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Waffles + Mochi

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Waffles + Mochi
Promotional poster
Created by
Directed byJeremy Konner
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10 + 1 special
Production
Executive producers
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseMarch 16, 2021 (2021-03-16)

Waffles + Mochi (pronounced Waffles and Mochi) is an American children's cooking puppet television series. Produced by Higher Ground Productions with Michelle Obama as executive producer,[1] it was released on Netflix on March 16, 2021.

Three companion books were also released in 2021: Follow That Food! by Christy Webster and Sarah Rebar,[2] Pickle Party by Frank Berrio and Sarah Rebar,[3] and Waffles + Mochi: Get Cooking! by Yewande Komolafe.[4][5]

On November 23, 2021, Netflix released a special holiday episode titled "Waffles + Mochi's Holiday Feast".[6] On October 17, 2022, Netflix released a spinoff series titled Waffles + Mochi's Restaurant.[7]

Premise

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Waffles (whose dad is a frozen waffle and mother is a yeti) and Mochi (a mochi ball)[8] are two friends that wish they could become chefs but live in the land of frozen food where everything is made of ice. They're hired as employees of a grocery store owned by Michelle Obama. Through the series they encounter tasks they need to accomplish and travel around the world on Magicart where they meet chefs, other food experts, and learn to eat and make different kinds of foods in each episode.

Cast

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Episodes

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Series overview
SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
110March 16, 2021 (2021-03-16)
Special1November 23, 2021 (2021-11-23)
Waffles + Mochi's Restaurant6October 17, 2022 (2022-10-17)

Season 1 (2021)

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal release date
11"Tomato"March 16, 2021 (2021-03-16)
22"Salt"March 16, 2021 (2021-03-16)
33"Potato"March 16, 2021 (2021-03-16)
44"Pickles"March 16, 2021 (2021-03-16)
55"Rice"March 16, 2021 (2021-03-16)
66"Egg"March 16, 2021 (2021-03-16)
77"Herbs & Spices"March 16, 2021 (2021-03-16)
88"Corn"March 16, 2021 (2021-03-16)
99"Mushroom"March 16, 2021 (2021-03-16)
1010"Water"March 16, 2021 (2021-03-16)

Special (2021)

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal release date
111"Waffles + Mochi's Holiday Feast"23 November 2021 (2021-11-23)[11]

Waffles + Mochi's Restaurant (2022)

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal release date
121"Honey"17 October 2022 (2022-10-17)
132"Bread"17 October 2022 (2022-10-17)
143"Chocolate vs. Vanilla"17 October 2022 (2022-10-17)
154"Bananas"17 October 2022 (2022-10-17)
165"Cheese"17 October 2022 (2022-10-17)
176"Spicy"17 October 2022 (2022-10-17)

Production and release

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Waffles + Mochi was produced by Higher Ground Productions, the production company founded by former President and First Lady of the United States Barack Obama and Michelle Obama.[12][13] It is one of the first programs to be made by the company for Netflix.[14] Executive produced by Erika Thormahlen, Jeremy Konner, Tonia Davis, Priya Swaminathan, Alex Braverman, and the Obamas,[15] it was announced on February 9, 2021,[16] and its trailer was released on February 11.[17] All episodes were made available to stream on Netflix on March 16, 2021.[18]

Puppets

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The puppets were created by Viva La Puppet and had the unusual feature of being able to eat food on camera for multiple takes. Waffles had a "hidden pocket" that's cleanable along with a specifically designed glove to let Waffles eat hot food safely, according to Waffle's puppeteer Michelle Zamora. To improve Zamora's real-time reactions to Waffles eating food, they rigged the sets so Zamora could eat at the same time as Waffles and she said she was "getting spoon-fed tortellini from Massimo Bottura — world-renowned chefs!" They had "three or four puppets" on set for the eating scenes in case the puppets got too messy and were unable to be cleaned.[19] The original plans for the puppets had them "as detailed as possible with animatronics" but decided to keep them simpler and Sesame Street-like with "puppetry rods clearly visible".[8]

Critical reception

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On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, Waffles + Mochi holds an approval rating of 95% with an average rating 8.40/10, based on 21 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "A deliciously silly serving of edutainment, Waffles + Mochi is a delightful treat."[20] On Metacritic, it has a score of 82 out of 100 based on 12 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[21]

