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Award-winning stories, AI-assisted music, STEM + SEL EdTech, and a creator economy marketplace — all powered by the Koko and Friends™ Long Shots Universe. Engineered for impact by a NASA systems engineer who turned personal tragedy into a universe for children.
Mission
Platform Suite
A digital marketplace enabling small businesses, educators, and independent creators to license Koko & Friends IP and sell branded educational products through their own storefronts.
A CASEL-aligned platform delivering adaptive STEM + SEL learning to students, curriculum planning tools to teachers, and an engagement portal to families — in one integrated system.
AI-assisted music creation tied to SEL milestones and Long Shots character arcs. Every lyric teaches a lesson. Every lesson builds a leader.
◆ Figma prototypes available for all three platforms — request a demo via the contact page.
Storyworld — Hoopsville™
Koko and his nine cousins — orphaned as eggs, raised in the Water Heater Community™, navigating The Fog. Bugs who dream of becoming All-Star basketball players. Every character is a CASEL archetype. Every storyline is a lesson sequence. KOKO stands for Keep on Keepin’ On — the very essence of perseverance.
“Do what’s right. If you start right and stay right, you’ll end right.” — The Long Shots family motto
Early Reader
Koko’s origin — building confidence through sport and perseverance
Early Reader · Anti-bullying
Navigating friendship, loyalty, and the real meaning of respect
Middle Grade · 4× Award Winner
Bugs, basketball, and bullying — the full team story. March 2022.
Animated Short Films · Festival Selections
Official selections — Cranford, Golden Bee, Symbiotic, Yellowstone, Atlanta & Tokyo festivals (2022–23)
In Development NEW
Full screenplay complete · Series bible in development · IP available for licensing
Curriculum Library
Teaches children to respond to bullying with voice, confidence, and the Golden Rule. Aligned to CASEL self-management and relationship skills competencies.
Core social skill modules mapped to all five CASEL competency domains. Classroom-tested and counselor-endorsed programming.
Interactive STEM + SEL activities aligned to CASEL and NGSS standards — delivered through Long Shots character-driven scenarios.
⬡ Platform LiveOriginal tracks composed with AI assistance and tied to Long Shots character arcs and CASEL competency themes. Every lyric teaches a lesson.
⬡ Platform LiveSchool counselor and teacher PD aligned to trauma-responsive SEL practice, restorative approaches, and the Long Shots curriculum framework.
All Long Shots characters, storylines, and brand assets available for licensed product creation through the Locker Room™ marketplace.
⬡ Platform LiveClara Denise West, Ph.D.
Founder & CEO
Koko and Friends Products, Inc.
The Creator
“When my daughter attempted suicide due to peer bullying, I did what engineers do: I defined the problem, designed an intervention system, and built it. That system became Koko and Friends™.”
— Clara Denise West, Ph.D., Founder & CEO
Dr. West is one of fewer than 3,000 Black women in U.S. history to earn a Ph.D. in Engineering. She applies the same systems engineering rigor she used at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center to designing behavioral intervention systems for children.
She is also an award-winning author, songwriter, filmmaker, and the creator of both Koko and Friends Products, Inc. and the Koko and Friends Foundation, Inc. — the nonprofit arm extending the mission into underserved communities.
Her rare combination of technical mastery and human-centered design — systems engineering meets trauma-responsive storytelling — informs every product, every character, and every lyric in the Long Shots Universe.
Awards & Recognitions
Average empathy increase measured in schools using Koko and Friends programming — evidence-based results from real classroom implementation across diverse school communities.
Join the Universe
Open a storefront in the Locker Room™ — create and sell Koko-branded educational products as a licensed creator.
Pilot the Life Lab™ platform in your classrooms — STEM + SEL, CASEL-aligned, teacher- and counselor-ready.
Access the Jukebox™ experience — AI-assisted music, SEL rewards, and the Long Shots Universe content library.
Seed the platform suite — three standalone products, three addressable markets, one proven IP universe. Figma prototypes ready.
Optimized by Seraphinite Accelerator