What happens when your farm-obsessed son just can’t find that one special book or toy to match his passion for all things rural? Well, if you’re a graphic and web designer – you just make your own. George the Farmer was created in 2014. Since then, there is an interactive story app, storybooks, music, paddock to plate videos and touring performances. This little character is a powerhouse from regional South Australia. Simone Kain is the woman behind the popular brand and is proud her creation is still 100% Australian owned by her.
Incredibly, the real George, Simone’s son, who is the inspiration behind the creation is no longer a farm-obsessed little boy, but a young man. Even still, George the farmer endures. “At the time, I couldn’t find anything that was really inspiring or educational. It was just Old MacDonald had a Farm. He wore daggy old overalls,” she laughs.
“My son, George, was obsessed with the farm. His favourite books were farm machinery magazines.”
Fictional George’s first iteration was an app, but demand grew into other formats. “We thought we were being cutting edge delivering content with an app but because we had the skill set to be able to go to print with a picture book, we could move down that avenue as well,” she explains. Schools around the country also watch George’s adventures on video and on stage.
“We’ve helped educate 660 000 kids today across Australia and they’ve been converted into the New Zealand curriculum, so kids over there are also learning about food and fibre.”
Simone’s goal is for every child in the world to know that all food originated from a farm – bananas, bread, even chocolate milk. She also hopes children may realise a career in agriculture could lead to an exciting and varied career.
The author’s dream was always to work on George the Farmer full-time rather than a side hustle and she’s realised that goal, now a decade in.
It’s important to Simone that George the Farmer doesn’t play into any agriculture stereotypes. George’s wife Ruby is also a farmer and an agronomist. There is high use of technology in all the stories from books about robotic dairies to using cameras to detect the freshness of apples.
“The kids are quite surprised when they see how forward it is. They are our future customers. We want them to know about how progressive agriculture is.”
Soon, Simone will take George the Farmer to the U.S market when George sets off to the states to visit his cousin Laura. We’re promised a very Australian take on a local corn fungus problem, and a delicious meal the result of George’s problem solving. That’s the next chapter in this Australian made character. And as for the past – Simone’s son George is just a little embarrassed about it all but very proud of his clever mum.
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