12 Mar Mally & Mo: The Origin Story
Last summer, our entire upstairs filled with the unmistakable smell of burning plastic. It was one of those moments where your brain typically jumps straight to worst-case scenarios.
But strangely, in the middle of that moment, I felt a little calmer than I expected.
Not because I’m particularly cool under pressure. Definitely… no.
I was calmer than expected because someone in our household had recently made a very big deal about reviewing our family emergency plan. And I wish I could say that push came from one of the responsible adults in the home. Also, no.
In truth, the title of Safety Ambassador in our house belonged to our then six-year-old daughter. Yes. We had very recently been safety-schooled by a kindergartener, and the timing could not have been better.
So how does a kindergartener become the catalyst for a full household safety overhaul?
That story goes back to a classroom visit from the wonderful Claire Davis of the Fishers Fire Department. After Claire spoke to our daughter’s class, something clicked. Our daughter came home excited about safety. She asked questions. She inspired us to Google a few things, test a few smoke detectors, and learn a little more. She prompted conversations we most definitely should have had long ago.
That excitement led to real action in our home, including a trip to the hardware store to update every smoke detector in the house. (I also discovered that one of our fire extinguishers had been recalled for exploding upon deployment, so we got that squared away too.)
I remember feeling incredibly grateful to the Fishers Fire Department for inspiring such big action from someone so small.
Somehow, my brain couldn’t quite let it all go.
Several months later, I woke up in the middle of the night with a thought I couldn’t shake: What if there were a way to help public safety organizations extend that same spark into more homes? What if safety materials could be modernized to tackle the kinds of challenges kids are facing today… everything from smartphones to lithium-ion batteries to online safety?
That’s how Mally & Mo was born.
In the quiet hours of the morning, I had a clear vision of a super safety-savvy little girl (very much inspired by my daughter) and her well-meaning but bumbling dragon (probably… inspired by… me. Just being honest.)
It was immediately clear that this duo could tackle all kinds of safety topics. The ideas started pouring in, and before long, a comic began to take shape.
The goal was crystal clear from the start: Inspire kids. Engage families. Strengthen safety in our communities.
Mally & Mo is a comic created specifically to support the educational initiatives of public safety organizations. Each episode introduces modern safety topics in ways that are designed to stick with elementary-aged kids. Every episode is delivered as a single-sheet comic that doubles as a coloring page, and each one includes a Spokenote video code, allowing local public safety departments to attach their own messages directly to the story.
And now we’re here at the starting line.
We’re launching the very first episode of Mally & Mo with the Fishers Fire Department, in collaboration with Indy Ignite Volleyball. Fishers Fire Department and Ignite helped bring the magic by creating a video-enabled lesson on how to call 9-1-1 from a smartphone.
I have to extend deep gratitude to the Fishers Fire Department, not only for inspiring this entire movement, but for sharing insights on real-world safety topics and offering thoughtful feedback along the way.
I’m also officially a member of the Claire Davis fan club. Her energy when teaching safety is unmatched. Full stop.
And a huge thank you to Indy Ignite and their beloved mascot Pepper, who embraced this collaboration with an enthusiastic “yes and” from the very beginning.
I can’t wait for the road ahead.
Stay safe out there.
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If you’re part of a public safety organization interested in using Mally & Mo to reinforce safety messages in your community, the team at Mally & Mo would love to talk. We’re also currently exploring opportunities with sponsors and community partners who want to help broaden the reach of safety education for kids.