Meet the Creators

Hey, You! The Doodly Doo’s was created by two lifelong storytellers who first met while working at a cinema in the 1990s.

We have always loved telling stories in every form: through writing, drawing, painting, photography, film, performance and digital design. Jen is a Creative Director with more than 20 years’ experience across design, art direction and visual storytelling, while Rich is an actor and writer. For years, we dreamed of creating something together.

The original idea behind The Doodly Doo’s began in the 1990s. We wanted to make a children’s show inspired by the programmes we grew up with: stories that explained the world gently but honestly, encouraged children to laugh and learn, and gave them the confidence to ask questions.

The idea stayed with us for years, resurfacing again when we became parents. But creating an animated series independently is a huge and expensive undertaking, and for a long time we could not find a realistic way to bring it to life.

We have written every script, every lyric and every word our characters say. We designed the Doodly Doo’s ourselves, along with their personalities, their stories and the world they live in.

Our work combines traditional creative skills with a range of digital tools, including drawing, design, photography, Adobe Creative Cloud, After Effects, editing software and AI-assisted animation. AI is one part of that wider creative toolkit.

We use AI to help animate and realise the original material we create. The ideas, scripts, characters, artwork, songs, performances and creative direction all come from us. We guide, edit and refine every scene, making decisions at every stage of the process. It is not a button that makes the show for us; it is a production tool that helps two independent creators turn years of work into something we can finally share.

More established animation methods remain brilliant, but they can also require large teams, significant budgets and long production schedules. AI-assisted tools have made it possible for us to begin building The Doodly Doo’s independently, alongside our jobs, family life and all the everyday realities that come with creating something from the ground up.

We believe AI should be used thoughtfully, responsibly and transparently. Like any creative technology, its impact depends on how it is used and by whom. We are committed to protecting original ideas, respecting other creators and being open about our own process.

The Doodly Doo’s is a deeply personal, human-led project made with love, experience, imagination and a little help from some very clever tools.

We are always happy to answer questions about how the show is made, so please feel free to get in touch.