Kids round-up: ‘Hello Kitty’ inks global pre-sales; Banijay options ‘Arnold The Super-ish Hero’; Sky recruits ‘123 Number Squad!’

Hello Kitty

‘Hello Kitty’ inks global pre-sales

Canal+ and M6 in France, RAI in Italy, Tiny Pop in the UK, Discovery Kids for Latin America, RTS for Switzerland and Hop for Israel have all inked pre-sale deals for the upcoming 3D animated children’s show Hello Kitty: Super Style.

The 52 x 11-minute is commissioned and co-developed with Amazon Kids+, with these deals struck by show producers Watch Next, Monello and Maga Animation Studio and distributor Kids First. Japanese distributor ABC Frontier is also in charge of Asian territories.

Hello Kitty: Super Style is currently in production and will launch in late 2022, following the friendliest feline face in the tight-knit community of Cherry Town, where she will stop at nothing to help friends in need. In each episode, Hello Kitty uses the power of her magical bow to activate an amazing transformation, changing her outfit to be a brave explorer, a top-notch chef, a sensational pop star and more to help her pals overcome silly setbacks.

Arnold The Super-ish Hero

Banijay options ‘Arnold The Super-ish Hero’

Banijay Kids and Family has optioned the rights to turn picture book Arnold The Super-ish Hero into a preschool series, after signing a deal with Canadian children’s publisher Kids Can Press.

Written by Heather Tekavec and illustrated by Guillaume Perreault, the story follows Arnold, who helps out at his family’s superhero business. The only catch is that Arnold doesn’t have a superpower of his own.

One day a call comes into superhero HQ from a little girl in need, and being the only one around, Arnold jumps into action. Determined to succeed as a hero, Arnold helps all kinds of people along the way. 

Gary Milne, head of content development, Banijay Kids & Family, commented: “As soon as I read Arnold the Super-ish Hero, I fell in love with the character and the wonderful notion that kindness is a superpower. Heather and Guillaume have created a delightful story that will translate beautifully on screen.”

Sky recruits ‘123 Number Squad!’

123 Number Squad!

UK broadcaster Sky has pre-bought two seasons of upcoming pre-school series 123 Number Squad! for its on-demand channel Sky Kids and streaming service NOW.

Produced by Omens Studios, the 52 x 11-minute series, which is aimed at 3-6-year-olds, will start airing in Feb 2023. The CG animated series is executive produced by Sally Marchant with Sacha Goedegebure as showrunner and Debbie Macdonald as head writer.

The series follows Paula, Billy and Tim, three best friends with a shared love of numbers, hanging out together in their playroom HQ at 123 Numberville – a bustling world of amazing locations, with surprises around every corner.