Property Profile: Wild Animal Baby Explorers

ORIGIN: Based on the award-winning magazine Wild Animal Baby, which reaches more than a half million kids/families each month.

DISTRIBUTOR: Beyond Distribution

CREATOR: National Wildlife Federation

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Tony Summers & Steven Katz

COMMISSIONING BROADCASTER: American Public Television

TV SHOW: 26×30-minute or 52×15-minute episodes filmed in high definition. A mix of visual media, combining 3D animation and HD, live-action footage from the some of the best nature and wildlife filmmakers in the world.

Launching October 2010 internationally by Beyond Distribution. Distributed weekly in the U.S. by American Public Television.

DESCRIPTION: Intrepid animal explorers Skip, Izzy, Benita and Sammy—along with guidance from the spirited Miss Sally—will seed and nurture young viewers’ inherent love for animals and nature. The explorers will encounter creatures great and small, and they’ll uncover the secrets behind many of nature’s mysteries.

Sammy is a cute, curious, rambunctious skunk—an explorer in the making. Skip is an endearing, "nerdy" rabbit. The unofficial brains of the group. Benita, a creative and imaginative beaver, has an intuitive connection with nature. Izzy is an owl who’s always determined to do big things. Miss Sally is the super cool salamander, the unshakable "big sister/aunt" who keeps the explorers on track.

The series is based on the Wild Animal Baby magazine. “The magazine has several sections that translated well to a show such as ‘Out and About,’ which is more about exploration, and ‘I CAN,’ which is all about mimicking animal behavior,” says Tony Summers, director of production at the National Wildlife Federation. “We also took the main character ‘Sammy the Skunk’ and worked him into our series. Sammy’s always hiding in the magazine, so we’ve carried that forward in the series. Much like the magazine, the show is really a tool to connect kids to nature using the characters and live-action footage as a catalyst for learning.”

Summers continues: “Kids have an inherent love of animals. We’ve also worked very hard to keep the content fun and entertaining while getting the education across without being pedantic or boring. The characters each have very relatable qualities with different styles of learning and expression. Sammy the Skunk is really the viewer, asking questions a preschooler might ask and doing silly things. He even has trouble pronouncing certain words that kids this age might struggle with.”

LICENSING & MERCHANDISING PLANS: Aurora Plush is the plush licensee. Categories being pursued are publishing, music, specialty toy, stationery, social occasions and apparel (specialty).

STRATEGY FOR ROLLOUT: Yvonne Body, the head of acquisition at Beyond Distribution, which is representing the show worldwide, is expecting a positive response from broadcasters to the show. “The Explorer characters are universal and reflect children of different ages and personalities that viewers from anywhere can identify with. Children all over the world are interested in nature and exploring and they all want to have adventures.”

Body also points to the strengths of the brand. “Being associated with a respected body like the National Wildlife Federation gives the brand integrity,” she says. “Parents feel comfortable that the show provides a safe environment in which children are encouraged to be inquisitive and the presence of Miss Sally reinforces this.”