2-D clips!