Kids’ entertainment specialists CAKE and international animation and live-action producer Kickstart Entertainment are teaming up with Cloud9World on the new CG-animated series Kiwi Island. Aimed at three- to seven-year olds, this 52 x 11-minute series shows children how to recognize emotions in themselves and others and how they affect the people around them.
“We are excited to work with Cloud9World and Kickstart on Kiwi Island and look forward to introducing this relatable animated comedy helping children develop relationship skills, to our partners at Annecy next week,” says Ed Galton, CEO of CAKE.
Jason Netter, CEO of Kickstart, adds, “We are thrilled to be working with the CAKE team and Cloud9World to bring their successful school program of charming Kiwi characters to a bigger worldwide audience with this TV series. We believe in the importance of emotional learning for young audiences and the positive impact it can have now and as they grow.”
Kiwi Island will be produced by Kickstart Entertainment with design work from Colombian animation production company ZincoTools Entertainment, executive produced by former Netflix Kids & Family Senior Manager Josh Fisher and executive produced and distributed internationally by CAKE, who will be presenting the project at Annecy. Scripts will be written by Corey Powell (Do, Re & Mi; Doc McStuffins).
Synopsis: Kiwi Island is a tropical paradise full of Kiwi birds, who live and play together but don’t always see, feel or experience things in the same way. Each Kiwi inhabitant represents a recognizable emotion, and when Sunny, Gloomy, Fraidy or Antsy are feeling their big feelings, their island surroundings reflect those emotions. Each adventure on Kiwi Island shows that no feelings are bad and even with the occasional emotional storm, every Kiwi is valued as our characters learn to express a wide range of emotions while understanding one another through fun and entertaining stories.
Kiwi Island is based on Cloud9World’s in-school social learning program Let’s Learn about Emotions with Kiwi, which focuses on emotional intelligence strategies and has been adopted by schools in 17 countries, including in the U.S. A series of interactive games, books, videos and plush dolls accompany the program.
“Our in-school program has succeeded in large part because it is driven by characters to which children relate,” notes Andrea Nachtigall, CEO of Cloud9World. Bringing these adorable characters into a fully dimensional, animated world shaped by story and fun, in partnership with Kickstart and CAKE, will heighten the experience — and the learning — for young children around the world.”
