IT'S TIME to see Bonnie Toogood like you've never seen her before. 

The Essendon AFLW superstar is making a cameo appearance in episode two of the AFL's animated children's series, Wagtales, where she helps Willie, Major and the crew with some captain's advice. 

When Toogood was asked to be a part of the episode, she didn't hesitate to get involved. 

"It was one of the out of the box ones, when it came through, I thought I had to be involved with this," she told AFL.com.au.

"I do love animation and children's cartoons, maybe that shows I just want to stay a kid… I think I replied within a couple of seconds to say I was in. This is such a cool initiative from the AFL to engage younger fans in a different way.

"I'm really excited for it. I'm a big Bluey fan myself, so I jumped at the chance when this came across my desk."

>> WATCH THE AFL'S NEW ANIMATED SERIES WAGTALES ON YOUTUBE NOW

Toogood is one of several football stars set to feature in the series, which also includes cameos from Geelong premiership star Patrick Dangerfield and Sydney young gun Zippy Fish.

In episode two of the series, Toogood's experiences as club captain of Essendon come in handy as she helps Willie, Major and friends with some leadership tips and tricks. 

"It's very cute, the whole concept in general about kids animation and engaging younger fans and different fans through the entertainment landscape," she said.

"Seeing where I can help Willie and the crew with some captain's advice to get the group up and running. I'm having a little chin wag with a good friend of mine and hear some ruckus in the background. I feel like my expertise as a club captain can come in and help Willie, Major and the crew.

"It's really important when you're wrangling the troops, you don't want to be too bossy but you have to inspire at the same time.

"I'm really excited to see those episodes and see Major, Willie and the crew learn about our greatest game."

Toogood hopes the animation series helps more kids get involved with the sport that she's grown up loving herself.

"It's pretty cool that this could reach so many young kids and engage them with AFL. I have such a strong passion for this game, I think it's the greatest game on Earth," she said.

"I would love that to be instilled in lots of young people as well, introducing them to a sport that's so chaotic, fun, energetic and tough. 

"Maybe one day when I have a child, I'll be like, 'Hey, you can watch this animation, it's pretty cool.'"

The Essendon champion, who grew up idolising the likes of Matthew Lloyd, Dustin Fletcher and James Hird, has always been a footy lover and hopes that passion shines through in the series.

"Six-year-old Bonnie was constantly out on the oval or in the backyard playing football. Most likely commentating, pretending to take speccys, kicking goal of the year," Toogood said.

"I was never really inside, I didn't like to be inside. An energetic kid that was sporty and loved football. I've always loved footy and wanted to go to the games as much as possible. 

"We'd always be out in the backyard competing with each other, who could score the most goals, who could score the coolest goals, who could take the most marks.

"That was definitely six-year-old Bonnie and she's living out her dream right now – and in an animation which is pretty cool."

A key focus in Toogood's episode is leadership, something that Toogood finds fascinating as an AFLW captain herself. 

"I find leadership fascinating, it's something that drives me to be a better human. Good signs of a leader are being able to listen, to be able to gauge your group and the feelings of your group," she said.

"Creating an environment where people feel like they belong and can show up completely themselves, I think that's really important. The next layer is then creating leaders yourself. 

"When you’'e helping others become the best version of themselves. Connection and relationship building is super important. A curious leader is the best kind of leader."

Now having played almost 80 games at the top level, Toogood is still as passionate about the game as she's ever been.

"My favourite part about being a footballer is the fun that I feel when I'm with my people. At the footy club these are the people I consider my family, where I truly belong, I feel safe and accepted for who I am. That's definitely the culture that I want to continue to breed, particularly as a captain and leader," she said.

"I genuinely love the game. I think it's the best game in the world because of its unpredictable nature, the chaos, that's what I love about it. You never find yourself in the same situation… you're always having to adjust and shift."

According to Toogood, nothing quite beats that feeling as you walk up the race with your teammates.

"I love pre-game, it's one of my favourite bits of game day. There's this nervous energy, but this excitement that's radiating through the rooms," she said.

"I love that, it's such a cool feeling when you're in it. When you're at the bottom of the race, when you start walking up, that frequency of energy really starts to skyrocket. It still gives me goosebumps."

And Toogood knows that six-year-old Bonnie would be proud of how far she's come.

"Don't be so hard on yourself girl. Trust the process, you're gonna do what you're gonna do. Don't stress too much about what's going to happen or what you're going to be when you grow up. Enjoy the moment, what you're doing is a part of the process and it's all going to be OK," she said.

"She'd just be over the moon and so proud of what I'm doing. I often think of that to kind of strip back the pressure if I feel like I've got the weight of the world on my shoulders. She'd be so proud, she wouldn't believe it… she'd be ecstatic and too eager to grow up."

As for other Essendon teammates who could one day appear as a cartoon character? Toogood reckons she could see youngster Grace Belloni hitting the screens.

"She's the second funniest person in the team, but why she is funny is how she moves about life. She's a really deep thinker and loves to get into the nitty gritty of life, but her mannerisms and some of the intrusive thoughts that exit her mouth, there's no filter," she said.

"I think she'd just be a really funny cartoon character, too… she's got that vibe about her."

You can watch Toogood star in episode two of Wagtales now by heading to the Wagtales Official YouTube channel.