After airing the holiday special Toot & Puddle: I’ll Be Home for Christmas last winter, NOGGIN, Nickelodeon’s commercial-free preschool network, has picked up the Toot & Puddle series from National Geographic Kids Entertainment (NGKE) and animation studio Mercury Filmworks. Based on the best-selling children’s book series by Holly Hobbie, the show is set to debut in the fall 2008, and has also been pre-sold by National Geographic Television International (NGTI) to TV2 in Norway and Nickelodeon in the U.K., Australia and Germany.
NGKE and Mercury Filmworks have begun production on 52 11-minute episodes of Toot & Puddle, a show about two adventurous piglet pals. Toot, the world-traveler, and Puddle, the backyard explorer, go on exciting journeys both near and far.
“The Toot & Puddle series captures the essence of National Geographic’s brand and mission by encouraging exploration and adventure,” says NGKE president Donna Friedman Meir. “The holiday special that aired on NOGGIN and was also licensed to a number of international broadcasters, including YLE (Finland), DR1 (Denmark) and ATV (Hong Kong), was a big hit with children and their families, and we are thrilled to be working with Mercury Filmworks to bring them more adventures and entertainment from the best-selling book series.”
Episode themes in the series will be based on the Toot & Puddle books, which have sold more than a million print copies worldwide. The franchise celebrates its 10th anniversary this year with the October release of a new book titled Let It Snow. The holiday special Toot & Puddle: I’ll Be Home for Christmas is available on DVD through Warner Home Video. Young fans can find games and other interactive activities at www.tootandpuddle.com.