The Guardian critic Adrian Horton, giving the series a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, wrote that it is "hard to fault" and that it "strikes the difficult balance between didacticism, age-appropriate messaging and zany fun".[22] The Los Angeles Times' Robert Lloyd described the series as "a well-balanced mix of familiar ingredients: a fanciful set, documentary visits to far-flung places, real kids being real, comical or calming adults, and puppets",[23] while Sonia Saraiya of Vanity Fair wrote that Waffles + Mochi "feels wholesomely entertaining" as a show.[24] Time's Judy Berman penned that the series is the "Sesame Street of food TV", describing it as "engaging, illuminating, curious and effortlessly inclusive".[25]

On November 1, 2022, the series was nominated for five Children's and Family Emmy Awards including Outstanding Preschool Series at the 1st Children's and Family Emmy Awards.[26]

References

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  1. ^ Benveniste, Alexis (February 9, 2021). "Michelle Obama is launching a cooking show on Netflix". CNN. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  2. ^ Webster, Christy (2021). Follow that food!. Sarah Rebar, Michelle Obama, Erika Thormahlen, Jeremy Konner. New York. ISBN 978-0-593-42552-7. OCLC 1240729552.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ Berrios, Frank (2021). Pickle party!. Sarah Rebar, Erika Thormahlen, Jeremy Konner. New York. ISBN 978-0-593-38244-8. OCLC 1237807357.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Komolafe, Yewande (2021). Waffles + Mochi: Get Cooking!. [S.l.]: CLARKSON POTTER. ISBN 978-0-593-23409-9. OCLC 1236092028.
  5. ^ Raugust, Karen (February 18, 2021). "Random House Cooks Up Tie-Ins for Michelle Obama-Backed 'Waffles'". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  6. ^ Kenney, Jamie (November 15, 2021). "Exclusive Look At 'Waffles + Mochi' Holiday Special". Romper. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  7. ^ Debbie Diamond Sarto (October 6, 2022). "Netflix Shares 'Waffles + Mochi's Restaurant' Trailer". Animation World Network. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Worthington, Clint (March 17, 2021). "How Do You Feed a Puppet? Behind the Tasty Edutainment of Waffles + Mochi". Vulture. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  9. ^ Fallon, Kevin (March 23, 2021). "Meet Michelle Obama's Gay BFF from Her New Kids' Show". The Daily Beast.
  10. ^ Lungu, Mia (May 25, 2021). "Kira Hagi, despre proiectul cu Netflix și Michelle Obama: "Am fost acolo la prima oră"". Antena 3 (in Romanian).
  11. ^ Maressa Brown (November 30, 2021). "10 Heartwarming Holiday Shows, Movies, and Specials to Watch as a Family This Month". Yahoo! News. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  12. ^ "Waffles + Mochi: Michelle Obama's Netflix kids show is adorable and inspirational". Bt Group. BT TV. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  13. ^ Hadero, Haleluya (March 16, 2021). "Michelle Obama aims to give a million meals in new campaign". Associated Press. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  14. ^ Lloyd, Robert (March 16, 2021). "'Waffles + Mochi' proves that Michelle Obama is a kids' TV natural". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  15. ^ D'Addario, Daniel (March 14, 2021). "'Waffles + Mochi' Brings Michelle Obama to Kids' TV: Review". Variety. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  16. ^ "How to watch Waffles + Mochi in the UK: Guide to Michelle Obama's new educational Netflix series". Radio Times. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  17. ^ Martin, Annie (February 11, 2021). "Michelle Obama introduces 'Waffles + Mochi' in trailer for cooking show". United Press International. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  18. ^ Michallon, Clémence (March 16, 2021). "Everything you need to know about Michelle Obama's new cooking show, Waffles + Mochi". The Independent. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  19. ^ Turchiano, Danielle (March 16, 2021). "How the 'Waffles + Mochi' Puppets Were Built to Eat". Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  20. ^ "Waffles + Mochi: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  21. ^ "Waffles + Mochi: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  22. ^ Horton, Adrian (March 16, 2021). "Waffles + Mochi review – Michelle Obama's charming puppet series". The Guardian. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  23. ^ Lloyd, Robert (March 16, 2021). "'Waffles + Mochi' proves that Michelle Obama is a kids' TV natural". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  24. ^ Saraiya, Sonia (March 15, 2021). "Review: The Obamas' 'Waffles + Mochi,' Starring Michelle, Enters the Culture Wars". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  25. ^ Berman, Judy (March 16, 2021). "'Waffles + Mochi' Is the 'Sesame Street' of Food TV". Time. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  26. ^ Hailu, Selome (December 10, 2022). "2022 Children's & Family Creative Arts Emmy Winners (Full List, Night 1)". Variety. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
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