An essay by Dan Yaccarino, creator of Oswald:
Why ‘Oswald’ Matters
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| Oswald [Nickelodeon] |
Originally published on Animation Magazine.
Twenty-five years ago, I created a blue octopus named Oswald. The animated series Oswald premiered on Nickelodeon in 2001 and ran through 2003. I had no idea I’d still be talking about him in 2026.
I’m not someone who tends to rest on my laurels or look back much at my career. I’m usually thinking about what I’m working on now and what I want to do next. Like any creator, I love hearing from people who have connected with my work. But over the past two years, the messages I’ve received about Oswald have a recurring thread. The original fans, now adults, aren’t simply telling me they remember the series fondly. Again and again, they talk about returning to it for comfort. Some use the words “regulate my nervous system.” Others remember Oswald as a place where they could relax and feel safe. Some are now showing it to their own children, while new fans are discovering it for the first time.
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| Dan Yaccarino [ph: Boris] |
I’m overcome with happiness when someone tells me that something I created gave them comfort or helped teach them empathy. But all these messages have also made me wonder: Why now? Why is a quiet animated series made a quarter-century ago connecting with people again at this particular moment?
I don’t know that I have the answer, but I understand that children are growing up in a world that asks for their attention constantly. Parents see it in their children because they’re feeling it themselves. We’re all overstimulated, and there seems to be a pushback from people who want to slow down and enjoy life again. You can see it in the renewed interest in vinyl records, film cameras and printed books. I don’t think people are rejecting technology. I think we may be questioning what we gave up in the rush toward faster, newer and more.
That makes the resurgence of Oswald particularly interesting to me because people are often rediscovering him through the very technology that didn’t exist when I created him. The series wasn’t designed around engagement or retention or an algorithm. We were trying to make a world children would want to spend time in. There is a difference between temporarily capturing someone’s attention versus creating something they want to return to, and that distinction matters to me.
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| Oswald [Nickelodeon] |
When we were making Oswald, I wanted to create a different kind of animated series. I wanted it to be slow-paced, a little surreal and whimsical, but also sweet and kind. That was partly my intention and partly just who Oswald was. He was thoughtful and sometimes unsure of himself. He cared about his friends. His world was populated by disparate characters who lived together regardless of their differences. There were no villains or bad guys. The focus was much more on relationships and the underlying emotional story than on action or, in some cases, even plot. The overwhelming energy I wanted the series to have was safety, peace and kindness. We weren’t trying to make what we would now call “low-stim” television. I don’t remember anyone using that term. It was simply the kind of experience I wanted children to have when they entered Oswald’s world.
A lot of other decisions came from that same instinct. I wanted the series to feel timeless, so I kept technology out of Oswald’s world as much as I could. We chose the right voice actors for the characters, and were fortunate to have an extraordinary cast. We recorded the music with real instruments because I thought that had value, and because for some children it might be one of the few places they would hear them. I pushed for the characters to be drawn without black outlines because that reflected my illustration style and made the show feel different. I wanted Oswald’s Big City to exist in its own universe.
For years, some of those choices could have seemed old-fashioned: the slower pace, real instruments, an emphasis on emotional stories and relationships, a world without much technology. Now I hear terms like “low-stim” used to describe some of those same qualities. Maybe the lesson isn’t that everything old eventually becomes new again. Maybe it’s that certain human needs never went away.
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| I Am Murphy and I Am Waiting |
As a creator, all of this makes me interested in what comes next. How do you create an emotional experience within today’s platforms? The original 11-minute format worked well for Oswald, but I’m intrigued by other formats too. A shorter story could allow me to concentrate on a smaller action, relationship or emotional idea. I’m interested in what new technology makes possible as a tool that can give creators new ways to reach an audience. The challenge is knowing what should change and what shouldn’t. A story can be shorter without becoming frantic. The platform can change without changing the character.
That question feels especially relevant with my current work. My characters and worlds always begin in books, where there is time to slow down, build a world and let a character reveal itself. I Am Murphy and I Am Waiting, my new picture book, is about a French bulldog waiting, not very patiently, for his boy to come home from school. It’s funny, but underneath the humor is a story about separation, big feelings and love. This fall also brought Piccolo and the Chicks, the second book featuring a little Italian shrew named Piccolo and the animal friends of Bella Città. The interest I’m starting to see from studios in these newer characters and worlds, along with the response I’m getting directly from readers, has me thinking about exciting new ways a world can grow.
