Splash'N Boots Talks Plus 1 Tour, Hug Pillow And Alan Doyle

By Kim Hughes

It’s perhaps ironic that children’s entertainers — though vessels for shiny, happy, sticky singalongs about fantastical ephemera — in many ways carry more responsibility than their rock-and-roll brethren. And not just because getting drunk on the job would be a fast-track to disgrace and unemployment.

Children are hugely impressionable; lessons learned in childhood can and do irrevocably shape us forevermore. Imparting a positive message in a persuasive way that makes sense to a child while sustaining her attention is a towering achievement, as anyone who has ever tried to get a four-year-old to eat breakfast quickly can attest.

That axiom is well known to Nick Adams and Taes Leavitt, better known as Canadian children’s performers Splash’N Boots. The globetrotting, five-time Juno Award–nominees and Treehouse Television stars convey all sorts of fun, uplifting messages in their songs, from the joys of growing up (“Tilly the Tadpole,” from 2012's Coconuts Don't Fall Far From the Tree) to the power of love (“Bumblebee” from their latest, Love, Kisses and Hugs).

But Splash’N Boots take it further, finding unique ways to make their music and live shows inclusive while promoting notions of kindness and compassion. To wit: Lucas’ Letters, a pen-pal program aimed at autistic children but open to any kid with a pencil and paper. The duo promotes Lucas’ Letters on their website and beyond alongside other initiatives including the Sick Kids Foundation.

– Continue reading Kim Hughes’ Q&A with Splash’N Boots on the SamaritanMag website.