Media You Need to Consume If Your Inner Child Needs a Day Out to Play

Date: February 27, 2026

Written By: Grace Mintun

a line up cartoon characters in front of a pretty background

Want to evoke feelings of wonderment and nostalgia? That feeling when you first held a crayon in your hand? These pieces of media create that little spark that feels like a glow inside your heart and a twinkle in your eye.

Wolfboy and the Everything Factory via mamasgeeky.com

  1. Wolfboy and the Everything Factory (TV show)


a lineup of cartoon characters in front of a landscape 
Wolfboy and the Everything Factory via mamasgeeky.com

The quintessential imagination show. It's about a boy who goes through a portal into a world where everything for the human world is created. It's full of color and life and your wildest dreams. You meet a cast of wonderful characters that spark your imagination while getting those creative cogs whirling. Full of laughs and adventure and hijinks, this show is a must-see.


a drawing of a flower holding a girl holding a flower surrounded by rainbows and stars 
Furry Little Peach, Sha'an d'Anthes / Via Instagram

Full of color and texture and life, Furry Little Peach's work is all about evoking a feeling of childlike nostalgia and wonder. She uses both traditional and digital media to make her colorful vision come to life. 


  1. Ellie Vs Bear (artist)

a purple and blue drawing of a baku surrounded by flowers and ghosts 
Ellie vs Bear / Via ellievsbear.com

Rounded creatures, delicious color palettes, and yummy textures meet you when you dive into the world of Ellie Vs Bear. Inspired by wanting to create things that they wish were in this real world, they delve into imaginative beings with a grounding in the real world and nature.

  1. Beatrice Blue (artist)

a drawing of two girls, one blonde, one brunette, laying on the grass surrounded by flowers and a broom 
Beatrice Blue / Via beatriceblue.net

 An artist known for their children's books full of wonder, Beatrice Blue is an artist dedicated to pushing their imagination to the brink to see what they can create. Both a traditional and digital artist, they are honed into their craft and the emotions they can evoke through their colorful and texture-filled work that displays quirky characters and beautiful nature settings.


a colorful image of a white bear witha dragon, knight, and badger behind him

  1. Rupert (TV show)

Amazon Prime / Via justwatch.com

A show from the 90s based on a comic from the 20s, Rupert follows a bear that travels all over the world, real and imaginary, with a ragtag group of friends "discovering new cultures, living great adventures, unraveling mysteries and unmasking villains." A quaint show with a simple storyline yet full of twists and turns, it’s bound to captivate you and make you feel cozy in all the right ways.


  1. 5 Worlds (graphic novels)

a book cover with three characters on the front with a building in the foreground

Blending sci-fi and fantasy, these graphic novels are set in a universe confronting climate change and exploitation of different classes. It follows three characters as they break free from the confines of society and make a new universe full of love and light that is accepting of all.

Mark Siegel, Alexis Siegel / Via 5-worlds.com
a pencil writes out in red, "Page by Paige"

  1. Page by Paige (graphic novel) 


Laura Lee Gulledge / Via whoislauralee.com

Following a teen girl moving from a small town to the big city, Page by Paige is a graphic novel containing both the story and the sketch book of Paige as she befriends new pals and discovers a way to bring art and nature to the Big Apple. Known as the Agents of Whimsy, their small acts of beauty in the city through street art is a testament to the power of friendship, the connecting power of art, and quiet (and colorful) rebellion.


  1. Naiad (video game)

a water nymph with pink hair is surrounded by water and a yellow duck 
HiWarp / Via store.steampowered.com

Naiad was made in 5 years by a solo dev, but that is not the impression you get when you see this beautiful game with puzzles, fantastic artwork, and a soothing soundtrack. Following a water nymph, you solve puzzles by helping different creatures, driving out litterers and helping stop deforestation. You break down a factory to make the water clean again and follow the journey of the life cycle of water in the most gorgeous way. 


  1. Flock (video game)

a person rides a bird, followed by a grouping of fish like birds 
Hollow Ponds, Richard Hogg / Via store.steampowered.com

Have you ever wanted to herd birds and flying sheep at the same time in a rainbow-fueled world that feels like a pastel fever dream of different environments? Then Flock is for you! You find these bird-like fish around the world, save flying sheep from being stolen, and discover all the expansive world has to offer in this open world puzzle game. Featuring vibrant animals and an even more colorful atmosphere, this game has it all.


