What is Yompers?
Yompers follows the social lives of children who attend a whimsical, multi-species vacation care run by four wise, but hilarious Yompers who bring insight, peace, love and laughter. Each donning a colourful backpack, Yompers yomp along gleefully while carrying a heavy load. It takes a Yomper to raise a community. .
Yompers is a fast-paced, fun and funny children’s TV series for ages 5-9 and their families that shines a light on the individual, social and community life of children using humanities, arts and social sciences education. Each 11-minute episode includes a snappy live action storyline, creative cutaways and a different two-minute song per episode as the outro. Featuring over 15 puppet characters per episode, human actors include children in vacation care and the teenage and young adult assistants who help run things – the Yomper “Helping Hands”.
Their calling is to impart wisdom to some of the youngest humans on earth in a super fun way, supporting them to understand important and exciting ideas in the areas of HASS (Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences).
Yompers is a TV series and a live puppet show.
Yompers is being created to engage, educate and entertain children aged 7 and under. It will also act as a worthwhile and welcome resource to support educators, parents and carers with high quality early years and early primary education in the area of HASS.
The main characters are four puppet Yompers: A Polar Bear, a Greater Glider, a Crested Porcupine and a Pine Marten. They are peacemakers who run Yompers Vacation Care Centre, which is a converted war bunker on Bribie Island. Each of them carries a heavy load – a colourful backpack. Each of them has something special inside their backpacks that is revealed to progress the story.
Note, ‘Yomping’ was revealed by journalist Charles Laurence in 1982 as the word which the British Royal Marines used to describe carrying heavy loads long distances on foot. It’s used here as euphemism for “taking on the heavy load to help others achieve their goals”. The twist is that these Yompers are harbingers of global peace which is, let’s be honest, the HARDEST of jobs.
The Yompers TV series pilot was filmed in February 2025 at Pluggas Studio on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
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Why support Yompers?
There are a number of children’s television and theatre programs focusing on numeracy, literacy, science, sport and play. However, education in HASS is missing in mainstream entertainment despite these skills being vital to children so they become thriving teenagers and adults – learning to navigate the world as an individual; together with others in our family, community and beyond; and as part of the natural world around us.
Your support can help make that happen!
Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences teaches students the important skills of problem solving, critical thinking, and understanding our environment and history.
The Humanities deals with the philosophical question of what makes us human and the Arts delivers a creative expression of those questions.
The Social Sciences uses a more scientific approach, essentially applying similar methodology as the natural sciences to the study of humans in society. The Social Sciences helps us better understand connections and complexities in ourselves, in others, and in the world around us.
While this area of study sounds profound and complex (because it is!), Yompers supports children to develop foundational and age-appropriate critical thinking, communication and conversation skills that are essential for continued learning of HASS subject areas such as languages, history, geography, philosophy, sociology, psychology, anthropology, performing arts, visual arts, sustainability, economics, politics, law, education, ethics, communication, and linguistics.
At Larrikin Puppets, the common thread that already weaves throughout the fabric of our work is the broad educational field of HASS. Yompers is simply an extension of what we already do, presented using a new, innovative and exciting set of quirky characters, songs and stories.
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What does Yompers need?
Yompers is set to be Larrikin Puppets’ biggest project yet – and our first TV pilot! We already have the experience, creative ideas and means to deliver them including writers, a studio and filmmakers; we just need to raise funds to build puppets!
The plan is to create a:
1. TV series pilot to pitch to TV networks and streaming services (by Sep 2024).
3. Live stage puppet show to perform in theatres across Australia (by Sep 2025).
We can make this project happen with just four new puppets valued at $6000. However, raising another $14,000 would create a whole magical world of puppet characters that will bring next level wide-eyed wonder and HASS educational opportunities to children.
We are confident that, given the opportunity to create a TV series pilot, Yompers will not only become a prominent, valuable and essential part of mainstream Australian culture, but enjoyed and appreciated across the world.
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Why aren’t we showing you the puppets?
We thought it would make the crowdfunding campaign more fun! All the puppet character ideas are currently hidden under a grid.
Everytime we reach a fundraising goal, we will reveal a new puppet! That’s 16 puppets!
Puppet reveals will take place at $100, $500, $800, $1000, $1500, $2000, $2500, $3000, $4000, $5000, $6000, $7000, $9000, $11,000, $13,000, $15,000.
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Crowdfunding thanks
Thank you very much to everyone who has supported our Yompers crowd funder so far. The following wonderful people have earned a supporter listing and web link back (if they have a website) – One of the perks available to anyone who donates $25 or more and selects this perk:
James Marshall – Pubbets
Rachael Watkinson – Bijou Designs
Alice Lethborg
Miss Marie – Island Dance
Tim Hollo
Hansen Family: Dale, Jess, Austin and Theodore – Synergy Veterinary Behaviour Solutions
David Wyatt
Eco Village Hair
Kim Huynh – Red Dragon Productions
Bee Bee
Amelie Ecology
