Heroes come through the gates of Kissimmee’s Give Kids the World Village (GKTW) every day. Critically-ill children fighting often-terminal conditions arrive with their families for week-long vacations at the whimsical resort, leaving “the real world” behind.
On Tuesday, Catboy, Owlette and Gekko from the Disney Junior cartoon series PJ Masks who, “go into the night to save the day” were in town for a special event.
The PJ Masks and Give Kids The World selected two children, Kellan Hoang and Madison Hendrickson, to write and cameo in their very own episodes of “PJ Masks: In Real Life: Kid Heroes,” which will soon be available on YouTube.
Joined by other wish families and GKTW alumni, Tuesday was a day full of activities for Kellan and Madison — who were first-time filmmakers. The event included the premiere screening for their videos, in which the PJ Masks vanquish their villains.
“It was my rst time making a video … kinda,” Kellan said, while decked out as Gekko. Kellan was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia in April 2019 at age four, and has since fought against the rare blood cancer.
“It was fun, I did it with my (little) sister,” said the Catboyclad Madison, who tooled around the di_erent games set up at the event in her neon-pink wheelchair. Madison is also fighting the good fight, against rare hypotonic cerebral palsy — only six people in the world share her genetics, and she’s the only symptomatic one.
“The denition of a hero is someone who faces adversity with courage, determination and strength,” said Give Kids The World President and CEO Pamela Landwirth. “I know that the real heroes of this world are in this room.
“The PJ Masks are all about empowering kids to recognize their own growth,” said Kelsey Perrotte, a member of the PJ Masks marketing team. “Kellan, Madison and the other heroes here are strong and courageous, even in difficult times.”
The “In Real Life” YouTube series launched in 2020, and its episodes have had more than 300 million views, where, “Imaginations come to life,” Perrotte said.
Toymaker Hasbro, which acquired PJ Masks producer Entertainment One, has had a presence at the Village for some time, helping create some of its experiences like Matthew’s Boundless Playground, a My Little Pony-themed spa, a life-sized version of the Candy Land game and other Village expansions.
