Moonbug

London-based digital kidsco Moonbug is showing that sharing is caring and partnering with Cloudco Entertainment to create new Care Bears content and manage the IP’s YouTube channel.

The companies are producing YouTube-first show Care Bears: Unlock the Music, a 26-episode 2D-animated series featuring musical adventures of the Care Bears. Moonbug will co-own the spinoff and manage its global distribution.

Fred Rogers Productions

Fred Rogers Productions has appointed Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing as master publishing partner for its upcoming puppet series Donkey Hodie. Simon & Schuster will produce a range of books, including early readers, board books, pop-ups and e-book formats inspired by the show, which will begin to roll out in Q1 2022.

Inspired by characters from Mister Rogers Neighborhood, the upcoming preschool series revolves around a donkey and her pals who work together to overcome obstacles and find fun and creative solutions to problems. Fred Rogers and Spiffy Pictures are producing 40 x 30-minute episodes for PBS Kids, and the series is set to launch in early 2021.

Cartoonito

WarnerMedia-owned UK broadcaster Cartoonito has picked up Futurum’s 52 x 11-minute animated series Paddles to launch in the fall. Paddles is the London studio’s first series, and is a CG-animated adventure for four to sevens that tracks a polar bear cub delivered to an Irish wolfhound pack by a stork. Produced with animation partner Melon in Istanbul, the show celebrates being different.

Pocket.watch

California entertainment company Pocket.watch and Sunlight Entertainment—the company owned by kidfluencer Ryan Kaji’s family—will launch the ad-supported channel Ryan and Friends on The Roku Channel.

Featuring exclusive content from Kaji and other YouTube creators from Pocket.watch’s stable of partners, the channel is also available on-demand through Sling TV, Apple TV, Android TV, iOS and Android mobile devices.

WildBrain CPLG

WildBrain CPLG is going where few have gone before, brokering a deal with tech company BeArty for a range of digital Star Trek-themed art (pictured) that smart TV users can display on their screens. The London-based licensing agency brokered the deal for ViacomCBS Consumer Products, which will allow smart TV owners the ability to download the art and access images from the sci-fi franchise. Star Trek has been firing on all cylinders recently, including with the upcoming Nickelodeon series Star Trek: Prodigy, which marks the first time the brand directly targeted a younger audience.