Netflix Slates Bottersnikes & Gumbles Premiere

NEW YORK: The new CGI-animated series Bottersnikes & Gumbles is debuting on Netflix across international territories next month.

The 26 11-minute episodes will premiere worldwide in 17 languages on August 19, with the exception of Australia and the U.K., where the series will launch on Netflix in 2017. Bottersnikes & Gumbles will debut in the U.K. on CBBC on July 25 and is also airing in Australia on Seven Network. The Netflix original is produced by CAKE, Cheeky Little Media and Mighty Nice, and co-produced with CBBC and Seven Network Australia. The series is intended for kids aged 6 and older.

Bottersnikes & Gumbles follows the adventures of three young Gumbles—Tink, Bounce and Willi—and their lazy, grumpy neighbors the Bottersnikes, led by the foul-tempered Bottersnikes King. Endless battles ensue as the Gumbles try to outwit the Bottersnikes in every episode. The show was adapted from the characters and world as they first appeared in the Bottersnikes and Gumbles books by S.A. Wakefield, with illustrations by Desmond Digby. The books were published in the U.K. and Australia between 1967 and 1989.

Ed Galton, the CCO and managing director of CAKE, commented, “We are thrilled and excited to see Bottersnikes & Gumbles launch on Netflix and we are very proud of the work that the production team has done.”

“First Australia, then the U.K., and now Bottersnikes & Gumbles is coming to the U.S. on Netflix,” added Patrick Egerton, executive producer at Cheeky Little Media. “I wonder if Sam Wakefield ever imagined this when he wrote the original books in the 1960s? Making this show, and bringing these much-loved characters to life, has been amazing. We can’t wait to share this awesome show with the Netflix audience.”

“The original books created a truly unique, often hilarious, fantasy world of imaginative creatures, personalities and situations,” said Darren Price, the executive creative director at Mighty Nice. “Taking it further with animation has been a hugely rewarding experience…. Netflix viewers, get ready to gumble!”

Bottersnikes & Gumbles won this year’s Pulcinella Award for best kids’ TV series at Cartoons on the Bay. It was nominated for a Logie Award in Australia for most outstanding children’s program.