Detective Duck

FROM QUACKS TO QUIRKS: DETECTIVE DUCK INVESTIGATES THE CLUES, WHILE CHALLENGING THE BLUES

LIVIN is pleased to announce its first foray into the world of animation via Detective Duck and his flock of feathered friends engaging fearlessly in the complexities of mental health. 

This first-of-its-kind series takes Bluey and The Simpsons as inspiration, as it delves into the uncharted territory of mental health challenges. The series offers a fresh perspective on the struggles of those who experience mental challenges, while fostering understanding and empathy among viewers of all ages.

Through their journey, audiences will learn more about the power of social support in assisting individuals make their way back from adversity and overcome mental health challenges. As Superintendent Swan quickly finds out, sometimes all it takes is extending a helping wing to those in need.

The series is in 4-parts, with each episode spanning approximately two minutes, skilfully blending humour, heart-warming moments, and educational content to deliver a compelling and an impactful experience. Key to this, is the creative incorporation of LIVIN’s mental health education program, LIVINWell. Touching on the key points of understanding mental health as a continuum; recognising warning signs and symptoms of mental ill-health; practicing self-care; and learning how to support someone in your life who may be struggling.

LIVIN’s Commitment to Mental Health:

Since its inception, LIVIN has been dedicated to sparking conversations on mental health and reiterating the mantra – ‘It Ain’t Weak to Speak’. Detective Duck represents the next phase of this mission, as the animation series seeks to bridge the gap between entertainment and mental health education.

For many years, LIVIN has championed schools, sporting clubs and workplaces to create and nurture a culture in which people are encouraged to speak up and reach out for help if needed. This has included providing mental health support and education, including founder Casey Lyons and Psychologist Luke Foster, and 25 plus other trained facilitators to schools and workplaces across Australia.

Detective Duck’s adventures are designed to captivate and stimulate critical thinking, especially among secondary aged students. This is crucial because engaging adolescents early in their secondary school years is just as vital as addressing the challenges faced by adults. Research indicates that young individuals are less inclined to seek assistance compared to adults, and this willingness to seek help tends to decline during adolescence. Therefore, it becomes even more imperative to raise awareness and understanding of Detective Duck’s story. It’s time to shine a spotlight on Detective Duck’s journey.

Lights, camera, action.

The series was designed and produced by animation studio Yukfoo, which has worked with renowned companies Nike, Disney, Mastercard, Ben and Jerrys, and Jaguar, to name a few. But it was engaging and supporting the work of a not-for-profit in the space of mental health that drew Founder Alan Dickson to this project, who pointed out “when working for a charity, especially one as important as LIVIN, you need to be hyper efficient and effective. It took us a while, but we gave it our best shot and we’re really pleased with the results.”

Alan is quick to praise the highly talented team at Yukfoo for the effort and creative skills brought to this challenging project. Especially Alex Dron, the animation director who brought the characters to life; Amy Neeve, the series producer and passionate mental health advocate; Trevor Dedekind, the series animator; and Glenn Reel, a long-time writer at Yukfoo, who came up with the characters and script. As Alan put it “they are a very creative team. We had three ideas, this one was the riskiest, but it was the one that really resonated with everybody.”

LIVIN CEO Casey Lyons and LIVIN Psychologist Luke Foster were not sitting idly throughout the process either. Like all their life passions, they took a constructive and hands-on approach to the design and concept stage. Alan praised their insights and manner, saying, “we learned a lot from listening to them speak. Trying to visualise certain mental health concepts in a consumable way was the tricky part, yet their skills as presenters really shone through and gave us a lot to work with; while teaching us an enormous amount about mental health along the way.”

Next steps

The Detective Duck animation videos will be housed on LIVIN’s website with a campaign landing page that is both engaging and visually captivating. There will be a launch event held in the coming months that will promote LIVIN’s new mental health initiative designed to make mental health education more entertaining and relatable. As part of this, there will be exclusive merchandise and giveaways, along with a whole host of other extras for interested parties.

When summarising his time with Casey and Luke, Alan was quick to point out, “you could tell they were genuinely committed to the cause. These guys are deeply invested in what they do. They have a personal stake in it, and that conviction is what convinced me.”

With such passion and determination emanating from LIVIN, it is hardly surprising Detective Duck is being called out for its excellence. As LIVIN takes this innovative animation series public in the coming weeks, expectations are running high. Yet for Casey and the team, it all comes back to simply letting people know that ‘It Ain’t Weak to Speak’ and speaking up can save lives.

Campaign Assets 

Live – 1 October 2023, with the 4-part animation series, Detective Duck.

Campaign Landing Page

#livin #itaintweaktospeak #detectiveduck