TotoLand, a Play Learning ground where every child belongs.

Our aim is to foster the right set of values in every child.

Inspired by my daughter's innocent drawings, TotoLand is exactly the type of media I wish to be among the educational content my children can access as they grow up.

As a brown mother, raising brown children, I would like to find fun educational material presented in such a way that my children could not only enjoy and learn from but also relate to and feel represented.

When my daughter first drew a picture of herself, she got every detail right except the color of her skin which she painted yellow. She was just a baby, so I figured she probably thought all kids, including her, look just like the ones she was watching on YouTube. Whenever she would draw or paint, she would color her skin yellow…

This was a bitter pill to swallow. So, one day, when she was proudly showing me yet another picture of herself colored yellow, I encouraged her that it would be so cool if she could figure out which color looked just like her skin and use it on her next drawing. She was so proud of her next self-portrait; she could not stop repeating “I colored her brown just like me,” with a big smile on her face, filled with pride.

My daughter's depiction of herself, in contrast to her real appearance highlighted the lack of relatable content for kids like mine. This revelation underscored the profound impact of media on young minds and their self-perception. 

I want my children to know that they are just as important, just as talented, just as beautiful, and as worthy as any other children, including the ones on TV. That they too can be on TV, they too can be leaders and teachers just like the characters on their screens.

Since I felt like not many were creating programs with kids like mine in mind, I began hoping that someone out there, in this line of work, would think about how important it is that all children feel represented. That each child looking at a screen can see a character that has some resembles to them. This way they all feel empowered and worthy, promoting self-love. It’s entirely possible that I just didn’t know where to look but most if not all my kids’ favorite shows and characters on the screen were not so diverse.

 For 5 years, TotoLand was just a dream with no name. When the pandemic hit, like many mothers, I found myself having to stay home and raise my four children, working only PRN. But even that was not easy because I was always exhausted after taking care of the family 24 hours a day, every day.

Even though I barely had time for myself to do things as basic as feeding myself, I felt the need to be doing something else to feel productive. Something that would feed my mind.).

I started playing with the idea of creating a show with a more pronounced representation. From these thoughts, TotoLand was born. I made the decision to fulfill the wish I had for my children, and add my contribution to the industry. Today it not only takes a village to raise a child but literally the world.

When I chose to make this dream come true, my youngest son was only four months old. Since then, being up in the day with my kids and up at night bringing TotoLand to life has been the story of my life.

As a professional registered nurse, this was an unchartered territory which made it even more challenging.

My plan was to hire others to bring my thoughts to life. I had a rough idea of what it would cost to do so and I was okay with that. Until in one of our meetings with a coach she said, “Now you just need to start creating content.” I laughed at this and reminded her that I was a nurse, not a writer or a singer. She insisted that the best way to let other creators do the work for you is by giving a few examples. She said I had to write the songs myself. I quietly swore in my mind, saying, “You must be out of your mind, we’re hiring someone to do that.”

Her comment bothered me, but I trusted her perspective, so with the help of my kids, we decided to turn one of our mealtime joke songs into a real song. We named it the “Nutrition song”, then moved onto the “ABC” song, and quickly onto the “1st day of school” song, and we never stopped.

I could not believe it; I was writing educational and fun songs for my kids! I felt so empowered and especially proud of my children for the interest they took in our project: it’s a true family effort! My 1st-grade daughter promoted herself to the chief editor. Today, we are a registered business in the state of NY with our first video coming out soon.

I could go on and on but I am just glad, that we have managed to do a project from start to finish. I am immensely grateful for the support I have been given by family and friends. My kids have been very much a part of the journey. We’ve all learned patience, creativity, respect, and that everyone knows something and has their own contribution to make.

SUBSCRIBE to our channel; support us; follow our journey. My promise is to do my very best to give your children quality media that reflects them and their lives. So, when you hand your child that tablet or phone or iPad, you know it’s nothing but positive and safe content for your little ones.

https://www.youtube.com/c/TotoLandNurseryRhymesKidsLearningSongs

Thank You,

Roselida Obare

Creator, Founder TotoLand Nursery Rhymes.