I wanna be KonKonni
KonKonni (Stout Konijn) – a cheeky, cuddly rabbit in a harsh world, spreading love with an endless amount of cute rabbit droppings! A picture book about the power of cuddles and overcoming the fear to be your true self. If I dared to be as brave and loving as my best cuddly friend KonKonni… What would I do? I would be unstoppable! KonKonni shows us a world where everyone belongs, where even our meanest bully dares to step down and show its soft side.
#inclusion #love #nature #playtogether #daretodream
Longlisted for the World Illustration Awards 2021
- A picture book for young children (age 3-7)
- 36 illustrated pages with a rhyming story written in Dutch.
- Dutch title: Stout Konijn – Wil jij mijn lievelingsknuffel zijn?
- Written by Douwe-Sjoerd Boschman and illustrated by Ricardo Makosi.
- ISBN 9789082421811
- Publisher: stoutkonijn.nl
Feel free to contact us for a sample of the picture book (including a preliminary translation in English).
ORIGIN
KonKonni (Stout Konijn) originates from a children’s outdoor activity on Dutch festival: Into The Great Wide Open, on the island of Vlieland in the Wadden Sea. KonKonni embodies the values of being yourself, inclusivity and love for nature’s tiny wonders. It dares to be loving and gentle to everyone!
Since 2013 game designers Douwe-Sjoerd Boschman and Ricardo Makosi visit the island yearly with their (way too big) best cuddly friend and hundreds of its giant rabbit droppings. Creating an interactive storytelling experience for all children (and playful grown ups) at the music and art festival, all weekend long. In 2019 in co-creation with the children living on the island of Vlieland a ‘Stout Konijn’ nature playground and adventure trail were designed. In 2020 two new cuddly friends inhabit the island as well, located on another playground in the dunes: Sobs the seal (Tobber) and Grumper the seagull (Schreeuwmeeuw). The world of KonKonni and its fans grows with every festival the picture book characters visit. In the summer of 2021 Stout Konijn will open a city-nature discovery trail at public garden ‘Tolhuistuin’ in the center of Amsterdam.
ICONOGRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS
The KonKonni artwork is hand-drawn digitally in Photoshop and contains a custom font. The iconographic illustrations are made with a limited color palette and smart usage of closure and silhouette. The style is flat and layered but not simple, visualising play of light and erratic weather and tides on the Wadden Sea island. As the story evolves the world of KonKonni gradually contains more detail. The world of KonKonni is designed to engage both children and (grand)parents and to create a space to play together with our imagination.
IMMERSIVE STORYTELLING
The artwork of KonKonni is used for multiple media: In print in our newest picture book as well as digitally developed for future animation use in interactive media. Specific icons are used in an interactive storytelling card game, T-shirt designs and signing for the KonKonni adventure trails and playgrounds. In addition we use the artwork and painted font in all our KonKonni children’s storytelling events.
MATERIAL
The hardcover picture book has a matte finish with Spot UV coating. The illustrations in the picture book are printed on uncoated, sustainable paper with an extra tactile surface, 170gsm Munken Polar Rough. The lasercut KonKonni bookmark takes the story out of its cover, playing hide and seek anywhere.
About the designers
Douwe-Sjoerd Boschman (1985) is a self-employed artist living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. With his background in concept design for serious games and interactive storytelling he loves to make our world more playful. The world of KonKonni (Stout Konijn) is inspired by his childhood memories going to the island of Vlieland every year and nature’s unique wild world of the Wadden Sea, UNESCO World Heritage.
Ricardo Makosi (1978) is an independent illustrator based in the Netherlands. With his graphic design experience he teaches enthusiastically at a Community College in Amsterdam. He has a background in game design and animation and produced several award winning serious games. Together with writer and play designer Douwe-Sjoerd Boschman he created KonKonni, a lovely soft cuddly rabbit in a harsh world.
A teaser of the ‘Stout Konijn’ picture book story on Dutch Television
