Ukrainian "Mavka" and "Hey Duggee" team up for an animated Welcoming Song

Mavka and Swampy the Kittyfrog have joined Duggee and his Squirrel Club for a special animated video. The release is a result of a partnership between the creators of Ukrainian "Mavka. The Forest Song" animated feature and Hey Duggee animation series – Animagrad (FILM.UA Group), Studio AKA and Mother for BBC Studios.

The aim of this new video is to welcome Ukrainian children who were forced to leave their homes because of the war and make them feel comfortable in the new country. "Mavka" and "Hey Duggee" were brought together by Mother, as part of its Friendly Faces project. Felix Richter, a Partner at Mother London added: “Collaborating together on this project to help thousands of children see the value of friendship, across language barriers, has been an absolute privilege.”

The new special episode of Hey Duggee shows the different language that Mavka and Swampy speak being from Ukraine. To help them settle in Duggee, The Squirrels and Hummingbirds sing "The Welcome Song" which is complete with translations of Ukrainian phrases to help the new arrivals feel at home (and to give children here some phrases to use for a nice big welcome).

The goal of the episode is that seeing some friendly faces of Mavka and Swampy with Duggee and friends will help make the real-world new arrivals feel even more welcome, and that also helps children here saying a big Ukrainian hello to their new friends. Harriet Newby-Hill, VP Marketing – Kids & Family at BBC Studios said: “We are delighted to team up with Mother and Animagrad and feel very proud that Hey Duggee is playing its part to help children coming to the UK from Ukraine feel welcome in such a charming and educational way.”

This exceptional episode of Hey Duggee is available across all Hey Duggee social channels: YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, HeyDuggee.com, and on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer. "This cooperation is very important to us and we are happy and grateful for the support of the Mother in bringing Duggee and Mavka together, allowing us to help the children through a beloved British animated series making friends with much loved Ukrainian animated characters" says the CEO of Animagrad, Egor Olesov, who also emphasizes the significance of such projects at the time of war, for the comfort and integration they offer to the Ukrainian temporarily displaced people and the support for the struggling Ukrainian entertainment industry. "Every integrational effort is a chance for cross-cultural exchange and new experiences."