Everyone knows kids love cartoons. Jared Hankins and his wife, Natalie, saw an opportunity to take that fact, and help children form a relationship with a character based on Jesus.

The Iesodo (pronounced Yay-Sa-Doe) animated series, which follows the adventures of a white dove and his friends, might appear to be another in a long line of cartoon characters at first glance. But Iesodo, which means “the way of Jesus,” tells the stories of Jesus in a way more adept to children.

“We wanted to create this,” Jared says. “We wanted it to be Jesus-focused and make it entertaining.”

All characters, and stories, are found in the Bible, Jared says. “The whole idea is kids build relationships with cartoon characters. They know what the characters do and how they react,” Jared says. “We had the same idea with this. Now kids can know the miracles of Jesus, what he says and how he acts. Now, when they hear the stories in the future, they already know the stories.”

After starting on the project four years ago, the first DVD, “Iesodo: Believe,” was released in October. After releasing three DVDs of the seven-DVD series, Jared says the response has been positive. “It’s a fun way to tell the New Testament stories in this manner,” he says. “It’s the first of its kind to approach the New Testament this way.”

After releasing the first two installments in Christian bookstores, the third video, “Iesodo: Faith,” was released in Wal-Mart stores. All three are also available on Amazon. The next video, “Iesodo: Joy,” is set to be released in October, and will be available in Wal-Mart stores Nov. 1. “We hope it provides an opportunity for kids to ask questions,” Jared says. “We really feel like it’s a family viewing experience.”

Jared says adults and older kids seem to enjoy watching the videos to see how the characters of the Bible and stories are incorporated, while the younger audience is still the main target.

“For the target audience, in the 4-8 year range, we want them to really grasp those values that are being taught and to ask their parents questions.”

Natalie’s net is another feature involved in the videos which allows Jared’s wife to communicate why the videos were made, how it relates to their kids and family, and what it could mean for those watching.

Jared and Natalie hope this seven-video series is not the end.

“Success would be for the public to be able to purchase enough videos for us to make more,” Jared says. “We’ve got a lot more to do. We’ve started something really good that is also entertaining.”