Tiny Toot - Mushroom Magic directed by Maria Mac Dalland

Tiny Toot

The Danish animated series Tiny Toot premiered in 2024, much to the delight of its audience. The new 26×7 series was created by Maria Mac Dalland, produced by Morten Kaufmann and Toolbox Film, and co-produced and animated at Ja Film. It was supported by the DFI, the West Danish Film Fund, and the Nordic Film & TV Fund.

The show is built around the adventures of Tiny Toot and her cat Gato, who go on adventures with Pixie, the magical elf who lives in a mouse hole. Traveling in a tiny helicopter made from a walnut, the three explore nature and make new friends along the way. The show has gorgeous design, positive storylines, and fun songs that kids will love.

New Wave of Content for Young Children

Tiny Toot has been picked up for broadcast by DR, YLE in Finland, RUV in Iceland, NRK in Norway, and SVT in Sweden. Nordic broadcasters are increasingly interested in content for very young audiences. According to Sophie Kjærgaard Dyre, editor for DRs Minisjang and Ramasjang:

For us at DR, it’s actually not important how much screen time children have – what matters is what they see. Around half of Danish children under the age of three stream weekly content from DR, spending up to half an hour daily watching our video and TV content. And we know that DR’s content is only part of what the youngest viewers consume. It is therefore important that we create a public service offer that is specifically targeted to them.

Tiny Toot breaks new ground in being aimed at these very young children, under 3 years of age. Creating content for this audience poses unique challenges for animators and filmmakers, because stories must be crafted in a particular way. It is very important to look at pace and repetition and give time for the youngest audiences to follow the story; and, at the same time, avoid them being overstimulated. In addition, the soundscape has a great effect on the youngest target group.

The team behind Tiny Toot kept these principles in mind at every stage of development, viewing them not only as a challenge, but as an opportunity to explore new avenues of creative expression. The stories and artwork are so compelling that they have led to the publication of several Tiny Toot books.