You know, the world would be a little dreamier if we all lived inside the Heartstopper universe. Beabadoobee and Baby Queen would provide the soundtrack to our highest and lowest moments; Olivia Colman and Fisayo Akinade would guide us through obstacle after obstacle; and screenwriter, author and illustrator Alice Oseman’s charming illustrations would punctuate all of our emotions, neuroses and first kisses. 

These doodles — which pop up during what Oseman calls “Heartstopper moments” — are at once an Easter egg for fans of the original webcomic and a tool that helps the series feel all the more magical and surreal. In the show, doodled butterflies take flight as Charlie and Nick greet each other; colorful leaves fall as they practice rugby. “I think it works so well to capture that feeling of magic that is so intrinsic to Heartstopper,” Oseman tells Tudum.

Oseman, who wrote the show’s scripts herself, knew she wanted “some kind of animation or flourish” during the show’s most emotional, dramatic and heartwarming scenes. “When we were writing the scripts, we came up with this idea called ‘Heartstopper moments,’ which are sort of emotional moments in the story,” Oseman says. One of these is the scene in which Nick and Charlie nervously touch pinkies before their first kiss; there’s also the moment they first lock eyes in class. The illustrations also pop up when Charlie daydreams about Nick reciprocating his feelings — or worries about rejection and bullying.

Every Single ‘Hi’ in Heartstopper

When they found 2D animator Anna Peronetto, the moments started to come to life. “She turned these Heartstopper moments into the animation that we see on-screen, using a storyboard that I had drawn,” Oseman continues. “I did some storyboards for all of them, and I love them — they’re magical.”

The doodles help drive home the point that Nick and Charlie’s love story isn’t just romantic: it’s almost like a fairy tale. Which is exactly how it feels to finally kiss an unattainable crush — even though most of us don’t get to watch flowers literally bloom when they smile.