Join the three animal pals as they have lots of adventures together and learn about friendship and teamwork along the way.
Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto! features Yoko the Bird, Jakamoko the Armadillo and Toto the (cheeky!) Monkey. These three characters have lots of adventures together, learning about friendship and teamwork along the way.
Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto! draws upon traditional Spanish, Latin American and African art and music for its style. It combines a natural 'arts and craft' feel with simple, non-verbal storytelling and contemporary, computer-based animation.
The stories are full of energy and every adventure is accompanied by exciting, upbeat music. Yoko, Jakamoko and Toto have great fun together as they sing, laugh and dance their way through their wilderness environment.
The kind of stories your little ones will see involve the three friends working together to solve both physical and emotional problems like how to cross a wide ravine, look after a newborn baby turtle, find a special talent, or cope with being scared of the dark. Each story is told solely through music and action, without conventional dialogue, and always delivers a satisfying, surprise ending!
The educational value of the show
Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto! helps children to:
- Laugh and develop a sense of humour!
- Begin to appreciate traditional Spanish, Latin American and African art and music.
- Develop an understanding of teamwork that will help them throughout life!
- Develop essential real-life problem-solving skills.
Read about the characters
Yoko
Yoko,
the smallest of the three, is a bird and can usually be found standing on Jakamoko's back. Yoko constantly strives to add beauty to the real world, garnishing it with colourful stones, creating sweeping patterns in the sand with the tip of her wing, or gliding high over the desert. However, she has a distracted air about her, never holding a moment or thought too long, always moving on to the next bright thing. Yoko is taken by beauty and clearly has the ability to become obsessed by it. Consequently, her artistic nature can sometimes express itself at inappropriate moments.
Jakamoko
Jakamoko
is an armadillo and is large, thoughtful and solid. He is the glue that binds the friends together. Solid as a rock, he is always calm, thoughtful, pragmatic and knowing. Jakamoko appreciates talent when he sees it. He admires Yoko's artistic flair, for he knows he is not capable of such creativity himself. Yoko in return admires Jakamoko's inner calm, something that is always just beyond her reach. And Jakamoko's good temper compensates for Toto's rashness; while Toto stops Jakamoko getting too serious. Of all the characters, Jakamoko is the most mysterious. He never acts on impulse, and is slow to rile. He's an Armadillo with hidden depths and a very thick skin.
Toto
Toto
is a cheeky monkey who is always by Yoko and Jakamoto's side. He is the joker of the pack and is always full of energy and happiness. Sometimes though, his practical jokes can cause friction in the group or lead them into the lion's den - literally! Toto's actions are never motivated by malice, it's simply that his childish exuberance and enthusiasm get the better of him.
