Mr. Furry Fur Fur and his friendly earth friends

Mindful Metropolis, June issue

My three-year-old niece, Gwendolyn, hasn’t yet seen “An Inconvenient Truth,” and if she had, the complicated science featured in Al Gore’s documentary about global climate change — and the call for humans to protect their planet — would have gone right over her little head.

“Mr. Furry Fur Fur and his friendly earth friends,” on the other hand, was right in her playhouse. She watched, laughed and danced to this narrative, 50-minute DVD, which is produced by Friendly Earth Friends, LLC, and intended for children ages 3-6. This is the story of Mr. Furry Fur Fur, Blink the butterfly, Flutter from Sunny City, Scribbles the squirrel and Pete the possum — animated, talking animals who throw a surprise birthday party for their wise old friend, Mr. Tree, in the park on the edge of a city.

According to the DVD’s jacket: “This show is about why we love the Earth and all of Earth’s creatures. It is an independent production created by impassioned artists. Mr. Furry Fur Fur brings safe entertainment to children with a positive message inspiring critical thinking, love and peace while encouraging children to go outside and play.”

First, though, the animals have to determine how old their wise companion is turning (hint: count the rings across Mr. Tree’s radius), secure enough candles for the occasion, make sure someone brings cupcakes to the party, dance until the music stops, and then clean up after the party while making sure to recycle everything that can be reused.

FriendlyEarthFriends.com is the creation of Chicago musicians Christine and Tony, who aired their idea last year at Party for the Planet at the Brookfield Zoo and at Chicago’s Green Festival. “Mr. Furry Fur Fur” is their first DVD. Christine and Tony’s mission, according to the website, is to: “encourage children to explore, learn and grow from their natural environment; chart the boundaries of a safe, creative space in which children are free to experience and reimagine their world; empower children and their guardians to be voices within and supporters of their communities, and highlight the symbiotic nature of our relationship with the Earth and its creatures.”

My niece and I viewed the DVD on my laptop one Saturday morning, and as soon as Mr. Furry Fur Fur appeared on screen to announce Mr. Tree’s birthday party, she quit asking to watch “The Wizard of Oz” (for what would have been the fourteenth time). Soon Gwendolyn was dancing along with the characters (to an energizing, Eurobeat), and she didn’t ask me even once how they were able to talk, dance and recycle. It seems anything is possible in the mind of a three-year-old.

Before ending, the movie asks child viewers to draw a picture of Mr. Tree and send it to Christine and Tony at P.O. Box 3445, Oak Park, IL, 60303 (you can see the drawings done by other youngsters on their blog: www.friendlyearthfriends.wordpress.com), and that sent Gwen scurrying to find paper and crayons.

I decided I’d save the science lesson on how trees produce the air we breath for our next visit.