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Kokum Dorothy played by Renae Morriseau, and Dot puppeteered by Kellie Haines on the set of Kokum and Dot's recording session. (Photo submitted/April Johnson)
Muskoday First Nation connection

Kokum and Dot officially heading to TV screens in Alberta and B.C, looking for spot in Saskatchewan

Jul 10, 2025 | 4:13 PM

A kids show that teaches Cree lessons and is produced by a member of Muskoday First Nation has secured funding and a distribution deal. Kokum and Dot will head to television screens in British Columbia and Alberta next year and hopefully, April Johnson’s home province of Saskatchewan.

Its been near a year since Muskoday’s Johnson shot her proof of concept pilot for the show that uses a mix of live-action acting, animation, and puppeteering.

The proof of concept originally produced in 2024. The new episodes produced this year and airing in 2026 are expected to be around 15 minutes long.

Johnson said its been a long process to get the show to where it is today.

“I haven’t given up on getting this project and this series into the homes of Saskatchewan residents, for sure. I haven’t forgotten because that’s where I’m from. I’m from Muskoday and my script supervisor is from Mistawasis, and there’s a lot of Métis, Cree and other Indigenous filmmakers that were part of this project, and I think they’re all very proud of it. So we would love for all of their families to be able to watch the show.”

The eight episodes that have been shot revolve around the seven sacred teachings of the Cree, each represented by an animal. The first episode revolves around the teaching of love, represented by the eagle. The next episode teaches truth represented by the turtle, then the bison representing respect, and then the bear and courage, among other episodes.

While the show’s focus surrounds the teachings of the Cree, Johnson hopes that everyone can be both entertained and educated by the show.

“I think the show is really for everybody. Yes there’s language and culture in it, but the seven sacred Cree teachings like wisdom, humility, truth, courage, all of those great things that are universal.”

The show features Kokum Dorothy (played by Renae Morriseau) and her friend Dot (puppeteered by Kellie Haines), and Kokum Dorothy tells her stories to Dot throughout each episode. Dot is meant to represent the inner child of Kokum Dorothy before Dorothy went to residential schools.

The character of ‘Dot’ is meant to represent the inner child of Kokum Dorothy before she went to residential schools. (Photo submitted/April Johnson)

Both characters, Dorothy and Dot, are inspired by one of Johnson’s real life teachers, Kokum Dorothy Visser, who used puppeteering to help teach her Cree language classes during the pandemic. Visser also had a role in helping make sure the show used the proper dialects at the right times. If it wasn’t for her, Johnson doesn’t think the show would exist.

“I think she’s going into her late 80s, and she’s still teaching, and she has a passion for teaching Cree to children, and she uses puppetry when she teaches children. So I thought that is just so beautiful, and she showed us some of her puppets on the Zoom one day, and I could just see the light in her eyes. I just thought it would be great to try to do something to honour her work.” Johnson added, “I feel like there would have been no flicker of inspiration for me to even get going on this series like this without Kokum Dorothy.”

Series creator April Johnson (left) is originally from Muskoday First Nation, and was inspired to create the show after taking Cree lessons from Kokum Dorothy Visser, who serves as the inspiration behind the characters of Kokum and Dot. (Photo submitted/April Johnson)

Johnson is proud of the fact that Kokum and Dot’s production crew is mostly Indigenous as well.

The eight 15-minute episodes were filmed in just four days and still need to be edited and animated. The final details of the distribution deal need to be sorted, but she’s excited to get the show out into the public.

“It’s been fun. I think the fun has been a bit overshadowed at this point by some feelings of sometimes being overwhelmed and sometimes imposter syndrome because when you have been working towards something for so many years, that becomes normal, just wanting it and not having it…and then things are starting to materialize and you’re like, ‘Whoa, what’s going on?’.”

Kokum and Dot has a license agreement signed with Telus, and the series will be sent to them to start airing in 2026.

nick.nielsen@pattisonmedia.com