The national bullying epidemic knows no age boundaries, with stories of its tragic consequences reported in the halls of higher learning (as witnessed by the Rutgers’ bullying/suicide) as well as on the playground.

One man who has made a local commitment to bring the crusade against bullying to a younger segment is Norman Rea, the creator of the “Wishaphants,” a campaign that features a group of superhero elephants who combat bullying where it starts, at the earliest of ages.

The Wishaphants campaign targets children in grades K-3, which Rea and Steven Billing, the campaign’s coordinator, say is the ideal age to curb negative behaviors.

As Billing notes, providing a support system for kids who don’t have one is just the beginning. “The Wishaphants are targeting children K-3, much younger than anyone,” he explains. “We will be educating them through books, traveling musical, activity sheets.”

According to Billing, “education is the key.” He notes that the national awareness of the importance of combating bullying when it first starts makes the Wishaphants campaign so appealing. He reports that in “a blind study done with an independent college,” the campaign “received 100 percent positive feedback.”

The idea for the characters and their interaction with bullied kids (or “wishers,” in the lingo of the campaign) began with the headlines of the past two years. “With so many bully-related deaths and suicides, we felt something needed to be done, so we incorporated the characters into a campaign,” Billing explains. The Wishaphants are portrayed as relatable to kids who may be targets of bullying. “Even our mascot has glasses!” he says.

Billing says that the consequences of bullying strike especially close to home, for both him and the campaign’s creator. “We were also victims of bullying. Norman Rea was bullied on a daily basis, both mentally and physically.”

Billing says that they plan to promote the Wishaphants’ anti-bullying, positive choices messages through a variety of media. “We are in the process of developing a traveling musical, mixed with animation,” he says. “We are also planning a web or TV series, as well as creating animated, non-violent video games.”

But what about the elephants? “Norman and I love elephants,” Billing acknowledges with a laugh. “In 2004, we had a musical on Broadway called ‘Tusk.’ Elephants are so spiritual. They protect the young, work as a team, grieve for the death of their family, and they are just wonderful communicators. “For such a large animal they have such a gentle caring side.

Since a large part of hate and other negative reactions is learned, Rea and Billing hope that the Wishaphants can serve as a counterpoint, encouraging tolerance, acceptance, and non-violence among children in a world that very much needs it.

For more information about the Wishaphants, visit www.indiegogo.com/wishaphants.

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