I follow an Instagram account called The Tiny Chef Show. It’s a stop-motion animated character who loves to cook.
The account is engaging and lighthearted and whimsical and everything good, and the Tiny Chef has captured so many hearts.
His current story arc shows him going through a cooking show host school and sending out reels to networks in the hopes of getting his show produced.
Today… I hopped on the ‘gram during a quick brain break and the latest Tiny Chef video popped up. He was listening to several rejections on his answering machine and I lost it. A tiny animated character on Instagram made me cry.
Honestly, I cry easily anyway so it’s not that out of the ordinary, but why this? Why now?
I’m invested in this character – and the only way that happens is with storytelling that connects with the audience.
The way they choose to tell the story of a tiny chef who lives in a tree with a tiny stuffed kiwi bird and caterpillar as a pet engages so many. We see ourselves in that tiny green guy working through is speech impediment, his love for baking, affinity for small cute things (as he’s a small cute thing too), going through school and facing all that rejection…
I can’t wait to see if the Tiny Chef gets his show. In the meantime, I’m with him in the trenches, tears and all.