CHICAGO — Dr. Ryan Walter and Abby Lyons work together in their Chicago apartment to create entertaining content for their TikTok account called “Doctor Waffle.” They make videos featuring singing animal figurines and catchy songs. Their channel has gained popularity with over 1.6 million followers and millions of views.
“Our audience is captivated by the stories, melodies, and characters we portray,” explained Walter. “We aim to spread positivity and provide a light-hearted atmosphere.”
Dr. Ryan Walter, also known as Doctor Waffle, is not just a musician but also a psychologist who works with children in a private practice and school. Initially, he gained popularity on TikTok by recording simple songs on video. However, his TikTok channel saw a surge in followers after he shared a song inspired by toy brains.
“I recorded it, not at myself, but looking at the brains,” said Walter. “It was really surprising that it did well so I wanted to do it again,”
With views in the millions, he began posting other songs focused on small toys. The single single shot, acapella videos have gained traction with children and adults alike.
“Some of them are more silly and some of them have a more meaningful message,” said Walter. “People have genuinely seemed to have found them helpful for anxiety and panic attacks.”
Lyons, a freelance musician by day, helps Walter craft lyrics and music in addition to creating the costumes and scenes. She said what started as a creative hobby has now gotten the attention of advertisers and entertainment companies.
“As the channel started to grow more and more, I started to help out more with the creative process,” said Lyons. “We started getting a lot of outreach from talent agencies and book publishers.”
Popular characters for the pair include favorites Drippo The Hippo, The Whale Friends, Petey The Kiwi, and Pierre The Bear. The couple said a song about an axolotl appearing in unusual places has seen airplay in major league baseball stadiums.
“The Axolotl Song took it to a whole other level,” said Walter. “That’s the video that has the most uses of audio from the doctor_waffle account.”
Walter said the positive reactions they’ve received help them stay motivated to create new songs and post them. As a child psychologist, he said he couldn’t ask for anything more than hearing parents say their children are putting down devices to interact with toys after watching his videos.
“Some of the coolest comments are about how now their kids are playing with figurines,” said Walter. “That’s the coolest thing that it encourages kids to play and be imaginative.”
For more information on Ryan Walter, Abby Lyons, and Doctor Waffle, visit the doctor_waffle account on TikTok.
