Get ready for a major nostalgia trip because Paramount+ has just given the thumbs-up to two new animated series based on the legendary children’s books by Mo Willems. We are talking about The Elephant & Piggie Show! and The Pigeon Show! Starring the Pigeon, bringing those famous characters to life in a whole new way. If you spent your childhood laughing at The Pigeon trying to drive a bus or reading about the seriously sweet but often messy friendship between cautious Gerald the Elephant and lively Piggie, then these series will be for you and your kids. The streaming service is promising to capture all the humor and heart that made the books bestsellers.
The new shows are going to be a fun mix of the familiar and the fresh. The Elephant & Piggie Show! will explore their neighborhood of Willemsburg, showing the hilarious and sometimes challenging parts of being best friends, which is something we can all relate to, even if we are past the pre-K age the show is aiming for. Then there is The Pigeon Show! Starring the Pigeon, which will feature The Pigeon’s daily struggles with just wanting to be listened to, probably while plotting his next move to get a cookie or drive some kind of unauthorized vehicle. You will see familiar faces like the adorable Duckling and meet new ones like Nana-Dactyl, The Pigeon’s 150-million-year-old pterodactyl grandmother.
PARAMOUNT+ GREENLIGHTS ANIMATED ADAPTATIONS OF ACCLAIMED CHILDREN’S BOOKS BY MO WILLEMS
Series Orders of THE ELEPHANT & PIGGIE SHOW! and THE PIGEON SHOW! STARRING THE PIGEON Mark Streamer’s First Collaboration with Hidden Pigeon Company, Co-Founded by Celebrated Author
Paramount+ announced that it has greenlit two animated series, THE ELEPHANT & PIGGIE SHOW! and THE PIGEON SHOW! STARRING THE PIGEON, based on celebrated children’s author and illustrator Mo Willems’ New York Times best-selling book series. The series orders mark the first collaborations between Paramount+ and Hidden Pigeon Company.
“Mo Willems has delighted kids and ‘former kids’ around the world with these beloved characters,” said Jane Wiseman, Head of Originals for Paramount+. “Whether it’s Elephant and Piggie navigating the hard work of ‘best-friending’ or The Pigeon confusing wants and needs (a hot dog! a cookie! to drive the bus!), these characters remind us that the best stories are the ones that make us laugh and feel something real. We’re thrilled to bring them to life on Paramount+.”
“We are so excited to be partnering with Paramount+ to further expand the world of Mo Willems through these two new series,” said Karen K. Miller, CEO of Hidden Pigeon Company. “We can’t wait to present more of the characters and stories that kids everywhere already know and love in ways that will surprise and delight them at every turn.”
THE ELEPHANT & PIGGIE SHOW! is a warm, comedic pre-K series about the hilarious and sometimes challenging work of “best-friending.” The series takes place in the small, walkable neighborhood of Willemsburg, which is full of new locations audiences will love. Elephant Gerald is careful; his best friend Piggie is not. Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to and together, along with young audiences, they will celebrate the messy and joyful art of friendship.
THE PIGEON SHOW! STARRING THE PIGEON is about the day-to-day struggles of a pigeon who just wants to be listened to. He will be your best friend if you have a bus and you let him drive it. The series features familiar characters from Willems’ books, such as the adorable Duckling who always seems to get what she wants, plus new characters, like The Pigeon’s 150-million-year-old pterodactyl grandmother, Nana-Dactyl, and his best wing-pals, Ima Pigeon and Doug Pigeon.
Mo Willems is a #1 New York Times best-selling author and illustrator. He’s been awarded a Caldecott Honor on three occasions (for Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity). Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! was also an inaugural inductee into the Indies Choice Picture Book Hall of Fame. Willems’ celebrated Elephant & Piggie early reader series has been awarded two Theodor Seuss Geisel Medals (for There Is a Bird on Your Head! and Are You Ready to Play Outside?) and five Geisel Honors (for We Are in a Book!, I Broke My Trunk!, Let’s Go for a Drive!, A Big Guy Took My Ball!, and Waiting Is Not Easy!). Mo began his career as a writer on Sesame Street, where he garnered six Emmy® Awards.
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