Moonbaa tries counting sheep
When you can’t sleep, you count sheep. But what if you are the sheep? Moonbaa has a small existential moment, in 18 seconds.
Watch on YouTube · SleepBetter channel · Moonbaa
Made with AI. Parts of this video are AI-generated (see “How this was made” below).
What it is
A tiny joke. Moonbaa settles down on the crescent moon to count sheep, gets as far as noticing the problem, and decides the only fair answer is to count once and fall asleep. It’s meant to be the kind of thing you send to a friend who is also awake too late.
Does counting sheep work?
Honestly, not very well for most people. In a 2002 Oxford study of 50 students whose sleep was disturbed by racing thoughts, the group asked to picture a calm, absorbing scene, like a waterfall or a holiday, fell asleep sooner than a group given a plainer distraction, the kind of task counting sheep is, or no instructions at all. Counting is dull enough to be annoying but not absorbing enough to crowd out worries. A slow breath or a scene you can step into usually works better. Try our 4-7-8 breathing pacer, or a sound with a scene built in, like rain on a cabin window.
Good for
A laugh before bed, and a reminder that lying awake happens to everyone, sheep included. If you are still up, our free sleep sounds play in the browser with a timer, and the sleep calculator can help you plan tomorrow night’s bedtime.
Sound design note
As in the first Short, Moonbaa’s voice is an original designed voice made with ElevenLabs for this character, and it doesn’t imitate any real person. The pauses do most of the comedy, so we left lots of room around each line.
Transcript
What Moonbaa says:
Hm?
Wait.
I’m a sheep.
Do I count myself?
…One.
How this was made
This Short is AI-generated. Moonbaa’s animation was made with Higgsfield AI video tools, and the voice is an original AI-designed voice made with ElevenLabs. Script and character design by SleepBetter.
Keep watching
ShortMeet Moonbaa, our sleepy little bedtime buddy
A 22-second hello from the little sheep on the crescent moon.
Video · 8 hoursRain on a cabin window, 8 hours with a dark screen
Close raindrops on glass and soft rain on the roof. No thunder, dark by 5:00.
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Dense, warm rain on broad jungle leaves, with runoff below. Heavy but even.
Free playerFree sleep sound player
Play white, pink, brown and green noise, rain and a lofi beat in your browser, with a sleep timer.
Free toolSleep calculator
Pick a wake-up time and get bedtimes that line up with roughly 90-minute sleep cycles, or work forward from tonight.
Sleep videos and guided relaxation are for general wellness, not medical advice. If poor sleep is affecting your days, talk to a doctor or a sleep specialist.