Cheffers, as Tiny Chef fans are called, are sticking up for the little guy.
Ever since the charming, 7-inch Tiny Chef announced in a heartbreaking video that his Nickelodeon show has been canceled, fans have risen up in protest.
They're sharing #savetinychef videos on social media. A petition on Change.org has more than 10,000 signatures. A Tiny Chef membership club has raised more than $120,000 to help the producers continue making stop-motion animation shorts for social media.
Fan Johnathan Branson, who launched the petition, discovered Tiny Chef videos on social media before the Nickelodeon show began. He said he loves how Tiny Chef enjoys the "simplest things." One of his favorites is when Chef dresses up like a Transformer.
"He made me smile on days that I didn't feel like smiling," said Branson.
The petition reads, "In today's world, where negativity and stress often prevail, Tiny Chef…not only entertains but also inspires children and adults alike to explore their culinary passions and embrace kindness and imagination."
Can fans get Tiny Chef back in the tiny Nickelodeon kitchen?
Nickelodeon did not return NPR's request for comment.
Fans have protested show cancellations before, and sometimes they've been successful, or at least appear to be.
Fans were outraged when Fox canceled the sitcom Brooklyn 99. NBC quickly picked it up. But, as NPR's Linda Holmes explained at the time, the NBC deal was in the works before the fan revolt.
When Fox canceled Family Guy in 2002, its fan base skyrocketed thanks to reruns on Cartoon Network and DVD sales. Fox revived the show, and more than 20 years later, the animated comedy is still going strong.
Tiny Chef was originally a passion project for co-creators Rachel Larsen and Ozi Akturk. As a creative outlet, Larsen said she was "sculpting tiny food" and had made a green puppet. Akturk was developing a live-action cooking show. When she spotted images of Larsen's creations on social media, she suggested they combine their ideas to create a stop-motion cooking show for Larsen's green puppet. "The whole project just really grew organically," said Larsen. It also landed them a deal for their first book, The Tiny Chef: and da mishing weshipee blook.
Larsen says they've heard "rumblings" of interest in The Tiny Chef Show from other media outlets. She says the outpouring of support from fans has been overwhelming.
"We're very happy and we felt that Chef was really getting the attention he deserves."
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