This blog post doesn’t have much to do with my own stories, but I do feel that this is a perfect platform to talk about a new show called The Garden. You see, I am part of the launch team for an animated show called The Garden, and my job is to basically spread awareness about its existence.
Before I talk about the show, I wanna talk about its creator. His name is Butch Hartman. He produced 4 different animated TV shows on Nickelodeon, and has had a 20-year long career with the channel before leaving to pursue his vision for a new, family-friendly streaming service called Oaxis Entertainment. I personally grew up on 3 of his cartoons: The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, and T.U.F.F. Puppy.
I have personally met Butch Hartman at his very first “Vision: Possible” conference in Illinois back in October 2018. The conference was specifically about making the dreams in your heart a reality. As an aspiring showrunner, I wanted to learn more about what I can do to make my dreams happen. This man taught me a lot! I remember even showing him some of my comic book work (before anything was even published), and he said I would be great at making comics! Little did I know I would publish my first comic book only a few years later. ❤ Words are powerful! Back in 2020, Butch Hartman and his wife both helped me with organizing my ideas for Space Grind, which now has a published comic book on Amazon, and another one on the way.
I had the honor to learn from not just Butch, but also three other Vision: Possible speakers: people-saavy Julieann Hartman (Butch’s wife), social-media-saavy Carly Hartman (Butch and Julieann’s first daughter, who will soon be Carly Conrad when she gets married this month ❤ ), and business-saavy Nathaniel Spiers (a friend of the Hartmans who is also a web designer).
Alrighty! Now we can officially talk about The Garden…
The Garden is an animated cartoon for children (ages 3-10) that can be watched right now on PureFlix. It is a wholesome, adorable, and even humorous cartoon about “Leni the Lion” and “Lucy the Lamb.” It reverently talks about God and Scripture in a way that is engaging for children. Heck, I think even parents will appreciate the catchy little tunes the characters sing, making passages of Scripture memorable and fun!
As a Christian myself, who received Jesus about ten years ago, I am 100% on board with Butch Hartman’s vision!! It’s like another VeggieTales with its own unique, creative spin! I have watched two episodes myself, and I believe it beautifully teaches kids not only scripture, but how to have their very own relationship with the Lord. ❤ The characters Leni and Lucy have their own relatable flaws, while still being excellent role models for children to watch! They also refer to God as “Boss,” who is portrayed as a lovely rainbow. I feel like the rainbow is such a beautiful representation of God’s majesty and makes me think about His faithful promises. What stands out to me with “Boss” is His gentleness and compassion and understanding, just like the God I know in my life!
The Garden also has their very own app, which you can download onto your phone now! The app has some episodes, some games, and other engaging content that will not just entertain your little one, but also help them relate to God and befriend Him at such a young age. ❤
I also wanna mention that you can buy a kids Bible, which has illustrations of Bible stories and characters from The Garden. Kids will be able to read Scripture and see how it is incorporated into even their favorite episodes of the show! The illustrations were made by the creator Butch Hartman. He spent two years on that Bible, while also pursuing his other plans for Oaxis and ministering to the people around him. Here is the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Childrens-Bible-Hardcover-International/dp/0785241817/ref=sr_1_1?crid=MG7UBVLSYEXA&keywords=garden+bible+butch+hartman&qid=1674091786&sprefix=garden+bible+butch+hartma%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-1
Lastly, here is the website for The Garden, where you can learn more and even sign up to updates via email: https://www.gardencartoon.com/?fbclid=IwAR3p4DjN4nCpoOdcrO7sXTuGfse8b7ijifdmOlugmvEIs0A0sTHtGyLtLCU
I really look forward to seeing this show will change lives. I truly believe this series will have that kind of an impact, especially on families. That’s all I have to say for now. I will write more on this cartoon in the future 🙂
Alex Zen Draw 