Viral ‘Peptoc Hotline’ Offers Adorable Encouragement from Kids When You Need It
With everything going on in the world, a little pep talk from children might just make your day a little bit brighter.
With the state that the world has been in for a few years now (and doesn't seem like it's slowing down any time soon), there's no wonder as to why many people are left feeling anxious, mad, or just plain upset most days.
What if there was a number you could call that would give you words of encouragement, positive messages, pep talks, and life advice from kids? It may not take anything off of your plate, but it might give you the little push you need to get through your day!
Peptoc Hotline
When you dial 707-998-8410 you will access the "Peptoc Hotline." You'll be greeted with the following message: "If you're feeling mad, frustrated or nervous, press 1. If you need words of encouragement and life advice, press 2. If you need a pep talk from kindergartners, press 3. If you need to hear kids laughing with delight, press 4. For encouragement in Spanish, press 5."
They've seemingly thought of all things joyful! If you're in need of advice, you might hear, "If you're frustrated, you can always go to your bedroom and punch a pillow or cry on it," or my personal favorite, "If you're feeling up high and unbalanced, think of groundhogs."
If you're in need of a little affirmation, you might hear, "The world is a better place with you in it," "Keep trying, don't give up," or "Bro, you're looking great."
You can even listen to a five-second loop of nothing but children laughing!
It all began as student's public art project at West Side Elementary School in Healdsburg, California. Art teacher Jessica Martin helped launch the project and told CNN that the hotline receives between 300-500 calls an hour, and up to 5,000 calls a day! I expect that number to go up here soon.
"I thought, you know, with this world being as it is, we all really needed to hear from [the children] — their extraordinary advice and their continual joy," Martin told NPR. "Their creativity and resourcefulness is something that we need to emulate, because that level of joy and love and imagination is what's going to save us in the end."
How long will the Peptoc Hotline be around?
The initial plan was to only keep the hotline open for just a few months, as there was a limited number of minutes for the $50 a month plan. Due to its popularity, the phone service company graciously agreed to donate one million minutes to the project, KTVU reported. The school said the free minutes will only last a few weeks at the current call rate, so it launched a GoFundMe to keep the hotline open for as long as possible.
There is also an option to donate to the project when you call the hotline itself.
The current plan is to add additional pep talks every few weeks.
Just to show you how we might benefit from something so small, here's someone experiencing the Peptoc Hotline for the first time: