Watch video – Cartoon series designed to promote bilingualism becoming popular
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 30, 2008
Bertrum and Raimundo
Photos, video: Giddy Gander Company
In an effort to support bilingual (Spanish-English) fluency in the United States beginning with children and children’s television, the Giddy Gander Company launched a cartoon series and brand called The Wumblers in early 2007. Success soon followed. So much so that beginning July 2008, the bilingual branded program is airing on Spanish language television. Scroll down to watch a promo video about The Wumblers.
Also, The Wumblers products will be sold at Walmart through a joint promotion, between The Wumblers, the National Watermelon Association, and Walmart. The promotion was due to begin this July in one of the retail merchant’s Texas stores.
The Wumblers main characters are Bertrum, a young Wumbler, and Raimundo, a bilingual Latin American snail, who are best friends. Bertrum was created to reflect the cultural issues of the toddler children who watch the series. Raimundo is Bertrum’s conscience, mentor, and best friend, even if he is a Spanish speaking snail.
Bertrum’s other imaginary friends show up to advise and tempt him at important moments. He has two loving parents, one of which runs an ice cream shop; and an “eccentric aunt” who likes to paint and sing.
A Wumbler is Born
“The idea is to help Spanish speaking children in the United States achieve English fluency in a new and innovative way while remaining consistent with the values that remain key to the strong family ties and cultural origins of this flourishing community that offers so much to our U.S. society,” said Laura J. Wellington, creator of The Wumblers.
I really believe that it’s time for someone to look up and give Hispanic-Latino children the recognition and heroes they deserve within mainstream U.S. television (and subsequent platforms) with a thrust that warrants the continued emergence and positive contributions made by the Hispanic-Latino people to U.S. (and global) society.”
The Wumblers began as a cartoon series on television nine months ago. The success of the concept is reflected in the recent promotion with Walmart and the National Watermelon Association as well as the production of DVDs that became available for retail purchase this month.
The Wumblers, multi-colored, bulbous-shaped characters, are born from watermelons and eat food that falls from the sky. They are the creation of Wellington, a preschool teacher, mother of four, and widow. In 2006, she co-founded the Giddy Gander Company LLC to respond to requests for The Wumblers.
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Congratulations!
Great idea.
These media communication initiatives help parents to reinforce language and community values. We all know about the difficulty of teaching more than one language in a mostly monolingual society.
Once again HispanicMPR keeps readers informed!
Educationally, these efforts are already paying their worth and also in reverse, if I can express it this way.
While at a general merchandise and food store I heard a young six year old, obviously not Hispanic, say in Spanish that the pizza was “delicioso” and proceeded to look for the woman who served him to thank her, “Gracias Gladys, es delicioso”. Obviously repeating Snail Raimundo´s words about his ice cream, which is a masculine gender and not “deliciosa” which is the feminine gender for pizza.
However, my point is not about the correctness of a child´s use of grammar but of the desire to speak another language -either Hispanic or American- and practice it. He was corrected, he learned a new lesson about feminine and masculine gender, he learned that thoughtfulness and politeness make other persons -in this case Gladys- happy ones.
Although cartoons are meant to be for an age group, ask yourself if you still watch them. I strongly believe that all cartoons should show its version in the opposite language for the ones that can read. It will serve more than one purpose.
Hi Martha E. Galindo:
Thank you so much for leaving your response. What you say is quite true, and we look forward to doing our part to continue to empower children and parents as they continue to face these challenges.
Best,
Laura J. Wellington
CEO
The Giddy Gander Company
Dear Luisa M. Fournier:
Here’s a similar story I would like to share with you. While at the market, I was approached (quite out of the blue) by a young Hispanic-Latino child who spoke very little English and was looking to figure out how to properly enunciate the words “nail polish remover.” His ingenuity and desire to learn English struck me so that I couldn’t help but spend additional time answering a few similar questions as well. I see this boy every now and again at that same market and we continue to revisit this same practice each time.
I couldn’t agree with your comments more, Luisa. In breaking down language barriers, we increase communication and the possibility of creative solution, opportunity, and peace in this country and throughout the world.
Thank you for your comments.
Best,
Laura J. Wellington
CEO
The Giddy Gander Company
Dear Ms. Wellington: I notice in the article that the “Wumblers” is being targeted mainly toward Latino kids (to help promote bilingualism). Have you thought about also targeting the show to Anglo kids to ensure Spanish-English bilingualism in them (rather than English-only)?
It would seem to be a tremendous opportunity, both to accomplish something valuable and to spread your show to new markets, i.e. on English-language television– e.g. Saturday morning cartoons on major networks like NBC, ABC and CBS. There is an enormous market for this.
I’ve worked abroad, and I’ve come to recognize that the monolingualism of English schoolkids is a disastrous disadvantage that will likely ensure a third-rate status for our nation in 20-30 years, and programs like yours may be our best remedy for it.
I really think that English-language US TV is begging for a program like this, encouraging Spanish-English bilingualism. I hope that you can pioneer something like this!
Jeff: I could not agree with you more. There is an enormous market and need for this bilingual teaching/learning (both Spanish to English and English to Spanish). And yes, you would think that the larger, more known, mainstream, mass, English speaking US broadcasters would see that light as clearly as you and I do. Unfortunately, they do not; in fact, some of those traditional Saturday morning broadcasters you mentioned no longer even own their Saturday morning children’s blocks, having sold them for cash and positions in lucrative licesning deals. The philosophy seems to be that children remain last on the agenda of the traditional broadcast outlets.
Cable is different but the larger, more known cable broadcasters are less inclined to listen to or adopt ingenuity from outside sources new to them. Like traditional broadcasters, they have their own (historical but not always “current” or “beneficial”) way of doing things. Which leaves the clever “up-n-coming” networks who are open to innovative ideas that will help establish their unique personalities through the filling of unmet wants and needs the “aforementioned broadcasters” are overlooking and desperately wanted by the audience. Such is the case with the new Spanish Language broadcaster The Wumblers signed and will begin airing with this October. However, never fear, the English speaking version of the series can be seen today on Trinity Broadcasting Network and Smile of A Child in the US and throughout the world. Please ask your cable provider for assistance in finding these networks.
In addition, elementary schools across the country will have the opportunity to acquire The Wumblers in both English and Spanish to use within their schools to help assist in teaching both languages.
No doubt, we only strengthen our nation and world by breaking down language barriers and increasing communication. Your insights are absolutely correct and agreed with and it is people like you that will help make the world a better place for all of our children by offering those insights publically and helping to bring about the CHANGE we need. Thank you so much for your comment.
Best,
Laura J. Wellington
CEO
The Giddy Gander Company