These books are different from Oswald, but seeing this new work alongside the resurgence of interest in the series has helped me recognize a thread running through my work. I create characters with empathy at their center and worlds I hope children will want to return to. I want those worlds to be funny and visually distinctive, but I also want children to feel safe there. That was true then. It’s true now.
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| Piccolo and the Chicks spread |
I feel a massive sense of responsibility when I create books or television for children because we carry these early impressions for the rest of our lives. I believe children’s content is the most important content we create, and it has to be the best work I can make. We also shouldn’t underestimate our audience. Children are far more sensitive and intelligent than I think they’re sometimes given credit for.
If a young creator asked me how to create a character that audiences might still care about 25 years from now, I’d tell them to begin with what they needed as a child. Somewhere inside that answer is the emotional truth of the character. If you’ve lived it, you know it intimately, and that knowledge can become empathy on the page or screen.
The screens will keep changing, and I’m excited to see what comes next, but I don’t think the things children need from us have changed very much. The primary message behind all of my work has always been peace, kindness and love. It’s pretty simple.
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| Nickelodeon |
Dan Yaccarino is a children’s book author and illustrator, and the creator and producer of several animated series based on his books — including Oswald (Nickelodeon), Doug Unplugs (Apple TV), Willa’s Wild Life (NBC & Qubo) and was the character designer behind The Backyardigans (Nickelodeon). His work has been recognized by the Bologna Ragazzi, New York Times 10 Best Illustrated books list, Parents Choice Award and ALA Notable Children’s Books. See more of his work at danyaccarino.com.
From PEOPLE:
Oswald Creator Dan Yaccarino Pens Heartfelt Response to Fan’s Essay About the Comfort the Series Brought Her as an Adult
Though short-lived, ‘Oswald’ was a beloved Nick Jr. fixture
NEED TO KNOW
- Oswald aired on Nickelodeon from Aug. 2001 to Sept. 2003
- The animated preschool series was a peaceful way for kids to explore and though it aired for just 26 episodes, it had a significant following
- Creator Dan Yaccarino has recently spoken out about what it means to him to hear from fans who are all grown up about how the show still impacts them, over two decades later
Oswald is still touching the hearts of its viewers, over 20 years later.
The animated children’s series, which aired on Nickelodeon from Aug. 2001 to Sept. 2003, followed a blue octopus named Oswald and his dog, Weenie, as they spent time and learned with friends in Big City. Fred Savage voiced the titular character, with the cast also including David L. Lander, Laraine Newman, Richard Kind, and more.
Creator Dan Yaccarino addressed Oswald fans in a recent post, sharing a Substack essay by an author named Shamika G., who opened up about rediscovering the show as an adult. In his Instagram post, Yaccarino praised Shamika’s discussion of how the show still feels like safety, all these years later.
“I created Oswald to be a gentle, kind, and comforting show for children. I never imagined that, years later, it might still be bringing that same sense of comfort to people who have grown up and become adults. This beautiful Substack essay by Shamika G. explores how returning to Oswald as an adult helped calm her nervous system and reconnect her with the feeling of a simpler time,” Yaccarino wrote.
“As a creator, there is no greater compliment than knowing something you made has stayed with someone... and can still bring them a little peace years later,” he continued, concluding, “Thank you, Shamika, for sharing this. It means more than you know.”
In June, Yaccarino shared his gratitude for the love around Oswald after a ranking video where Dr. Arif Khan celebrated the show’s emotional intelligence and what it provided young viewers.
“As a creator, you never really know what kind of impact your work will have on people. So it was incredibly gratifying to come across Dr. Arif Khan’s thoughtful video praising Oswald, and highlighting its gentle storytelling, kindness, empathy, and positive messages,” Yaccarino wrote.
“When I created Oswald, my goal wasn’t simply to entertain children; it was to create a world where compassion, friendship, patience, and understanding were at the heart of every story,” he continued. “It’s wonderful to see those qualities still being recognized and appreciated years later. Thank you, Dr. Khan, for your kind words and for reminding me why creating Oswald was such a special experience.”
Oswald has the unique distinction of also bringing one of Hollywood’s most beloved duos back together on one project. Lander, who voiced Henry the penguin on the show, was reunited with his Laverne & Shirley costar Michael McKean, who voiced Maestro Bingo Bunny, as well as Henry the penguin’s cousin, Louie the penguin.
Lander died in Dec. 2020 from complications related to multiple sclerosis.
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