Vancouver-based Thunderbird Entertainment Group announced that Thunderbird Distribution has acquired global media (excluding the U.K.) and consumer products rights to new kids series BooSnoo! (41 x 7′), a Sky Kids original commission. The mixed-media series — designed to captivate kids through a neurodiverse-friendly approach that pairs bespoke visuals with calm music — is co-produced by U.K.-based Visionality and acclaimed model maker and puppet studio Mackinnon & Saunders.
Since debuting in early 2023 on Sky Kids in the U.K., BooSnoo! has received a greenlight for a second 21-episode season from the broadcaster.
Visionality principal Julian Bashford drew on his experiences of being a parent in a family with autism, and the toys and methods that worked to calm and entertain, his first son to create BooSnoo! The live-action/CG/stop-motion, dialog-free series encourages both neurodiverse and neurotypical kids ages two and up to sit back and follow the featured little red ball as it leads an exploration of fantastic landscapes, machines and fascinating rooms that will surprise and delight in a calming, but never dull, manner.
BooSnoo! is inspired by autistic stimming interests such as spinning, mechanics, predictable tracks, numbers and bold clear colors. Episode moments are identically timed throughout and can depict joy, beauty or just plain fun — and it keeps kids of all kinds engaged.
“BooSnoo! is a special series. There is nothing like it in the market,” said Richard Goldsmith, Thunderbird President of Global Distribution & Consumer Products. “And it’s exactly the kind of property we’re looking to acquire at Thunderbird Distribution. It has great potential to entertain audiences globally and to develop into a brand with its toyetic sets and its star, the little red ball. We applaud Julian for creating, and Sky Kids for commissioning, a series that has the potential to meet the programming needs of neurodiverse kids, but also has very wide appeal to general audiences. Everyone we’ve shown BooSnoo! to finds it fascinating.”
Bashford adds, “The response to BooSnoo! was immediate. When the first episodes were released, we received amazing emails from parents on behalf of their children, explaining how much they enjoy the show. Most interesting to me was the lack of words in the show, and the space given with the sounds and the music. It meant that children, including those who speak very little, can relate to the journey that the little red ball was taking. In a world of TV filled with noise, words, character stories and songs, BooSnoo! stands out as a completely original show for all children to enjoy.”
BooSnoo! debuted last week at MIPJunior in Cannes, France, and ranked as the sixth-most-watched show among the more than 600 titles contained in the event’s screening library.
