by FilmInk Staff
Created in Brisbane and celebrated internationally, the Kidscreen Award-winning series arrives on ABC Kids and ABC iview.
An internationally award-winning Brisbane-created animated series putting kindness centre stage is reaching more Australian families, with Zip and the Tiny Sprouts celebrating its arrival on ABC Kids and ABC iview at a Brisbane industry showcase on Friday 30 October.
Winner of Best Web/App Series – Original at the 2025 Kidscreen Awards, the preschool series from Tiny Souls Media blends playful storytelling and original music with research informed social and emotional learning, helping little people navigate big feelings.
The series follows four forest friends, Zip, Aria, Riff and Hum, as they explore friendship, compassion, fairness and kindness in the whimsical world of Harmony Hollow.
The vision belongs to Brisbane-raised entrepreneur and Tiny Souls Media founder Shadi Toloui-Wallace, who set out to create intentional children’s entertainment that would support young viewers as they learn about themselves and others. At the “Meet the Makers” event on October 30, Toloui-Wallace will be joined by Peter Johnston, the series’ writer and director and Dr Neika Masroori, Head of Education and Research at Tiny Souls Media, who holds a PhD from UC Berkeley and is a researcher and lecturer at The University of Queensland. Attendees from the worlds of entertainment and education will get an intimate behind-the-scenes look at the vision, creative journey, and educational foundations of the series.
“Children are making sense of the world every day: how they feel, how other people feel, what is fair and how to be a good friend,” Ms Toloui-Wallace said. “I wanted to create stories and music that met them in those moments, with warmth, humour and lovable characters. For us, kindness is something children need to see in action. It might be noticing someone has been excluded, listening to a different perspective or finding a gentler way to respond when things don’t go to plan.”
The series’ international reach continues to grow, with pickups by Croatian broadcaster HRT and global streaming platform PlayKids Learning. The series is distributed worldwide by WildBrain.
Behind the series is an experienced Australian production team from Fade In Studio’s animation division, K Love You Bye. Its creative team includes writers and directors Peter
Johnston and Kyle Logan, and animation director and writer Chris Bennett, whose credits include Bluey.
The series’ commitment to thoughtful storytelling extends to casting, featuring child performers with autism and Tourette syndrome, bringing lived experience into its creative
world.
“Children offer unique perspectives, strengths and ways of experiencing the world, and we want our stories to make room for that,” Ms Toloui-Wallace said. “Our hope is that children feel a sense of belonging while also becoming curious about, and compassionate towards, people whose experiences differ from their own.
“Seeing Zip and the Tiny Sprouts on ABC Kids is a very special moment for our team, and celebrating in Brisbane, where the series was brought to life, makes it even more meaningful,” Ms Toloui-Wallace said. “We’re excited to bring people together who share our belief that children’s entertainment can be joyful, thoughtful and full of possibility.”
Zip and the Tiny Sprouts is now available to audiences for free on ABC Kids and ABC iview.
