Preschool series tackling depression and anxiety in kids eyes toys and games with Bulldog Licensing
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The BAFTA-winning children’s television production house, Sixteen South has signed Bulldog Licensing as its global licensing agency for Odo, the new preschool series scheduled to premiere on Channel 5’s Milkshake this summer and KiKA later this year.
Aimed at kids aged three to five, Odo is designed to teach young children to believe in themselves to help combat the rise in anxiety and depression levels in today’s children. Funny, charming and heartfelt, Odo works on multiple levels to provide a humorous experience with important life lessons for kids and parents.
According to the team, the animation ‘lends itself perfectly to a full cross-category programme of licensed products’, as focus will fall on toys and games as well as apparel, accessories, publishing, home, and stationery. Bulldog Licensing has outlined its plans to partner with leading players in the licensing world everywhere.
Believing that there’s absolutely nothing that he can’t do, Odo is the littlest owl at the Forest Camp who is determined to prove that despite his size, he is as capable as all the bigger birds. The series aims to teach young children self-efficacy and to believe in themselves to help combat the troubling rise in anxiety and depression levels in today’s children.
Comedic and warm, with gender neutral appeal, the stories also deal with important themes such as immigration, racism, respect for others, and show kids how to deal with setbacks in a meaningful way while fostering the development of social skills.
Colin Williams, creative director of Sixteen South, said: “We’ve always been big fans of Bulldog and are delighted they are taking Odo under their wing to manage our global consumer products programme. With their outstanding reputation we know that Odo couldn’t be in better hands.
“We have had an amazing response to the series from broadcasters from the US to Australia, Canada and all across Europe, with strong pre-sales already, and we’re sure that Bulldog will soon have licensees flocking to get on board.”
Rob Corney, group managing director, Bulldog Licensing, said: “We were completely enchanted by Odo – it’s warm-hearted and funny with a really important message. We’re really excited to be working together with such a talented studio as Sixteen South to help it take flight around the world. It’s full of wonderful, endearing characters which we can already imagine enhancing a whole range of consumer product and experiences. Watch Odo fly.”
Odo is a 52 x 7 hand drawn ‘2.5D’ animation produced by Sixteen South and Warsaw-based 2D animation studio Letko with funding provided by the UK government funded Young Audiences Content Fund (YACF), which is managed by the BFI, NI Screen and the Polish Film Institute.
The Exec Producers are Colin Williams for Sixteen South, Jakub Karwowski for Letko, Sebastian Debertin for KiKA and Louise Bucknole for Milkshake! The Educational Consultant is psychologist Dr Natascha N. Crandall, Ph.D.