There are plenty of new stories waiting for kids to discover, and Blue Ant Media is bringing its biggest collection yet to the table.
Ahead of MIPJunior and MIPCOM, Blue Ant has unveiled the largest kids and family slate it has ever taken to market, spanning preschool animation, bridge programming, live action and family entertainment from Blue Ant Studios alongside independent producers from around the world.
And one little musical frog is already hopping into quite a few new places.
“Tralala,” produced by Blue Ant Studios and Stretchy for CBC and Sky NZ, follows an inventive seven-year-old frog whose everyday life with her dad, Sid, has a habit of inspiring something considerably bigger. Imaginative play, whimsical adventures and original songs transform those everyday experiences as Tralala finds plenty of reasons to let her imagination wander.
Now more young viewers are getting the chance to meet her.
BBC’s CBeebies has acquired the 52 x 7-minute first season for the UK and Ireland, joining a growing group of international homes for the preschool series. ABC Australia, SVT in Sweden and YLE in Finland have also acquired the season.
But Tralala is only the beginning of what Blue Ant is bringing to market.
“Flower & Flour” joins the company’s catalog with its first season, introducing seven-year-old Flower and her best friend Flour, who happens to be a rather cheeky cat made out of flour. Because sometimes your best friend is a cat, and sometimes your best friend is apparently one baking mishap away from becoming a loaf of bread.
Produced by Cheeky Little Media and Sinking Ship Entertainment, the 39 x 7-minute animated bridge series turns ordinary moments into much bigger adventures and is headed to ABC Australia, TVOkids, Radio-Canada and Knowledge Kids.
Then there is “Little Margo Stories,” which has taken a particularly interesting route onto television.
The non-dialogue preschool series from Lightcatcher Media follows a little mole named Margo as she encounters delightful sights and experiences for the first time. Rather than beginning as a traditional television production, however, Margo’s adventures started on YouTube Shorts.
Those tiny digital adventures are now becoming something considerably larger.
“Little Margo Stories,” consisting of 50 three-minute episodes plus specials, is available as a licensable series and has already attracted Disney Jr., CBC and SRC. It is another example of how the path toward children’s television continues to evolve, with characters capable of finding their first audience online before making the jump onto more traditional platforms.
Blue Ant is also adding a series BSCKids readers might recognize.
“BeddyByes,” from JAM Media, joins the expanded catalog with its 52-episode first season. The calming preschool series follows MeMo and BaBa while helping young children build healthy daily routines through gentle, mindful stories. With a second season already on the way, the soothing little world is continuing to grow.
For families looking for something a little longer, “The Day You Begin” brings a 45-minute animated story from Atomic Cartoons centered around self-acceptance, courage and the connections that can form when we find the confidence to reach out to others.
And Blue Ant isn’t relying entirely on new faces.
“BooSnoo!” is returning with a fourth season of 25 seven-minute episodes, while the live-action competition series “All-Round Champion” reaches its seventh season with 10 new hour-long installments. “Old Enough!” is also back for a third season consisting of eight half-hour episodes.
Taken together, it is a surprisingly broad collection of kids and family programming.
A musical frog can turn an ordinary day with her dad into an adventure. A girl explores the world alongside a cat made from flour. A tiny mole who began life in YouTube Shorts is finding her way onto television screens. MeMo and BaBa are helping preschoolers wind down, while other stories explore confidence, connection, competition and growing independence.
There isn’t one single definition of what kids and family programming has to look like here, and that may be the most interesting part of Blue Ant’s growing push into the space.
The company is bringing together animation and live action, short-form and longer storytelling, established shows and characters only beginning to find audiences. Blue Ant is also looking beyond the screen, with its consumer products operation positioned to help successful properties grow into larger brands.
But first, you need stories and characters kids actually want to spend time with.
With its largest kids and family lineup yet heading to MIPJunior and MIPCOM, Blue Ant certainly has plenty of them ready to make the trip.
And if Tralala’s growing list of destinations is any indication, some of these characters may be doing quite a bit of traveling.