YOU may have heard of Bob the Builder, Postman Pat and Fireman Sam.
Now, meet George the Farmer.
Unlike these other beloved children’s characters, George is Australian through and through.
Written, illustrated and created in regional South Australia by Simone Kain and Ben Hood of creative agency helloFriday, it also stars ABC891 presenter, Peter Goers OAM as the narrator, whose voice typifies country Australia.
Described as “everyone’s friend”, George tackles the day to day activities of Australian farming life in his tractor with enthusiasm, a big smile and his trusty dog Jessie.
Apart from entertaining youngsters, George could very well hold the key to making a stronger link between agriculture and children.
The George the Farmer app is an interactive story, full of movement and farming sounds including tractor rumbles, barking dogs and warbling magpies.
This first released story follows George and his wife Ruby as they plant a wheat crop.
It also includes a memory game, colouring-in game and a sing-a-long activity to the George the Farmer theme song.
George the Farmer was launched by the State Member for MacKillop Mitch Williams in August.
The app shot off to a rocketing start, gathering 100 per cent satisfaction reviews and fluctuating between number one and three for iPad books on the App Store in Australia.
The key behind George is his ability to teach children up to eight years old in both regional and city locations about farming, food and fibre production in a fun way.
Simone says the idea for George the Farmer came about two years ago as she lay in bed, pregnant with her twin sons, browsing the app store for something educational that had farming related content.
“My husband Justin works on the family farm west of Penola and so George (Simone’s oldest son) would see bits and pieces of what went on, on the farm and he had, like most little boys, a love of big machinery,” Simone said.
“Most of the material that I could find was either English or American and had different terminology such as barn instead of shed or field instead of paddock for example.
“There also wasn’t a main farming character worldwide who had a sequence of stories to tell such as Bob the Builder, Postman Pat or Fireman Sam. I realised then that there was an opportunity to create something fun and educational for the kids of Australia.
There’s an element of realism within George’s character as well.
“Unfortunately George’s obsession with football and cricket often play havoc with not being able to finish jobs off in their entirety. Luckily for George, his beautiful and talented wife Ruby is always there to lend a helping hand,” Simone said.
He even lives beside Nosey Neighbour Neville, who appears in the first story.
A 2012 Australian Council of Educational Research found 75 per cent of Australian year six students believed cotton socks came from animals and 45pc could not identify that everyday lunchbox items such as a banana, bread or cheese originated from farms.
It was further motivation for Simone.
“This lack of knowledge about farming practices and food and fibre production, coupled with the decline of people taking up farming as a career and the increased requirement of food to feed Australia and the world could cause serious implications for Australia and the world’s future in terms of food security,” she said.
“The UN’s prediction of a global food shortage occurring in 2050, 30 years from now, will more than likely be addressed by kids who are either in kindergarten or yet to be born. Now really is the time to step up the knowledge and education about farming practices and food and fibre production to our youth.”
Such is the potential impact of the character, it has been written into the Australian school curriculum for 2015 through the Primary Industries Education Foundation.
New stories and games are always in the works, including one where a child can use his or her finger to shear a sheep.
“We have also just printed George’s first story as a soft back book which is available via our website too,” Simone said.
“This then makes him a little more accessible for non Apple users and those in remote areas without great internet.”
It may be a while before George the Farmer is a household name but early reactions are promising.
“In terms of getting George known in a market which is pretty saturated with other fictional, well-known cartoon characters, it is challenging,” Simone said.
“We don’t have an advertising budget and it will be an on-going process, but the feedback that we’ve had from people who have downloaded the app, read the story or who follow George’s adventures on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter is really encouraging.”
Without giving too much away, George’s next lot of stories will be about shearing and wool production.
He’ll even take a family holiday to a remote cattle station in Queensland and look at the effects of the drought.
“Development of a gaming app is also underway which is a series of four mini games where kids will be able to have fun while learning, completing activities such as milking a cow by pinching their fingers on the screen and then turning the milk in to butter or cheese to really enforce that connection of where their food comes from,” Simone said.
“Ideally, we would love to be able to provide any future apps free of charge to enable us to spread his educational messages further afield, however this will come down to securing some form of sponsorship.”
“We love what we’re doing and we’re passionate about rural Australia. I can see George playing a large role in education in the future, making learning fun through both traditional and new mediums.”
