About Boo

With big glasses, a backpack full of Boo badge emotions, and runners ready for adventure, Boo is kind, brave, and feels all the emotions. From happy to sad, silly to anxious, embarrassed to depressed, Boo understands them all. He shows his Boo badges to let others know when he feels scared or sick, and if he feels brave, he shows his badge for a boost of confidence. With Boo, you'll always have a friend who embraces emotions, offers comfort, and radiates nerdy coolness. When people ask, “Who’s that?” you can say, “My Buddy Boo.”

  • Helping kids learn that all emotions are OK
  • Supporting families through tough medical procedures
  • Assisting kids to express emotions in a non-verbal way
  • Help open up discussions on mental health & emotions
  • Allowing children to feel seen, heard and less alone
  • Help explain medical procedures & their feelings through play therapy
  • Allowing kids to have some type of control in challenging situations
  • A support companion that is going through the same treatment as them
  • Designed to be a snuggle pillow
  • A nerdy, cool, buddy to go on adventures with!

In a recent survey done by Koala Kids Foundation

100% of people said Boo is being used as a play therapy tool to help explain medical procedures such as port access, chemotherapy, PET scans, bloods etc.

93.3% of people said that their child uses the emotion badges and that the badges help open up conversations about feelings, emotions about their child's mental health.

66.7% of people said that port access has become easier and less traumatic for their child when using Boo.

Feedback from the survey

“My daughter would wake up before a procedure and place the badges on Buddy allowing us to come to an understanding of how she was feeling and to talk through those emotions. Our daughter is verbal and before Buddy she didn’t quite know how to express her feelings, this helped a lot and the staff at Ronald McDonald House and the nurses got on board talking about the badges with her.”

“If (child) can’t express how he’s feeling, I tell him to let boo help him. So he gets boo and finds the images that best suits how his feeling which has helped us explain what that is and how we can express it in better ways.”

“Everyone can understand medical procedures and the emotions we are all experiencing, by taking turns using the Boo. It's become a really great way to have conversations to understand the health needs and procedures my sick child experiences but also the feelings of her and her sister through this.”

“It helped normalise her scars and makes her feel special. She is really excited to take Buddy Boo with her to her procedures. Thank you.”

“It normalises a central line, and normalises some of the feelings associated with our child's cancer journey.”

“He loves it. (Child) has grown so much emotionally and is able to express more feelings! Boo has also made bloods easier for us too!”

“Our daughter loves Buddy, he comes to every appointment with us it has definitely helped her with telling us how she feels by allowing us to ask the right questions first.”

Feedback from teachers

  • Students are more open to discussions of mental health, emotions and feelings than last year
  • Students are more aware there are a variety of emotions
  • Discussions are happening about how emotions look on different people
  • Students felt like their feelings were validated and they could talk to someone afterwards (eg teacher)
  • Sometimes Boo would be extremely loved to the point of just wanting a cuddle at times
  • Students have used Boo’s emotion badges to show the teacher how they have made another person feel with their behaviour or actions
  • Builds emotional literacy
  • Talking about Boo as a person helped breakthrough tensions and relax students
  • Allows kids to understand their emotions and feel comfortable about their challenges.

We have gifted to or are in partnership with:

  • Ronald McDonald House Charity
  • Monash Childrens Hospital (REEF, AVARY, OASIS)
  • Koala Kids Foundation
  • Type 1 Foundation
  • Starlight Foundation
  • Interchange Network
  • Belgrave South Primary School
  • Wonder Cancer Project
  • Local Psychologists
  • And many cancer, T1D & life-threatening illness families