Asher Hogg, 7, from Russell, in the new HeiHei series Nanogirl and the Imaginauts.
Asher Hogg has a big imagination.
So big that it has not only landed the 7-year-old Russell boy a spot on a new science television show for kids, but one of his stories is also being turned in to a video game.
"I'm excited," he said "I think it's goingto be so cool."
Asher is one of the stars of new HeiHei series Nanogirl and the Imaginauts which combines pūrākau - legends and stories Māori used to pass down knowledge - and science.
The show is based on the science behind seven of the experiments Dr Michelle Dickinson, aka Nanogirl, uses in her stage show.
During each episode children are given a word associated with the experiment and are asked come up with a story.
Asher didn't get to meet Nanogirl but he is in the bottle rocket experiment episode and was given the word "kick" as during the explosion there is a bit of a kick. He came up with a story only a child could think of.
"My story is first with these three kids playing rugby. They were just playing it and they heard a shake and then there was this monster mining up to the surface and then everyone was running away except one person and that was Oscar.
"Oscar stayed still because he was way too scared and then the monster took him down to his lair - the mushroom crystal biome.
"After that the monster said 'Can you please get that crystal in that really small gap for me' and then Oscar was struggling to get there but then he finally got the crystal and then he gave the crystal to the monster and the monster came back out," he said.
Asher Hogg, 7, is one of the stars of the new HeiHei series Nanogirl and the Imaginauts. Photo / John Stone
Executive producer Luke Nola said to support the show two games have been created and one of them is about avoiding monsters "snotting" on you.
"Asher's is one of the levels. You're running through crystal caves and there's a monster squirting stuff at you and if you get hit you die," he said.
Asher's dad, Adam, said they heard about the show through a friend, decided to send in a video of Asher and were then asked to bring him to Auckland for an audition.
"There were lots of other kids and families there and he went through and did pretty well and later they came back and said: 'We want Asher for the show. Can he come down and do some filming?'"
Adam said he wasn't surprised when he heard Asher's story as he's "got a good imagination".
"He's always creating stories," he said.
Nanogirl and the Imaginauts launched on HeiHei yesterday and the video game will launch on the website next week.
