Ubel Owl Studios

Teaching children what money really is, through warm and adventurous stories. Home of Kiki & Rufus.

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

This was a big moment for me.
Nearly two years of writing, testing stories with my own children, redesigning and trying to make difficult ideas about money simple enough for kids.
Then suddenly the books were on a table at Noderunners Conference 2026.
That felt pretty damn good.

Kiki & Rufus: The Secret of Money.
#KikiAndRufus #Noderunners

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

If the money system we use today stopped working tomorrow,
what would you want your children to understand about money?
• Ubel Owl #3
Kiki & Rufus: The Secret of Money
https://t.co/NqQUgjBi2P

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

Do people know that the money they use every day can lose value over time?
And if they do, why do we still call it saving?
• Kiki #3
Kiki & Rufus: The Secret of Money
https://t.co/NqQUgjBi2P

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

Letters from Savington — Letter #24

Ubel opened his Big Book of Money.
“The Jaguar offers 5,000 free cacao coins. But what if he can track every purchase?”

Rufus frowned. “Just because we accepted his gift?”

Ubel nodded. “Never trade your freedom for free money.”

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

Letters from Savington — Letter #23

Rufus held up his cacao tokens.
“Are these really money?”

“They have value,” said Ubel. “But only in places the Jaguar allows.”

Kiki thought for a moment. “So they're more like vouchers?”

Ubel nodded.
“That's an important difference.”

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

@BitcoinBrabant Humankind always needs to suffer before they move. Only a small % of people are doing the things right before they go wrong.

Salute @bitcoinbrabant

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

Letters from Savington — Letter #22

“How can the Jaguar stop us spending our cacao beans outside of Tikal?” asked Kiki.

“He could give us special tokens,”said Ubel. “Tokens that only Tikal shops accept.”

Rufus stared.
“So he decides where I can shop?”

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

Letters from Savington — Letter #21

Rufus counted his 5,000 cacao beans.
“I'm buying honey in the Golden Savannah!”

“You can't,” said Kiki. “The Jaguar says we must spend them in his City alone.”

Rufus frowned. “But how would he know where I spend them?”

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

Letters from Savington — Letter #20
The Jaguar Overseer stood high above his temple. “5,000 free cacao beans for everyone!”

The crowd cheered.

Rufus jumped. “We're rich!”

“There's one rule,” said the Jaguar.
“You can only spend them in my City.”

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

If everyone had twice as much money tomorrow,
would everyone be twice as rich?
- Rufus #3
Kiki & Rufus: The Secret of Money
https://t.co/NqQUgjBi2P

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

We teach children to trust money.
But how often do we teach them to ask why money can be trusted?
• Ubel Owl #2
Kiki & Rufus: The Secret of Money
https://t.co/NqQUgjBi2P

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

Apparently, money only works because we all agree it does.
That sounds a lot like the rules of a game.
I wonder how seriously grown-ups take this game?
• Rufus #2
Kiki & Rufus: The Secret of Money
https://t.co/NqQUgjBi2P

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

After nearly two years of writing, Kiki & Rufus is finally real.

Learn together with your child what money actually is, before it becomes confusing.

Get the first story: What is Money, free as an e-book. Leave your email and I’ll send it straight to your inbox ↓
https://t.co/20uNIvNyrm

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

@ShaysCabin I do appreciate your comment very much. Thank you.

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

After nearly two years of writing, Kiki & Rufus is finally real.

Learn together with your child what money actually is, before it becomes confusing.

Get the first story: What is Money, free as an e-book.
Leave your email and I’ll send it straight to your inbox ↓

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

@ShaysCabin Thank you for your kind comment Fern. I understand this problem as well but we have worked as hard as we could to use AI but at the same time make it look as good as possible. This in one of the reasons why I give away the first storie so people can see this first.

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

A piece of paper is worth almost nothing.
So why can the same piece of paper suddenly buy you things?
• Kiki #2
Kiki & Rufus: The Secret of Money
https://t.co/NqQUgjBi2P

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

Letters from Savington — Letter #19
Ubel dipped his quill in ink.
“Digital money can be fast and useful. But that is not enough.”
He began to write:
“Who controls it? Who makes the rules? And can those rules be changed?”
“Those are the questions we should always ask about money.”

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

I understand that, but it’s absolutely not a story meant to push kids toward any particular narrative. The stories are simply fun to read, grounded in good moral values, and designed to teach children about the history of money. They’ll learn valuable lessons while having a great time reading and exploring the world of Kiki and Rufus.

The story is free to download, so everyone can read it first and decide for themselves whether it’s something they enjoy and want to explore further.

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

What if kids understood money before they ever had to worry about it?

Get the first Kiki & Rufus story, What is Money?, free as an e-book.
Ages 6+ • English, Dutch or Spanish

Enter your email and we’ll send it straight to your inbox.
Get the free e-book ↓

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

The illustrations are indeed made by AI. However, the page designs, stories, and knowledge are entirely human-created. That’s why people can read the story for free and see the quality and hard work that went into creating it. I simply want to share the knowledge that I teach my own children.

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

Letters from Savington — Letter #18
Rufus looked at the digital coin.
“It’s fast and easy. No more heavy coins!”
Kiki smiled. “That sounds useful.”
“It can be,” said Ubel. “But easy to use doesn’t mean fair. We still need to ask who controls it and what the rules are.”

[Ubel Owl Studios @Ubelowl]

Letters from Savington — Letter #17
Kiki looked at the glowing coin.
“If money is digital, can someone decide what we can do with it?”
“Yes,” said Ubel. “Digital money can have rules built into it.”
Rufus frowned. “Then we should know who controls those rules.”