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Playing in 3D in Splash City:
YouTube Channel Trailer |
January 12, 2026
Dear Dr. Durvasula, What was your favorite cartoon character as a child? Answer honestly, does the character match your personality? If the answer is yes that is the projective nature of cartoons. I am a retired psychotherapist, screenwriter, and co-author of "Playing in 3D in Splash City: A Playful Approach to Personal Transformation, a multimedia world — Books (fables), YouTube Channel, TV series (adult animation) — built around the idea that many of us have lost our playfulness. We have become psychologically “2D”: dull, constrained, numbed by constant media noise, toxicity, and oppression. Using the transformational power of story and the projective nature of cartoons, my partner and I aim to make the journey of personal transformation more playful while helping people rediscover their sense of play, depth, and vibrancy — what we call “playing in 3D.” |
First, some backstory. Creating endearing and memorable cartoon characters and writing hero's journey-style fables that encourage a playful state of mind prompted me to remember a telling moment in my life. As an Experimental Psychology student in the late 70s, I began a research paper on play but never finished it. I recall being fascinated by the subject matter, but something was missing. In terms of Dr. Stuart Brown’s eight play personalities, mine is that of a storyteller and so looking back, the research process was grounding but not playful for me. Neither was experimental psychology itself (my only published research paper was about the projective nature of the game Monopoly), but working in private practice for 35 years as a Marriage and Family Counselor was. Screenwriting is, despite years of navigating narcissistic producers, gatekeepers, and continually being so close to having one of my screenplays produced.
Weaving a therapeutic thread through a parody about our oppressive culture in the voice of a dog, a pre-teen, a surfer, and a bubbly young woman, as well as Splash City’s leading ladies – Mzzz Pink, Ms. Bee Haven and Psychotherapist Lisa Hearditall - certainly is and has been since my partner Craig and I began this journey 15 years ago. What was missing from that research paper on play years ago was my own playful state of mind. How could I write about play without being playful? I wouldn’t be playing in 3D, and somehow, I sensed that even then.
Weaving a therapeutic thread through a parody about our oppressive culture in the voice of a dog, a pre-teen, a surfer, and a bubbly young woman, as well as Splash City’s leading ladies – Mzzz Pink, Ms. Bee Haven and Psychotherapist Lisa Hearditall - certainly is and has been since my partner Craig and I began this journey 15 years ago. What was missing from that research paper on play years ago was my own playful state of mind. How could I write about play without being playful? I wouldn’t be playing in 3D, and somehow, I sensed that even then.
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Playing in 3D in Splash City
Life Fable Book Series "Wow—what a ride…I truly felt like I was on a roller coaster of emotions right there with you… Your writing has real depth, and the way your thought process unfolds on the page is both beautiful and compelling… Reading your work, and knowing you guys worked on this for at least a decade, I felt that same reverence—for the creative process, for storytelling, and for the healing power of self-expression…perhaps the most powerful message—at least for me—was this line: “Following a strategy only means one thing. You’re still in the how-to world.” That hit me. Brilliant... I’m a big fan and honestly in awe of what you’ve created." - Avinoam Lerner, Cancer & Trauma Recovery Coach, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Author, & TEDx Speaker
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Book Series Synopsis: Using the transformative power of story, the “Playing in 3D in Splash City” Life Fable Book Series helps you cultivate an energetic, growth mindset in a playful way. Our vibrant characters are not how-to experts. They are Splash City mentors sharing their relatable, poignant, and light-hearted stories in their own voice. Each fable in the series conveys specific 3D attributes that inspire us to shake off the suppression, navigate the unknown, and encourage self-reliance on our journey toward playing in 3D. Each Splash City fable shares the story of one exceptional character who reveals, in their own voice, the hidden gem (3D attribute) they discovered on their journey. The fables 'show, don't tell' "playing in 3D," making them a blend of fiction and self-help that did not neatly fit into any publishing genre. Finding where it belongs and the best way to present it has been a continual challenge, especially without a platform. Many years ago, Arianna Huffington approved our "Splash in the City" blog, but the editors shot it down most likely because we didn't have a following. Around that time, we emailed Dr. Stuart Brown ("Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul") when we had nothing more to promote our self-published fables but a slideshow showcasing our cartoon world. We began our email by asking him what his favorite cartoon character was as a child ("When you look at a photo or a realistic drawing of a face, you see it as the face of another. But when you enter the world of the cartoon, you see yourself." - Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art). He responded with the name of his favorite character and these two encouraging words: "Very impressive."
