YouTube Mental Health Series

How the magic of animated storytelling confronts viral mental health disinfo

YouTube — Mental Health Animated Videos

Discipline

Art Direction
Character Design
Storyboarding
Animation
SFX

Sector

Mental Health
Mis/Disinformation

Links

Self-Compassion | AAP Grounding Techniques | AAP Self-Compassion | CMI Grounding Techniques | CMI

Keep scrolling to play the full series

How can YouTube protect their users who might be experiencing a mental health crisis from harmful content?

We partnered with doctors and experts at American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP), Child Mind Institute (CMI), and Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) to radically expand YouTube’s mental health resources. Through a six-video series of grounding and self-compassion exercises, we brought characters to life in unique cinematic worlds so that anyone seeking mental health content can connect to their inner child and heal through content backed by research.

These videos are accessed by global users who search terms relating to suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders will be redirected by YouTube to their Crisis Resource Panel to ensure those struggling with mental health have a safe place to unplug. Dive deeper into our creative process below, and take a few soothing deep breaths.

Meet Blobbi, AAP’s Guide to Every Feeling.

To further AAP’s mission of fostering inclusive and accessible mental health resources for youth, we introduced Blobbi, a friendly, amorphous character designed to feel approachable and relatable to global teen audiences. Blobbi’s form was intentionally crafted to be race, gender, and age agnostic, making them a universal figure, and now the official AAP youth mental health mascot that transcends boundaries and invites empathy.

Blobbi’s soft, rounded edges and soothing blue hue were selected to evoke feelings of calm and safety. Their fluid, adaptable shape allows them to navigate various emotional scenarios, helping teens visualize and connect with concepts like grounding, self-compassion, and emotional regulation.

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Creating A Garden of Calm for CAMH

For the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), we set out to create more than just animations—we visualized scenes of reflection that feel personal and spiritual for those struggling with addiction. Inspired by the grounding qualities of nature and the principles of eastern meditation, we developed a visual language that encourages viewers to slow down, unplug, and reconnect with themselves and their environment. Every detail was crafted with care, drawing on CAMH’s expertise in mental health and addiction care to ensure the content was both impactful and authentic.

“I loved working with A—B Partners. Their creative work is so fresh and so beautiful, but what makes them a standout is their meticulous approach to production.

Their level of thoughtfulness and client engagement is spectacular."

— Karen Cleveland, Director of Strategic Initiatives, CAMH

Shaping Emotion Through Fluidity for CMI

For the Child Mind Institute, we embraced a bold, grounded approach to animation that centered challenging emotions at the heart of the teen experience. Through our friendly hero, we visualized a range of relatable feelings in their bedroom, in nature, in their own mind, and ultimately in a place of inner healing.

This open-ended design offered a safe, inclusive space to explore self-care techniques in a way that feels intuitive, impactful, and reflective of their own journey. By focusing on emotion rather than specificity, the content became timeless and deeply resonant for our global adolescent audience, serving as a gentle reminder that care begins from within.

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This creative direction leans into soft geometry and harmonious color-scapes, striking a balance between energy and introspection. Our humanoid character, with their identity-agnostic design and recognizably teen fashion, became a universally relatable figure.

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