Jelly, Ben & Pogo

“Jelly, Ben & Pogo” is a web series created by Jalysa Leva, who became aware of the underrepresentation of Philippine culture in animated content. Leva was inspired by the series “Alma’s Way”, who follows the life of a Puerto Rican girl.

The series launched in 2021, and follows Filipina girl Jelly, her younger brother Ben, and their friend Pogo, who just so happens to be a sea monster. Each episode takes the three best friends on little adventures around their land and underwater homes and aims to help children learn how to approach problems, like saving an overheated lizard to helping a child face their fears. And while these lessons are being explored, you get to learn a culture that’s not usually showcased.

What makes “Jelly, Ben & Pogo” so great for Filipinos from the Philippines and Filipino Americans is that the culture is just part of the story, not the main focus. Explanations for phrases, foods, or traditions aren’t made so obvious, and makes it feel more normalized. The creators of the show “Jelly, Ben & Pogo” also wanted to introduce Filipino words to help Filipino children learn more about their language and introduce it to those who have never heard it before. The words and phrases are introduced without focusing too much on how audiences who aren’t familiar with the language would react.