Waffles + Mochi

Waffles + Mochi(pronouncedWaffles and Mochi) is an Americanchildren'scookingpuppet television series. Produced byHigher Ground ProductionswithMichelle Obamaas executive producer,it was released onNetflixon March 16, 2021.
Three companion books were also released in 2021:Follow That Food!by Christy Webster and Sarah Rebar,Pickle Partyby Frank Berrio and Sarah Rebar,andWaffles + Mochi: Get Cooking!byYewande Komolafe.
On November 23, 2021, Netflix released a special holiday episode titled "Waffles + Mochi's Holiday Feast".On October 17, 2022, Netflix released a spinoff series titledWaffles + Mochi's Restaurant.
Waffles (whose dad is a frozen waffle and mother is a yeti) and Mochi (amochiball)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.
Waffles + Mochiwas produced byHigher Ground Productions, the production company founded by formerPresidentandFirst Ladyof the United StatesBarack ObamaandMichelle Obama.It is one of the first programs to be made by the company for Netflix.Executive produced by Erika Thormahlen, Jeremy Konner, Tonia Davis, Priya Swaminathan, Alex Braverman, and the Obamas,it was announced on February 9, 2021,and its trailer was released on February 11.All episodes were made available to stream on Netflix on March 16, 2021.
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.The original plans for the puppets had them "as detailed as possible with animatronics" but decided to keep them simpler andSesame Street-like with "puppetry rods clearly visible".
On the review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes,Waffles + Mochiholds 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 + Mochiis a delightful treat."OnMetacritic, it has a score of 82 out of 100 based on 12 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
The Guardiancritic 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".TheLos 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",while Sonia Saraiya ofVanity Fairwrote thatWaffles + Mochi"feels wholesomely entertaining" as a show.Time's Judy Berman penned that the series is the "Sesame Streetof food TV", describing it as "engaging, illuminating, curious and effortlessly inclusive".
On November 1, 2022, the series was nominated for fiveChildren's and Family Emmy Awardsincluding Outstanding Preschool Series at the1st Children's and Family Emmy Awards.