Look out, Wallace and Gromit, another pair of puppet favorites are moving in on the clay animation scene. Sesame Workshop is working on two seasons of The Adventures of Bert and Ernie, a stop-motion series being produced with German public broadcaster NDR and U.K. broadcaster Five’s Milkshake preschool block. The first season will be available in March of 2008, with season two slated to follow in March of 2009.
Each series of 26 5-minute episodes finds Bert and Ernie recalling stories sparked by photos and memorabilia in their scrapbook. Viewers will be transported to the vibrant world of the duo’s imagination, where the story springs to life and often changes in an instant to reflect each character’s point of view. Other characters include Bert’s pet pigeon, Bernice; Ernie’s Rubber Duckie; never-before-seen family members; and furniture that morphs into other objects.
Animated by Misseri Studio in Florence, Italy, the series has been pre-sold to ABC in Australia, Cartoon Network India, DR-TV in Denmark, Disney Asia, Disney Spain, HOP in Israel, NPS/Zeppelin in the Netherlands, NRK in Norway, and SVT in Sweden.
“We are proud to partner with TV leaders NDR and Five, and a dynamic group of broadcasters, to bring a whole new dimension and energy to the wit and charm of these classic and beloved characters,” says Terry Fitzpatrick, exec VP of distribution for Sesame Workshop.
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind such award-winning programs as Sesame Street, Dragon Tales, Pinky Dinky Doo and Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat. The entity takes the proceeds it receives from sales of its shows and products and puts it into its educational projects for children around the world.
