NEW YORK — Michelle Obama is launching a Netflix children’s food show with a pair of puppets “to bring a bit of light and laughter to homes around the world.”

What You Need To Know

  • Former first lady Michelle Obama is launching a Netflix children's food show with a pair of puppets called "Waffles + Mochi" this March

  • The show's 20-minute episodes will feature two best puppet friends and their culinary dreams, with frequent appearances from Obama herself

  • The show is produced by Higher Ground Productions, the production company owned by Obama and her husband, former President Barack Obama

  • Michelle Obama has long had an interest in food and healthy eating; as first lady, Obama championed healthier school meals as part of the “Let’s Move” campaign

The new show, called “Waffles + Mochi,” launches March 16 and will be “all about good food: discovering it, cooking it, and of course, eating it,” the former first lady posted on Instagram on Tuesday. The 20-minute episodes will combine live action and puppets, and Obama will be a series regular.

The show centers on two best puppet friends who dream of becoming chefs and travel across the world looking for ingredients and making dishes “alongside renowned chefs, home cooks, kids and celebrities,” according to a press release from the show.

 

“Kids will love it, but I know that adults will also get plenty of laughs — and some tips for the kitchen,” Obama wrote. “In many ways, this show is an extension of my work to support children’s health as first lady — and to be quite honest, I wish a program like this had been around when my girls were young.”

The show is produced by Higher Ground Productions, the production company owned by Obama and her husband, former President Barack Obama. In 2018, the Obamas signed a multi-year agreement with Netflix. "Waffles + Mochi" is the first original series for preschoolers to come out of Higher Ground Productions, which also announced a slate of other original series ser to come out later this year. 

“We created Higher Ground to tell great stories," the Obamas said in a press release. "From science fiction to the beauty of our natural world to the relationships that define us, Higher Ground continues to strive for fresh perspectives, compelling characters, and a healthy dose of inspiration. We couldn’t be more proud to team up with the brilliant artists behind each of these stories. Each of them has something important to say.”

The new shows and movies from Higher Ground will include "Exit West," a supernatural love story featuring actor Riz Ahmed; "Great National Parks," a nature docuseries; and comedy series "The G Word with Adam Conover."

Michelle Obama herself has long had an interest in food and healthy eating. As first lady, Obama championed healthier school meals as part of the “Let’s Move” campaign, and also planted the first vegetable garden in the White House in more than 60 years. 

The then- first lady appealed to elected officials, food makers, sellers, restaurant chains and others to try to make healthy food more accessible. She lobbied lawmakers to add more fruit, vegetables and whole grains, and limit fat, sugar and sodium in the federal school lunch program.

Mrs. Obama’s push to put the country on a health kick extended to exercise — and she made herself exhibit A.

To promote “Let’s Move,” the first lady often donned athletic wear and ran around with kids at sports clinics, some on the South Lawn. She twirled a hula hoop around her waist 142 times and kick-boxed in a video of the gym workout that helped tone the upper arms she showed off regularly, as in her official White House photo.

She did pushups with Ellen DeGeneres, raced in a potato sack against late-night TV’s Jimmy Fallon in the East Room and shimmied with a turnip in a brief video popular on social media — all to show that exercise can be fun.

“I’m pretty much willing to make a complete fool of myself to get our kids moving,” she once said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.