Meet
Merlz and Pearlz!
Pearlz is a fairy from Planet Awesome. She sings and rocks the keyboard. She is the leader of the team. Her big personality and curiosity sometimes get her into trouble. But she is always up for learning with her viewers. When it comes to self-esteem, she is never shy to ask the big questions or express her thoughts, feelings and ideas. She represents the child’s perspective.
Merlz is a merlzypoo from Planet Awesome. He rocks a rainbow mohawk, awesome steampunk style, and of course an electric guitar which he uses to communicate. He is compassionate, sensitive and patient. As Pearlz’s sidekick, he’s definitely the more sensible and rational of the two.
As a team, Merlz and Pearlz are on a mission to spread the word about self-esteem! When the BFFs and their band aren’t rocking out musically, they travel across the universe in their steampunk ship exploring self-esteem through the eyes of creatures big and small. They’re always up for a big adventure and rock ‘n’ roll.
MISSION
The mission of Merlz and Pearlz is to get kids pumped about the ups and downs of growing up as proud individuals in a big world. Merlz and Pearlz never talk down to kids. They’re kids too, and they’re learning at the same time as the Self-Esteem Warriors.
VALUES
Merlz and Pearlz helps children build autonomy, sense of self and individual voice. We believe in the importance of managing big feelings, and we believe it’s okay to make mistakes. We try to convey our values in every song and vlog:
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Kindness, compassion and patience
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Creativity and imagination
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Fun
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Respect
Meet the creator
Annick Obonsawin
Merlz and Pearlz is the brainchild of Annick Obonsawin, a veteran of children’s entertainment with over 25 years of experience as an actor, voice actor, musician and singer-songwriter.
In 2015, Annick created the series Can You Imagine That (Radical Sheep Productions), a show that allows children to experience different careers, explained and explored through their eyes using animation, art and a whole lot of imagination. The series plays on TVO Kids.
Annick has starred in the Genie- and Gemini-award-winning shows The Adventures of Shirley Holmes (YTV), Franklin the Turtle (CBC), and Little Bear (CBC, Nickelodeon), and the Emmy-award-winning shows Cyberchase (PBS) and Angela Anaconda (Fox Family Channel, Teletoon), as well as favourites such as Total Drama Island (Teletoon), Goosebumps (YTV), Flashpoint (CTV), Brats of the Lost Nebula (Jim Henson Company), and Ella the Elephant (Disney), among others. She considers her three seasons on Lamb Chop’s Play-Along as a highlight of her career.
Annick became a published songwriter at eight years old when Chedoke-McMaster Children’s Hospital made her song “Share” their telethon’s theme song and asked her to perform it. She won the John Lennon Songwriting Competition with her song “Maybe” and was a finalist in both the World Billboard Songwriting Competition and the USA Songwriting Competition. But she considers her biggest award to date being hired as a vocalist to sing with her childhood heroes Sharon, Lois and Bram on their CD Let’s Dance.
With her passion for music, writing and performing, Annick now creates quality educational programming for children that will promote and inspire creative freedom, imagination and self-esteem.
Annick is a graduate of Centennial College’s Children’s Media graduate program (2010) and of the Second City Training Centre.
Annick is a member of the Abenaki First Nation.