Mondo Media to day introduced Ka-Pow!, a new series based on its animated web sensation Happy Tree Friends. The property’s millions of fans can now meet new accident-prone characters and revisit franchise favorites including Flippy,Buddhist Monkey and Splendid at www.happytreefriends.com. Animation is produced by Ghostbot Animation, which worked on the previous Buddhist Monkey episodes ‘False Alarm’ and ‘Stealing the Spotlight,’ as well as a few other Mondo projects.
Today’s debut episode, ‘W.A. R. Journal,’ unlocks the secrets of Flippy’s flack-riddled past. The installment follows Happy Tree Friend’s favorite psychotic bear deep into the War Zone with a group of all-new commando co-stars. Fans will learn the grisly truths about Flippy’s bloodthirsty band of brothers’as they execute their missions.
On Sept. 23, Happy Tree Friends cult hero Buddhist Monkey gets his own episode with a kung fu free-for all. Not content to simply battle ninjas, the Simian Supreme will face the weirdest foes he has ever encountered. Nov. 4 will then mark the debut of an all-new adventure with superhero squirrel Splendi as he faces the deadliest challenge of his life.
‘These new shows are a play on superheroes, comics and pop-culture,’ says John Evershed, co-founder and CEO of Mondo Media. ‘It involves new characters, new designs, a new look and feel with edgier, sharper storylines and a lot more action. Our fans have been begging for more and have asked about certain characters. These first episodes should answer some questions our fans have had about some of our characters. Most importantly, they are a lot of fun and entertaining.’
Kenn Navarro, co-creator of Happy Tree Friends and Ka-Pow!, adds, ‘I’ve been dying to take the characters in new directions. I’ve always been passionate about comics, Saturday morning cartoons, superheroes, and action adventure. We’ve done some episodes in the past where we’ve incorporated some of the elements that we are using on these new episodes, and they’ve been some of our most popular to date.’
The Happy Tree Friends cartoons have racked up more than 500 million online views since its launch, and lays claim to having the 3rd most-viewed channel on YouTube. Also available in the iTunes store, the shorts have spawned a TV series, a PC and Xbox video game, a line of home video releases and a global licensing business.
