With their two original characters Kiko and Riko, students from Misr International University are using their graduation project as a gateway to reintroduce the art of puppeteering as an edutainment tool for kids in Egypt

The students launched their campaign – Following Kiko and Riko – in June 2021.

The group consists of eight women trying to raise awareness about the importance of the art by using these two characters as the face of their campaign to reach kids in Egypt. Kiko and Riko are fictional characters that have personalities designed to intrigue kids by sharing their journey as they try to find their home in a world where they have been forgotten.

The characters take kids on a journey through episodes that both entertain and educate, with each one ending with a moral lesson. The campaign launched on social media platforms Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

The campaign aims to reach kids ages six to twelve to showcase a new innovative means of entertainment with an educational edge to raise awareness of art that today’s generation has not had a chance to witness. Also, by shedding light on taboo topics in an easy way, the puppets are able to explain topics that others forms of art cannot. With this campaign the art of puppeteering has made it’s comeback in 2021 with an innovative new facelift.

“The art of puppeteering has been truly neglected in Egypt for a long time now and with you trying to reintroduce the art back today and raising awareness about it, it is truly a huge thing,” commented Mohamed Fawzy, the founder and director of Kayan Marionette.

Misr International University is a private university located in Cairo. It was founded in 1996 by Hussein El-Rashidy. The organization and its Faculty of Mass Communication have been teaching their students to explore and find new ideas to launch creative campaigns that could make a difference.