The Moodsters is the first evidence-based global children’s brand to address emotional literacy and resilience in young children.
The Moodsters are 6 quirky little feelings detectives known only to their human friends Zach, Zoey, and Sam. Whenever there’s a mood mystery, The Moodsters are on the case! From their high-tech Emote Control Center, The Moodsters grab their detective gear and leap into action to help their friends with those big feelings and challenging situations.
Through age-appropriate guidance, lively characters, and engaging activities, The Moodsters help young children build the resilience skills that enable them to not just bounce back from adversity, but bounce forward, better than ever!
Developed by Denise Daniels, RN, MS in collaboration with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, The Moodsters help kids reach their full potential by providing a science-based resource that gives children—and the grown-ups who care about them—the tools kids need to be healthy and resilient at home, in school, on the playground, and in life!
Through engaging characters, storybooks, workbooks and more, kids learn to explore their emotions, overcome obstacles, manage the unexpected, and build their confidence and competence.
After years of working with children in crisis in the U.S. and abroad, parenting and childhood-development expert Denise Daniels, RN, MS created The Moodsters brand, which is based on decades of scientific research in the field of emotional intelligence and resilience. Denise worked with Marc Brackett, PhD, and Robin Stern, PhD, who developed the framework for The Moodsters’ proprietary curriculum; this curriculum aligns closely with the RULER™ model devised by The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence for pre-K-to-12 schools. RULER is an acronym for the 5 skills of emotional intelligence:
For grown-ups, The Moodsters provide unlimited learning resources to help kids understand their thoughts, feelings, and behavior. For children, The Moodsters engage and delight with lovable characters whose action-packed preschool adventures help kids manage the challenges of everyday life.
Thank you for introducing our health care team to The Moodsters! We are using them in our Child Life Department and the kids love them! The Moodsters Feelings Thermometer is especially helpful for our young children to talk about their feelings.”
The Moodsters are genius! My child has learned the names of feelings and easy ways to handle them.”
I’ve never seen so many children coming to my class with emotional issues as I have this past year. The Moodsters are an invaluable tool to help those children and I want them in my classroom NOW!”
My kids had been acting out at home and struggling with stress from not being able to see their friends. We started using The Moodsters Feelings Thermometer over a year ago. One year later, we are still using it and we've seen a marked improvement in their stress level.”
My son loves The Moodsters! We often hear him in his bedroom talking to Quigly whenever things go bump in the night and he’s scared.”
Our newest calm and peaceful Moodster, Tully, is a soothing green color and is our Ambassador for Peace. Tully brings the cool when everyone around him is heated up. With his compassionate approach, Tully shows that even if we can’t always agree with each other, we can always be kind—including to ourselves. You think you messed something up? Don’t get mad at yourself. Just breathe out stress, breathe in calm, and look for a solution. Staying calm is a superpower when it’s done Tully-style!
The Moodsters’ Chief Resilience Detective. Coz knows how to bounce forward in the face of adversity. He’s got a can-do attitude, and he knows that it’s not falling down that matters, but getting back up. He models resilience by showing his friends that good things can happen if you’re willing to keep trying. When The Moodsters have cracked a case and he’s super-duper excited, bubbles float from his ears and he does a little happy dance.
The sweet pink Moodster who is full of love for all creatures great and small. Lolly has an attitude of gratitude, and she’s always available to lend a listening ear and provide a snuggle to anyone who needs it (like sniffly Snorf or quaking Quigly). Lolly rallies the team, and together they brainstorm creative solutions to face every challenge with courage and confidence.
The sentimental scaredy cat who’s afraid of his own shadow—and everyone else’s! A bit of a worrywart who always imagines the worst, Quigly hides under his security blanket until it transforms into a superpower cape that helps him find his courage. When he’s having BIG feelings, he can find his calm again by using self-talk, telling himself, “When things go wrong and you tremble with fear, tell yourself to be brave and your courage will appear!”
The little red dynamo who’s also a fierce and ferocious friend. Razzy knows that when her stress kicks in, her emotions run hot; that’s when sparks erupt from the top of her head! But she is learning that when she shares her frustration with the other Moodsters, those feelings will quickly turn around. A whirlwind of activity, Razzy is discovering how to channel her energy and use it for the greater good.
The tenderhearted, melancholy Moodster. Between bouts of boo-hooing, Snorf understands that his feelings are important—and that all feelings are okay! Managing his emotions helps him tackle the challenges he faces. Snorf is often found wearing galoshes and standing in a puddle of tears while dabbing his eyes with the never-ending hanky he keeps discreetly tucked into his fedora.
The imaginative and adventurous 7-year-old trying to adjust to life in a new city. When he feels uncertain about fitting in, he performs magic tricks, which brings him out of his shell and helps build his confidence. Luckily, when Zach gets in over his head (which happens pretty often), The Moodsters are always around to help him figure out just what to do to get out of his impending peril.
Zach’s 4-year-old sister: self-confident, stubborn, and attention-seeking—all of which Zach finds really annoying. Zoey wants nothing more than to keep up with Zach and Sam, whether they want her to or not. She waits impatiently in the wings during Zach’s magic show just in case he will give her a starring role!
Zach’s best friend and companion on all adventures. He, too, has moved to Moodsterville from far away, and shares his culture with Zach through food, sports, and more.
Zach’s sidekicks. Mr. Whiskers is supposed to be the “magic” in Zach’s magician’s hat, but he keeps escaping to watch TV (with rabbit ears, of course). Mr. Bones is Zach’s plush…whom only Zach can understand.
The psychological and emotional well-being of children.
Children’s resilience and positive mental health outcomes.
Providing emotional support to children in times of crisis.
We will always be a trusted source of research-based resources for parents and professionals working with children.
We will continue to create science-based, innovative learning tools that give children the social and emotional building blocks and resilience skills to be successful in life.