‘The Pacific Pals’: Teaching Children About Pacific Marine Life Through Puppets

The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California has created an initiative titled The Pacific Pals to help children acquaint themselves with marine life. The show is an online series where puppets go around and help children learn more about the nooks-and-crannies of life under the sea, especially in the Pacific Ocean. 

The puppet’s antics are deliberately shared on social media (Instagram, YouTube and Facebook), to allow children from everywhere on the planet, who do not have direct access to the Aquarium of the Pacific to also learn about ocean creatures in an engaging way. This is why The Pacific Pals by The Aquarium of the Pacific is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Life Below Water and Quality Education. 

The series first began in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the aquarium to close. Back then, the series was called The Daily Bubble which had a television news format as the show was a way for aquarium staff to report the day’s happenings to their visitors. The Daily Bubble was hosted by Axl the Axolotl and his other equally cuddly colleagues such as Captain Quinn and Elsie Otter. To relate to their audience of all ages, the Axl the Axolotl and his friends were also set-up to be colleagues who were working from home, with the news coverage frequently interrupted by their children’s cries and more.

Since then, the series has had a successful 3 season run, with their own studio space set up at the aquarium. Being an online series, most of their audiences are concentrated on YouTube, where they have up to 23 thousand viewers at a time. Currently, the Pacific Ocean is the source of 70 percent of the global fish catch, all while also being home to 25 percent of the world’s coral reefs. However, the Pacific Ocean is also home to 1.8 trillion pieces of trash, which has gained it the nickname The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Hence, initiatives such as The Pacific Pals go a long way by helping to advocate for the wellbeing of the Pacific Ocean to people of all ages, people who will be able to create lasting change when it comes to ensuring a better future for the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Pals show by the Aquarium of the Pacific offers an engaging and educational way for children worldwide to learn about marine life, especially in the Pacific Ocean. By using puppets to bring ocean creatures to life, the series effectively combines entertainment with education, making complex environmental issues accessible to young audiences. As the Pacific Ocean faces significant environmental challenges, initiatives like The Pacific Pals are crucial in inspiring the next generation to advocate for and protect our planet's marine ecosystems.

Find out more about The Pacific Pals on www.aquariumofpacific.org/pacificpals or on Instagram @thepacificpals.