For children, learning often begins with a story, a song or a colorful character that captures their imagination. For one Filipino couple, these simple elements became the foundation for an animated series that teaches young viewers not only how to count and identify colors, but also why caring for the environment matters.
In a recent episode of ‘Freshly Brewed,’ BusinessMirror’s weekly podcast, Ramon del Prado, co-creator of ‘Miming and Friends,’ spoke with BusinessMirror multimedia producer John Eiron Francisco about how the homegrown series uses creativity to make environmental education fun, accessible and meaningful for Filipino children and families.
Back in 2020, Dumaguete-based animator and storyteller Ramon and Meryll del Prado created and produced a YouTube animated series titled ‘Miming and Friends.’
At the heart of the series is Miming, a catfish, along with a lovable cast of ocean-inspired characters who teach children how to sing, count and identify colors. Beyond these early learning lessons, the series also introduced environmental topics such as waste segregation, plastic recycling, composting and climate change in a fun, engaging and age-appropriate way.
Before the pandemic, the couple worked as multimedia artists and ran their own studio. Meryll was the producer, while Ramon served as the technical director and artist behind the creations produced by the studio.
When the pandemic lockdown began, the studio closed, leaving them without clients.
‘We finally had the time to create something that we’ve always wanted. So that became the start for ‘Miming and Friends,” said del Prado.
Like many Filipinos, the del Prados grew up watching cartoons produced abroad.
‘We all grew up watching cartoons, but were they our cartoons? They were somebody else’s. We admired the stories, the skill set in creating them, but these were not Filipino characters,’ he said.
In 2022, two years after launching the series on YouTube, Mondelez International Philippines and Save Philippine Seas invited the del Prados to create a five-episode sustainability series that would bring together science, creative storytelling and industry support to make environmental education more relatable and enjoyable for Filipino children-and even adults who are still young at heart.
Creative process
DEVELOPING a concept is the most exciting part of the process, noted del Prado.
‘Before we started collaborating with Mondelez, the earlier episodes were about what would be interesting lessons that we want our characters to teach. And now, how do we introduce these characters to a worldwide audience?’
Observing that Filipinos are multilingual, the couple were also inspired to imagine a world where people spoke different languages while remaining connected.
As the series expanded, so did the complexity of producing it. More characters were introduced with each succeeding episode, requiring more time and effort to animate.
‘There are more characters, and with each succeeding episode, the characters just keep adding up. So, the number of characters to animate keeps adding, especially for the latest one where we added eight more new characters into the picture,’ he said.
A passion project grows
THE del Prados are first-time parents with a baby daughter, so balancing work and childcare has become a constant challenge.
Producing the series can be time-consuming and takes up much of their waking hours.
‘Mostly, there’s lack of sleep. I’m not as young as I used to be, so I need to rest. There are times like that,’ he said.
‘But then we also look at the bigger picture-we’re doing something very different, and it’s something we’ve always wanted to do.’
Del Prado credits his supportive partner as the fuel that keeps him going.
‘Meryll’s a very good cheerleader, especially when things get really tough. She’s seen me in my million stages of grief that an artist goes through when creating a certain episode.’
Milestones and Miming
ON YouTube, ‘Miming and Friends’ has surpassed 100,000 subscribers and earned the Silver Play Button, a coveted distinction among content creators.
The series has likewise become a learning resource for schoolteachers, NGOs and government agencies. Aside from Mondelez and SPS, the del Prados also have a formal agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for a shared initiative on environmental education.
The development still surprises its creators, who initially wanted to produce content that would complement homeschooling during the pandemic.
‘When we created it during the lockdown period, homeschooling was a big thing. We were in a teacher’s group wherein parents confessed they were getting homeschool fatigue. They were running out of activities. We wanted to help by providing educational content. You can select different episodes and put them together to make the homeschool lessons a bit more interesting.’
