This project was completed as a conceptual case study.
The Goal:
Create a relatable animal character for children ages 4-8 that validates the complex emotions kids experience when wanting peer acknowledgment but struggling to ask for it, helping young readers recognize they're not alone in these feelings.
The Synopsis:
A hedgehog character—soft underneath, prickly on the outside—embodies the childhood paradox of desperately wanting recognition from peers but not knowing how to verbalize that need without feeling vulnerable or needy. When her work goes unnoticed and peers don't offer the "nice work" she's hoping for, disappointment settles in, but she can't figure out how to express what she wants. Instead of speaking up, her protective spines emerge and her soft parts hide, capturing the instinct kids have to guard themselves when caring feels too dangerous. Through her physical contradictions and emotional struggle, the hedgehog helps children name their own unspoken feelings and understand that wanting to be noticed—and the difficulty of asking for it—is a universal childhood experience.
Final
