We caught up with two of the key principals at Montreal’s Cookie Jar, Sam Ewing, senior VP of sales and distributions, and Kelly Elwood, VP of marketing and licensing. They both seemed very proud of the new slate they’re offering buyers at the market this year.
At the top of their list is Gerald McBoing Boing, a charming animated series based on the classic book by Dr. Seuss. "We like to call it ‘the silliest show you’ll ever hear,’" says Elwood. "Gerald is the quintessential cartoon aimed at both kids and their parents," adds Ewing. "He responds to everyone with the different noises he makes, and kids love that. He’s not an explorer, and he’s not a rugrat. He’s Gerald, and that’s why it’s been very easy to sell the show globally." Animation fans will also remember Gerald as the star of the 1950 Oscar-winning UPA short directed by Robert Cannon. The new series will join the Cartoon Network lineup in May 2005.
Toon business veteran Ewing, who is one of the true masters of the art of the pitch, says he is also quite enamored of Cookie Jar’s live-action and 2D animation mix series, Dark Oracle. The show follows the everyday lives of two teens as they struggle to understand the power of a suspicious comic book featuring their alter egos. Dark Oracle (13×30) is created by Jana Sinvor (DeGrassi: The Next Generation) and writer/exec producer Heather Conkie (The Zack Files). The show airs Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. on Canada’s YTV.