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I deeply admire your work. Watching many of your YouTube videos and reading your books “Don’t You Know Who I Am?” and “It’s Not You” helped me write about narcissism in Mzzz Pink’s fable "It's the Dance" (Mzzz Pink identifies the four dysfunctional dances of the hierarchical system that hijacked Splash City – The March, The Climb, The Tangle and The Wrangle) but they also provoked an epiphany in my understanding of the leading role narcissism played in my own life story. I've watched so many of your videos that I don't recall which one it was, but I do remember what made me shudder in sudden realization. "Are you constantly trying to reach that person?" I'm paraphrasing but that's how it landed with me as I've lived a lifetime of just that, with too many characters to name. It was the dance of my life.
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"Splash in the City"
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Last year, a development producer I'm working with on another film project thought highly enough of our TV series proposal "Splash in the City" to begin pitching it in his animation circles (we used one of your quotes in the pitch), getting it to some major players.
Wendall Paidoff, Rob LaSuit, and Judge MyView. Not Me, Inc. and Fitz-In Shoe Co. Their greed, cynicism, and lack of vision turned Splash City into ruins. The women of Splash City had enough. "We are transforming our world by transforming ourselves." - Mzzz Pink |
Television Series Synopsis (Eight Episodes Written): Longstanding oppression from a hierarchical culture has made the people of Splash City two-dimensional and color deprived. Residents are divided, working as “Climbers” scaling ladders on "The Wall” and parading at the local Coffee Chop, or as "Riders" at the Abusement Park, who hang out at Funky Donuts. From the River of Denial to Convolution Boulevard, most Splashians are muted and wear fashionable Fitz-In 2D glasses that sustain a rigid perspective (fixed mindset). An exuberance ordinance is in effect, and "farcissism" is on the rise. Self-awareness is just about extinct. With the help of their friends, five animated and chic women find creative ways to help their community become 3D and vibrant (growth mindset). Using the underrepresented voices of our time, empathy (Mzzz Pink), creativity (Ms. Bee Haven), humility (Miss Guided Light), listening (Psychotherapist Lisa Hearditall), and intuition (Danie Starbright), the women set out to make 'the 3D movement' the new fashion rage.
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(To address the elephant in the room, yes, we use generative AI. We are excited and amazed at the recent advances that now allow us to bring our cartoon world to life, but a recent comment on one of our YouTube shorts about our use of AI, insinuated a lack of originality. All our writing, characters, stories, and concepts are original, and we are using AI to foster our humanity, not hinder it.)
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Trying to get a screenplay produced is a waiting game I'd become adjusted to over the years, but Craig and I couldn't allow our life's work to collect dust on my laptop. Last year, we summoned back the magic, discovered affordable resources to showcase our world, and began a YouTube Channel. We've just completed Season One (10 episodes) of Lisa Hearditall's podcast, and the first episode of "Heart to Heart" an interview series where Lisa Hearditall chats with relatable characters in Splash City who share their playing in 3D experiences.
Building an audience from scratch on YouTube is another waiting game that often feels like I'm trying to reach someone again, except now it's an intangible algorithm, not a person. Still, we keep learning, producing, and playing, hoping to eventually make human connections. It's especially challenging when the premise and approach is unfamiliar, doesn't neatly fit into a prescribed niche, and the societal default is to dismiss playfulness as naïve or unproductive. We've seen the look on many faces holding back a smile fearing that adopting a playful state of mind means they won't be taken seriously. Our books, TV series and YouTube channel reclaim play as a legitimate and powerful state of mind essential for psychological resilience, creativity, and healing - not escapism, but engagement - in an oppressive and narcissistic culture that diminishes it. |
I appreciate all that you do daily to raise awareness about narcissism. Your devotion is inspiring and your differentiation of narcissism as a behavior pattern rather than a diagnosis (a defiance of academic norms) frees us from the constraints of a decades old, ill-serving concept and encourages true healing from narcissistic abuse. It certainly freed me by providing a deeper understanding of my family relationships (beyond what my background in Family Counseling offered), and for that I am grateful to you. Your book endorsement would give our unique approach the credibility it needs to make a rippling SPLASH and help so many unearth their playfulness and hidden gems. I'd be happy to mail you a paperback copy of Playing in 3D in Splash City Book One (Play)
My favorite cartoon character as a child was Tweety Bird, for I always loved the way he outsmarted the cat with a smile, and Craig’s was the Road Runner for the way he was always one step ahead of the coyote.
Thank you for your time, and all the meaningful work you do.
My favorite cartoon character as a child was Tweety Bird, for I always loved the way he outsmarted the cat with a smile, and Craig’s was the Road Runner for the way he was always one step ahead of the coyote.
Thank you for your time, and all the meaningful work you do.
In deep gratitude,
Deborah Whitaker
Playingin3D.com
DeborahAWhitaker.com
[email protected]
(603) 464-9299
Deborah Whitaker
Playingin3D.com
DeborahAWhitaker.com
[email protected]
(603) 464-9299
