Silvergate Builds China Presence with ‘Monkey with a Tool Belt’

Silvergate Media (U.K.) has inked a deal with China-based Wanda Kidsland for its new educational animated television series, Monkey with a Tool Belt. The deal will see Wanda Kidsland manage TV distribution, tie-in publishing, consumer products and live attractions for the property to firmly establish the brand in the market and build a fanbase for the series.

The agreement further strengthens Silvergate’s presence in China and will build upon its existing partnership with Wanda, which has delivered great success in the region for Octonauts — an IP that currently boasts more than 30 billion views on web TV in China.

Monkey with a Tool Belt (40 x 11’) is a preschool action comedy with an engineering theme, which follows the adventures of monkey star, Chico Bon Bon, and his Fix-It Force. With the help of a fantastical tool belt, they solve engineering problems for the city of Blunderberg. With strong educational features and carefully curated STEM content, the series is a perfect fit for the digital curriculum of Wanda Kidsland’s 100-plus educational centers throughout China.

“It is exciting to be able to build upon and extend our successful partnership with Wanda Kidsland with Monkey with a Tool Belt,” said Ron Allen, EVP Commercial at Silvergate Media. “We look forward to bringing this STEM-focused series to screens, Education Centres, and retail shelves with the help of the market leader in China and strong advocate for the very best in children’s entertainment.”

Based on the best-selling book series by Chris Monroe, Monkey with a Tool Belt is being brought to life by Silvergate Media and its EVP of Creative Kurt Mueller with an all-star team of creatives including Bob Boyle (Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!), Gabe Pulliman and Stephanie Simpson (Octonauts) and Michael Goldberg (Sesame Street).

Beyond the screen, numerous opportunities for publishing, toy and consumer products will be explored as the series perfectly lends itself to many fast-growing categories including role-play, vehicles, playsets and construction toys. The STEM aspects of the series will open up several exciting opportunities in a growing Chinese market with an appetite for age appropriate and challenging educational content.

CEO of Wanda Kidsland Group, Mr. Gao Yimin, said, “We are excited to expand our successful collaboration with Silvergate on this new entertaining and educational series. The opportunities that this IP will open up are boundless — we are delighted to be a partner on this fresh new brand.”