👾 Character Design & Mythology: Build Your Own Yōkai + iCode Arts! 🎨💻

Event: Kids: Build Your Own Yōkai

When: Sunday, May 17, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM (Registration Required)

Where: Princeton Public Library – Myra & Van Williams Spark Lab (65 Witherspoon St, Princeton, NJ)

Event link: Princeton Library Events

Who it’s for: Kids in Grades 3–6

Why we love it 💛 Art and storytelling are the foundation of great character design! The Princeton Public Library is hosting a fantastic, culturally enriching workshop led by artist Minako Ota in their Spark Lab. Upper-elementary students will dive into Japanese folklore to learn the history of yōkai (mythological spirits and creatures) and then get the chance to design and create their very own. We absolutely love creative design events because they allow kids to use their imagination to conceptualize unique characters with distinct traits and backstories!

How this event aligns with iCode Princeton 🌈⚙️ Character creation is the first step of game design!

• 2D Sprite Design: Once you dream up a mythological creature, you have to animate it! In our Game Design and Digital Arts Tracks, we teach kids how to take their hand-drawn character concepts and digitize them, turning their custom yōkai into playable 2D sprites.

• Variables and Stats: Every creature needs abilities! In programming, we use variables to assign traits like health, speed, and magic to a character. We teach our students how to code the exact logic needed to bring their imaginative characters to life in a digital world.

Join the fun, then keep the momentum going at iCode 🎒🚀 Design your creature at the library, then bring that world-class creativity to iCode Princeton where we teach you how to animate them!

👉 Explore iCode Princeton: https://icodeschool.com/princeton-nj

🟣 Progression-based Belts (K–12): https://icodeschool.com/princeton-nj/belts/

🔍 See what’s running now: https://icodeschool.com/princeton-nj/activity-finder/

🎟️ Ready to build the future? Book a Free Trial Class: https://icodeschool.com/princeton-nj/book-a-free-trial-class/