ABOUT
What is Cheetah Pickle?
Cheetah Pickle is a TV show and interactive learning hub for early readers ages 3 - 7. It's a mix of the strange hilarity of Sponge Bob Square Pants, the sensitivity of Mr. Rogers, and the imaginary adventure of The Magic School Bus. The story begins when Cheetah Pickle’s home planet, Planet Doof (where everyone is half food, half animal) begins burping up letters. Cheetah Pickle travels to the “Intergalactic Braining Station” to uncover the mystery of his planet’s message with the help of his teacher, Ms. Finzy, and his stow-away buddy, Beetle Bean.
In episodes built out of lesson segments, Ms. Finzy (played by veteran teacher Carlyn Flint) brings Cheetah Pickle and Beetle Bean to a planet, game, art lesson, dance party (and more!) where they practice a specific skill. Each course is paired with a hands-on activity booklet and every lesson is based in the science of reading, where children learn to connect sounds to letters and work with these combinations. As Cheetah Pickle grows, the curriculum grows too, until he completes his mission of decoding the messages sent by Planet Doof and brings literacy back to his planet.
Fewer than 33% of American 4th graders are proficient in reading. This is 100% preventable through engaging kid-relevant, research-based literacy education.
Did you know?
Are you in?
The Goal
Cheetah Pickle is set to go into production from September 29th – November 20th, 2026. We are hoping to raise a total of $250,000 to film, edit and animate the first season of 30 episodes by summer 2027. This includes the hiring of our team, a whole re-make of the puppets and supply costs. We have already had some big wins, such as the in-kind donation of Pursuit Films’ Studio and Circle Cinema’s fiscal sponsorship, but we have a ways to go to be fully funded.
Please help us launch our film shoot and be a part of this wild and wacky effort to teach kids to read. Together we can make literacy a given for ALL kids. Through Circle Cinema’s fiscal sponsorship, all donations are tax-deductible, and you can donate through our landing page on their website. See below for donation levels and all the ways we want to say “thank you” for your contribution, because if you choose to contribute to this mission, “Thank you!” won’t be enough!
Tier 1 - Supporter
$25-$50
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Your name in the "Hall of Gratitude" on our website
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Regular, exclusive, behind-the-scenes updates (ahead of social media)
Tier 2 - Backer
$251-$1000
Tier 1 benefits PLUS:
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1 T-shirt, a pack of stickers, 1 free lifetime subscription to gift to a child (Subscriptions include: membership to the website, app and share boards, access to all episodes as they are released, and a "training packet" that allows kids to draw and write along with Cheetah Pickle's lessons
Tier 3 - Patron
$1001-$3000
Tier 1 benefits PLUS:
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2 T-shirts, a pack of stickers, 2 free lifetime subscriptions to gift to two children
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Your name in the show credits as a Patron
Tier 4 - Philanthropist
$3001+
Tier 1 benefits PLUS:
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2 T-shirts, a pack of stickers, 2 free lifetime subscriptions to gift to two children
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A free virtual literacy tutoring lesson with creator, Ms. Finzy OR a free virtual "how to teach reading" class for an unlimited group of parents
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A personalized "Hello" video from Cheetah Pickle to a child (or children) of your choice
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Your name in the show credits as a Philanthropist
