Where there’s a Wilbur, there’s a way. This is the lesson of an unlikely children’s video success story.
Wilbur, a spotted calf puppet bedecked in overalls, is the engaging host of “Wilbur Visits the Farm,” “Wilbur Sings the Classics” and “Wilbur Teaches Parts of the Body.” He might be no threat to Barney, but even the omnipresent purple dinosaur was once an unknown video commodity vying for shelf space alongside such titans as Disney, the Muppets and Sesame Street.
But after more than a year slogging it out in the trenches, building name recognition and generating positive parental word-of-mouth, Wilbur is really on the “moo-ve” and poised for breakout status. Without television exposure and mainstream retail accessibility, sales of the videos have doubled over last year. They have earned honors by such organizations as the National Association of Parenting Publication Awards and “Dr. Toy’s Best Children’s Vacation Products.”
Like the sleeper success “Road Construction Ahead,” the “Wilbur” videos are a “home-grown” production; independently produced by three entrepreneurial mothers who, despairing of finding quality programming for their own families, decided to create their own.
Two years ago while on vacation, Tracey Hornbuckle and Jill Luedtke of Southern California visited a farm with their families. On this farm was a calf named Wilbur. His moo-moo here and moo-moo there delighted their toddlers, who began to imitate Wilbur and the sounds made by the other farm animals.
Back home, Hornbuckle, a former advertising executive, and Luedtke, a former attorney, perceived a void in the competitive children’s video market when they searched stores for age-appropriate preschool programming that was entertaining and educational. In Wilbur they saw star potential.
“As mothers, we wanted to introduce a character who would complement what parents and caregivers were teaching at that age,” Luedtke said in a phone interview. “We thought Wilbur would make an adorable and identifiable character for the diaper set,” which she described as pre-Barney and pre-Sesame Street.
Luedtke and Hornbuckle approached a local film producer for advice. His wife, Kim Anton, who has a marketing background, was sufficiently enthusiastic about Wilbur that she joined the team. Taking their children’s first initials, they dubbed their fledgling company EKA Productions.
The trio settled on “a very simple” interactive format for each 30-minute video. In “Wilbur Visits the Farm,” for example, Wilbur asks what sound a particular animal makes. Live action footage of the animal is accompanied by head shots of children (“all from the neighborhood”) mimicking the sounds.
Wilbur is not the overnight success that is, say, the “Teletubbies,” PBS’ new sensation. But Luedtke, Hornbuckle and Anton are “slaving” away to, in their “wildest dreams,” make Wilbur “an international presence.”
A plush Wilbur toy will be available mid-June. Discussions are under way to bring Wilbur to television.
“Our expectations keep growing because of the response we’ve been getting from children and their parents,” Luedtke said. “Our dream gets validated everyday.”
“Wilbur” videos
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The Wilbur videos retail for $14.95 each and are carried at such specialty stores as FAO Schwartz in Chicago, Noodle Kidoodle, Learningsmith and Anderson’s Book Shop in Naperville. They also can be ordered by calling 800-WILBUR-5. The Wilbur Web site is www.wilbursworld.com
