Hello! If you’re here, you probably like our Bubble Buddies and want to know how they came to life. It is a long story of friendship and passion.

I’m Rosa, Italian, living by a lake near Rome, one of your storytellers, a producer, a lazy sailor, and sometimes my own assistant. I sometimes wonder if I count as an invasive species among all these Brits, but I love them, they are the nicest. Where you are from is not important. Everyone is interesting, and no one is better.

It began in London with endless chats, laughter, and fierce little brainstorms with Debra. We wanted to do something for our beloved sea. Soon we realised we needed more brain cells, so we brought in Tricia and Tamsin, and James too, with his witty humour. Of course, we started with the characters we loved most, each of us fighting for our favourites.

The Octopus – smart, bizarre, and always eight steps ahead – was Debra's brilliant brainchild.
The Seahorse – unique, sweet, and as precious as a pearl – was Tricia's inspired idea.
The Turtle – ancient, mysterious, and the one who knows (almost) all the answers – was my champion, in honour of my fabulous 90-year-old turtle Agata. (She even worked in a film, but that is another story!)
The Urchin – cute, spiky, and naughty enough to keep us entertained – was James's joint favourite proposal.
The Clownfish – the most colourful, popular and lovable – was Tamsin's idea.

Then came the naming process; an epic saga because we wanted them to sound Greek and be easy to say (which is not always easy!). We had polls, endless debates, and far too much coffee and ice cream. (Confession: I kept daydreaming about chocolate ice cream with whipped cream. What's your favourite? Focus, Rosa!)

Once we had the names, we thought we were done. Ha! WRONG! That was only Level One. The next step was deciding what they would look like. Hours of crucial, universe-defining debates followed: green? Not enough shells? Bigger eyes? Smaller fins? If we get it wrong, who knows – the tides could reverse, or worse, our turtle might end up called something ridiculous like Lady Wobbleflap. Ca-tas-tro-phic.

This is where Tamsin comes in. She’s our amazing illustrator. At first glance, with her sweet face, she looks funny and playful. But don’t be fooled – that’s a mask. She is focused and resolute, and has a clear vision and a fantastic eye for tiny, precious details. And of course, she is armed with the fastest pen in the Northern Hemisphere.

She kept sending us sketch after sketch, faster than we could argue about them. We discussed, pondered and debated for hours, because we wanted our characters to be truly lovable and unique. Meanwhile, I lounged on the sofa offering very helpful comments like, “Hmm, maybe a little less brown… Hmmmmmmm, maybe more shells?” Luckily, we were on Zoom, or Tamsin might have painted my nose bright red in revenge!

And that’s how our beloved Bubble Buddies were born; with love, laughter, sugar, caffeine, Tamsin’s magic pen, and enough chaos to keep the ocean tides steady. We are a group of friends, each quite different but with the same love for the sea and our planet. I have already introduced our illustrator Tamsin, and I quickly mentioned Debra, James, and Tricia. Their stories are as unique as the characters we created, and they deserve their own spotlights.

Stay tuned, more behind the scene to come.
Rosa