Virginia Cowan Dennis hopes to one day soon join the ranks of iconic Canadian children’s television entertainers like Mr. Dress Up, The Friendly Giant, Polka Dot Door, or Today’s Special.
While Cowan Dennis — who may be better known to some by her alter ego Mabel Moon — is already pretty well known to many kids and parents, having brought her energetic talents to hundreds of birthday parties and events throughout Simcoe County for nearly a decade, the Phelpston-based children’s entertainer is beginning to get some recognition in some bigger industry circles.
Like all performers, the pandemic put an abrupt halt to her ability to do in person shows and events, so Cowan Dennis and her husband took the opportunity to create an at-home “boutique” film studio, where she shot the first three concept episodes of a television show, which she planned to pitch to broadcasters in the hopes of having it picked up.
“Selling a television show is very difficult. I went to a pitch session last fall… where I pitched to Sesame Street, CBC, TVO Kids … and seven producers or broadcasters,” she said, adding having her show picked up would be a dream come true. “That would be really amazing. I never thought where I started with Mabel Moon is where I’d end up now.
"Becoming a children’s producer who… has success is really difficult and it’s a whole new world for me.”
After not having had success last fall, one of her co-producers suggested submitting the episodes to various film festivals. The result of that, she continued, has been extremely positive, telling BarrieToday Mabel Moon Productions made it to the finalist round for the Best Children’s Short for the Indie Short Fest as part of the Los Angeles International Film Festival. On Friday, April 8, Cowan Dennis announced on her social media that Mabel Moon Productions had its "first festival win" after receiving an honourable mention for Best Children Short for the Indie Short Fest as part of the Los Angeles International Film Festival.
The film was also named among the Official Selections with the Toronto Indie Shorts for Best Experimental Short.
“They are beautiful in and of themselves and stand alone as little, short films,” she explained, adding since submitting the episodes, she has been receiving a lot of positive feedback.
“It’s really great because when I was pitching back in the fall one of the broadcasters really ripped me and the episode apart, so the fact that I am getting recognition for something everyone was (saying no to)… and that it’s getting recognized in more artistic venues is really redeeming for me.”
Cowan Dennis plans to continue looking into television for young audiences and investigating how she can become a producer for quality children’s content.
“My ultimate goal is I love being on TV. I love being a paid actor and I wanted to bring what I can do as Mabel Moon onto the screen. I feel like there’s a place for Mabel Moon in this world — and you don’t have to do anything extra. You just get to enjoy it.”
It’s been nearly 12 years since Cowan Dennis officially created her alter ego, telling BarrieToday she is extremely proud of how both she — and the character of Mabel Moon — have continued to evolve.
“I started off as just a face painter. As I went along, I wanted to incorporate more. I am a performer and I wanted to start doing live shows," she said.
With these extra offerings tucked away in her apron, she was then able to expand her birthday party and event services, and over the years she has come to realize the impact she can have on young lives through her character.
“I was just happy to find a niche that I enjoyed and I could make money at. I didn’t really think about the fact that I actually influenced children as well,” she admitted. “Like my dentist said, when people come to see (him), they’re not happy to be there. But when people see (Mabel Moon) it’s always a good day. I try to do my best with the platform I have.”
