Toot & Puddle

NAME: Toot & Puddle

ORIGIN: This new series is based on the bestselling books by Holly Hobbie.

DISTRIBUTOR: National Geographic Television International (NGTI)

TRAILER: Click here to view a clip from the show.

CREATORS/EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Clint Eland at Mercury Filmworks and Tara Sorensen at National Geographic Kids Entertainment

TV SHOW: 2-D, 52×11-minute HD animated series, targeting preschoolers

DESCRIPTION: Toot & Puddle follows the escapades of two very different best buddies who share a love of adventure. Through Toot and Puddle’s wonder-filled world of exploration, young viewers will come to understand that having friends with differing points-of-view can be exciting.

Toot is a young pig-on-the-go, globe-trotting adventurer. He loves to explore and is constantly on the lookout for any new challenge or untried experience. Puddle is the backyard explorer who, although loves to travel, takes even greater pleasure in finding excitement closer to home. The show is designed to encourage exploration and adventure, both at home and afar, by piquing kids’ natural curiosity about the world around them.

Whether right at home exploring their own cozy, neighborhood backyard, or traveling to new, exotic locations such as Paris, Tokyo or the Bavarian Alps, the piggy pals never know where they might end up or who they might meet. It’s their willingness to go where life leads them that gives the show its unbridled joy and sense of adventure. In contrast to international destinations, the best friends’ home in Pocket Hollow is the warm and woodsy setting for many of Toot and Puddle’s backyard adventures—which includes playing in the mud!

Through their many adventures, Toot and Puddle interact with their parrot pal, Tulip; curious little cousin, Opal; a Chinese mystic named Dr. Ha Song; their nervous neighbor, Otto the turtle; a treefrog named Lily and a red kangaroo named Desmond, who arrives as a visitor and is so enchanted by this charming community that he decides to stay.

COMMISSIONING BROADCASTERS: Commissioned by Treehouse, Canada. The series premiered on Treehouse in September and will roll out on NOGGIN in November.

TV SALES: Formally launched at MIPCOM, Toot & Puddle has already clinched early sales to Nickelodeon in the U.K., Germany, Australia and New Zealand; YLE in Finland; TV2 in Norway and Minimax in Central Eastern Europe.

MAJOR TOY LICENSEES: National Geographic Kids Entertainment (NGKE) has signed a deal with Yottoy for plush product in the U.S. and further discussions are currently being held.

OTHER PRODUCTS: A range of other products is being planned. Warner Home Video will be releasing Toot & Puddle: I’ll Be Home for Christmas on DVD in a number of territories, including the U.K., Australia, South Africa, France, Belgium, Holland, Brazil and Russia. It has already been released in the U.S.

Two TV tie-in books from Random House will also be released in the U.S. this fall: Toot & Puddle: The Great Cheese Chase and Toot & Puddle: The Mystery of the Disappearing Swing.

Active conversations are under way regarding stationery, gift and other lines.

STRATEGY FOR ROLLOUT: Karen Vermeulen, the head of international operations at NGTI Kids, explains: “The TV sales strategy at the present time is to build solid relationships with one lead broadcaster in each key territory and then work with them to develop the brand franchise in their respective markets. For South America we are working with Spiral International, who will be representing the franchise locally, looking for best-fit broadcast and other partners across the region.”

She continues: “With anchor broadcasters in Canada and America, the initial L&M rollout is focusing on North America, but leading L&M agents are currently being contracted to cover key markets, so there is every intention that a full range of products will be visible internationally in 2009-10. With a basic premise to the TV series of exploring near and far and spending time with best friends—coupled with a raft of very adorable characters—Toot & Puddle readily lends itself to a wide range of L&M, cross-platform and publishing opportunities.”