From that homeschooling group, the animated series caught the attention of the Department of Education office in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental, which asked the del Prados if the episodes could be screened in schools. USAID has also tapped them to create episodes on the life cycle of fish and marine-protected areas.
‘It’s actually a dream come true that we hope would keep going because our goal, for one, is to have our initial childhood goal of creating one’s own animated show. And, two, we’re also very in touch with the environment. We want to do what we can in our capacity,’ he said.
Through their partner organizations, the series has been shown across the country, reaching viewers in rural schools and even fishing communities.
Although ‘Miming and Friends’ is a children’s show, it has also become an enjoyable watch for parents.
‘I think the co-viewing experience with the family is important because you have that bonding moment. The colors and the songs are there for the children. But then we insert a bit of character development to make the plot a bit more complex to keep the adults entertained as well.’
With guidance from SPS, topics such as recycling non-biodegradable materials and composting had to be explained from a child’s point of view-either through a song or as part of the story.
‘In recycling, for instance, we found a way to simplify the industrial process and the right kind of plastic used. We found a way to simplify that complex process, break it down into four different parts to be sung by a hermit crab and that the general public can understand.’
Island awakening
THE five-episode ‘Miming and Friends’ begins with three friends-Miming, Buboy and Anacorn-on a tropical island getaway.
But their vacation is interrupted by a distress call from one of the sea animals who needs their help. The experience becomes an awakening for the three as they confront the problems facing the ocean.
Del Prado revealed that the fifth and final episode was the most challenging to create because of the number of characters appearing in it.
‘We wanted to create this finale where everyone just comes back and all the information that we talked about-from the waste segregation in the first episode, to the other topics like recycling, composting, and greenhouse gas. We had to bring all of that back and sung by all these characters in the fifth episode,’ del Prado revealed.
The enlightening finale reunites the original three-Miming the catfish, Buboy the flying lizard and Anacorn the unicorn-with Darling the dugong, Aling Ermi the hermit crab, Basilyo the bacteria and Ghregoryo the Greenhouse Monster, along with more song-loving and environmentally aware sea creatures.
Caring for the environment is a fundamental value that should be nurtured in children, in the same manner that respect, honesty, gratitude and kindness are taught at an early age.
‘Children are actually the most vulnerable and empathetic to issues such as these. They’re not yet jaded, and they have the spirit to make a difference. Whereas adults may already think, ‘We can’t do anything about it anymore. It’s a very big issue,” reflected del Prado.
‘But if the children start doing it, then as they grow, they keep those values in them. Hopefully, when they become adults themselves, those values will stay with them,’ he added.
Del Prado sees hope in teaching children the value of protecting the environment early on.
‘I think we’re slowly getting there. We’re becoming more aware of waste segregation and caring for the environment. The younger generation now are becoming more vocal when there are things that are affecting the environment even if it’s outside their house,’ he said.
Proudly Filipino
LOOKING back, del Prado has gained a lot of insights not only as a creator but also as a Filipino storyteller.
‘Growing up, we used to think that creating an animated show can only be done in Hollywood or in Japan. But seeing what we’ve done today, we’ve created a show wherein we got people’s attention, and we got Mondelez and, now, the DENR on board,’ he said.
On July 14 and 15 this year, the del Prados traveled to Tokyo, Japan, where ‘Miming and Friends’ represented the Philippines at the UNIDO Southeast Asian Creator event, also known as the SEA Creators Meet-up 2026.
What began as a pandemic-born passion project has grown into an educational resource reaching children and communities across the Philippines. Proudly made by Filipinos and for Filipino children, ‘Miming and Friends’ is a testament to what Filipino storytellers can create-and to how stories made close to home can inspire children to care for a world that belongs to all of us.
Watch the full interview on BusinessMirror’s YouTube channel. Catch new episodes of Freshly Brewed every Monday at 10 a.m. on BusinessMirror’s YouTube channel, Facebook page, and website.