  1. Creatures of Ava (video game)

fantastical creatures jumping out at the viewer 
Inverge Studios / Via store.epicgames.com

Following a woman that has crash landed on an alien planet, this sci-fi tale has you rounding up fantastic beasts with a magical tune that is unique to each animal. The world is full of color and life with all the species, from flora to fauna, that are special to this world. You uncover a mystery as the plot progresses about why these animals are being rounded up, interacting with the locals to figure out how to best help, even though the locals may not want that. Bringing up the question: is it ethical to even help if they don't want it?


Darker takes: 

Now maybe those stories are too colorful and childlike for you, evoking a bubblegum-esque feeling rather than a deeper, darker story. This upcoming media is more about the depths of wonder and the darker side of creativity, and what it means when this childlike wonder goes a step too far. (Some of these have adult themes

a chaotic image of the inside of hotel with a zombie, a ghost, a demon, and ooze, oh my

  1. Haunted Hotel (TV show)


Netflix / Via netflix.com

Following a family that runs a haunted inn, Haunted Hotel is full of hijinks and hilarity. Focused on how the family interacts with each of the ghosts and the ghost's backstories, you get to really delve into the history of this hotel and the surrounding area. With creatures and spirits and adult rated humor, this murder-filled show is full of laughs, magic, and demonspawn (more on that later). 


  1. Disenchantment (TV show)

an elf, a girl, and a demon drinking booze in the window of a tower overlooking a ship on the ocean 
Netflix / Via deadline.com

You ever want to watch a show about a heroine that just gets drunk to run away from her duties as princess in a dysfunctional village? Then this is for you! A small elf and a demon cast out of hell join her to form an unlikely trio. Packed with raunchy comedy in a detailed world with lots of "blink and you miss it" Easter eggs, and deep worldbuilding with delightful storytelling, it will keep you pressing "next episode" all night to binge the series.


  1. Curses! (TV show)

two kids running away from a glowing tomb with a skull and a wooden guy 
Dreamworks / Via apple.com

A mansion full of cursed artifacts is now being inhabited by a family that wants to do right by the objects held therein. They want to return each of the artifacts to their rightful owners and cultures. But the owner of the mansion has made that almost impossible. They fight against ghosts, magic, and ancestral trauma to return these artifacts to their rightful places. Just spooky enough to put you on the edge of your seat, this show is both scary and vilifying. 

  1. Split Fiction (video game)

a split screen of a half fantasy scene, half sci-fi scene 
Hazelight Studios / Via playstation.com

Two wanna-be published authors are sucked into a device that makes them live out their stories in a version of virtual reality. But if they die in the game, they die in real life. You weave through both sci-fi and fantasy worlds as they relive their writing story-by-story and act-by-act. Will they get out in time, or did they write a plot twist too good to get out of?


a girl holding a blue staff looking over her shoulder at a little creature called a Rotling

  1. Kena Bridge of Spirits (video game)


PlayStation / Via ign.com

Corruption has taken over the world and Kena has to clear it in order to save the village. She collects little creatures called Rotlings along the way to help her in her journey to help destroy this dredge to nature. She travels this expansive, vibrant world full of puzzles, trials, and enemies and has to defeat them all in order to survive and purify the land. The sequel, Kena: Scars of Scomora, is coming out soon, so it is a perfect time to pick this one up!


  1. Every Heart a Doorway (novella series)

an open door in the middle of the forest 
MacMillan Publishers / Via us.macmillan.com

Want a portal fantasy series like Alice in Wonderland, The Magic Tree House series, or The Chronicles of Narnia but older and full of more mature themes? Look no further. The School of Wayward Children takes in children who had fallen into unique personal portal fantasy worlds, but were forced to return back to the real world. At the school, they get to heal from being cast back out of a world seemingly made specifically for them. They meet other portal children and together they try to find a way back to their individual worlds. Every other book in this series of novellas is set in a portal fantasy world, and the others are set at the school. They encounter themes of abuse, murder, homophobia, sexism, ableism, and quite a few other triggering things so definitely search up trigger warnings for this series. But overall, this series is about finding a home that is perfect for you, and the wonder that surrounds that.


All in all, those are my top picks for experiencing childlike awe and wonder in media! As more shows, movies, books, and media are released, I will make a part two!  Have a great day and don't forget to try to find some wonder today 🙂


Written by: Grace Mintun

About the Author: Editor in Chief and Creative Director for Necessary Behavior

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