WildBrain and Mattel greenlight new seasons of ‘Fireman Sam’ and ‘Polly Pocket’, secure distribution deals for ‘Bob the Builder’ and ‘Little People’
Skwigly
WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, and Mattel, Inc., owner of one of the strongest portfolios of children’s and family entertainment franchises in the world, announce new-season greenlights for beloved kids’ shows Fireman Sam and Polly Pocket, based on the popular Mattel brands. WildBrain has also secured a multitude of new international distribution deals for previous seasons of both shows, in addition to new deals for beloved Mattel titles Bob the Builder and Little People. The new greenlights and distribution deals are part of a multi-year co-development, production, distribution and licensing agreement between Mattel and WildBrain.
Fireman Sam and the Pontypandy Rescue Team will return in all-new CG-animated episodes in Season 16 (26 x 10’), which is scheduled to begin delivery in spring 2024. In the new season, our titular hero and the Pontypandy Rescue Team are still saving the people and animals of Pontypandy—and they now have an upgraded Fire Station and a state-of-the-art Mobile Command Unit to help them! The people of Pontypandy will be facing dangers from sea monsters, flaming kites, short-circuiting scarecrows, magic shows and a cheeky new mole. The excitement culminates in a thrilling six-episode finale featuring the music, food, parades, and magic of the Pontypandy Festival, all topped off by a special surprise guest star.
Polly Pocket (WildBrain, image courtesy of DDA)
Polly Pocket and her friends, based on Mattel’s original micro-scale doll brand, will return in Season 6 (38 x 11’), slated for delivery in summer 2024. In the new season, Polly and friends are travelling our world and dimensions beyond—from Brazil to Unicorn World to Skatesville! They’ll be exploring new pocket-sized worlds, rescuing animals in Littleton and beyond, and helping their favorite dance star as she takes the stage in Rio de Janeiro. Through each episode, they discover that every new place is filled with potential new friends and fun!
The new seasons of Fireman Sam and Polly Pocket are currently in production at WildBrain’s Vancouver animation studio. Buyers attending MIPCOM (October 16–19) are invited to screen Fireman Sam and Polly Pocket and visit WildBrain at stand #R7.N13 to learn more.
Caroline Tyre, VP Global Sales & Rights Strategy at WildBrain, said: “We continue to see great demand around the world for Mattel’s celebrated and treasured kids’ series Fireman Sam, Polly Pocket, Bob the Builder and Little People. These shows have established themselves as perennial favourites with kids and families, and we look forward to sharing them with new international audiences.”
Alex Godfrey, Vice President of Content Distribution at Mattel Television, said: “Fireman Sam and Polly Pocket have resonated with fans globally for years, it’s fantastic to see the continued support and love for the brands. The stories of these brands will be told for generations to come, and there are so many more adventures happening in Pontypandy and Littleton—we’re excited to bring them to new and existing audiences with our broadcast partners.”
Fireman Sam (WildBrain, image courtesy of DDA)
Fireman Sam new distribution deals
The new deals for Fireman Sam in Germany include KiKA for S14, Leonine Studios for S13-14, Prime Video for S14-15 plus The Great Fire of Pontypandy special, and Deutsche Telekom/Magenta TV for S11-13 plus the specials The Great Fire of Pontypandy, Heroes of the Storm, Norman Price and the Mystery in the Sky, Set for Action! and Alien Alert. In France, new deals have been struck with Canal+Kids/Piwi+ for S13 and Okoo/France 5 for France télévisions for S14. In Poland, new deals have been inked with CDA Premium for S12-13 plus the Alien Alert special, Puls 2 for S13 and Top Kids for S9-10. Also on board for new seasons are CANAL+ (Austria) for S10-11; Cartoonito (Italy) for S14-15; Cartoonito (UK and Eire) for S15; RTL Telekids (Netherlands and Luxembourg) for S14-15; RIK (Slovakia and Czech Republic) for S6-7; RTÉ (Ireland) for S14-15; Britbox for S1-4 and Milkshake! for S14-15 in the UK, and NRK (Norway) for S15.
Additional international deals brokered include Quebecor Content (French-speaking Canada) for S13; Showmax (Africa) for S11-15 plus Heroes of the Storm and Alien Alert specials; ETV (Africa) for S11-12; Canal+Ethiopia for S11-13; Hop! (Israel) for S16; ABC Commercial (Australia) for S1-15 plus Heroes of the Storm, Alien Alert, The Great Fire of Pontypandy and Snow Business specials; Jim Jam for Middle East and Africa (S11) and Europe (S10-11); and Edye (the US and its territories, Latin America and the Caribbean) for S7.
Polly Pocket new distribution deals
New European deals inked by WildBrain for the 2D-animated Polly Pocket series include POP for S3-4 and ITVX Kids for S3-5 and the Sparkle Cove Adventure special in the UK; Gulli for S5 and TFOUMAX for S4 in France; Cartoonito (Italy) for S5; Sweet.TV (Ukraine) for S1-2; CANAL+ (Austria) for S1-2 and Leonine Studios (Germany) for S2.
Additional international deals include Family Jr. (Canada) for S5; Amazon Kids+ (US) for S4-5; Showmax (Africa) for S1-4; Warner Bros. Discovery (Latin America) for S5; TVNZ (New Zealand) for S4-5; Stan (Australia) for S1-5; SBC (Seychelles) for S3-4; Canal+Ethiopia for S2-4; and True Visions (Thailand) for S1-5. Broadcasters have also picked up Mattel’s classic version of Polly Pocket, which originally premiered in 2010, including CDA Premium (Poland) for S3 and S6 alongside Viet Content (Vietnam) for S1-11.
Bob the Builder new distribution deals
Preschool favourite Bob the Builder teaches kids that with teamwork and the right tools, you can build anything! From the top of his yellow hard hat to the toes of his boots, Bob the Builder is ready to go. No project is too big, no problem too hard to solve. It doesn’t matter if you make mistakes the first time, what matters is that you try your best to get the job done. With strong foundations of construction, teamwork and positivity, the sky’s the limit for building fun! Teaching valuable life lessons, Bob and the team help build a vision for the future from the ground up.
Mattel’s CG-animated Bob the Builder series, produced by WildBrain Studios, has been picked up by broadcasters including CANAL+ (Austria) for S1; Sweet.TV (Ukraine) for S1; Top Kids (Poland) for S2-3; Rik for S1-2 in Cyprus and S2-3 in Slovakia and Czech Republic; Viet Content (Vietnam) for S3; Box Kids TV (Brazil) for S1 and TIGA (Thailand) for S2-3. Additionally, WildBrain has secured new partnerships for Mattel’s classic Bob the Builder series, including with Amazon Kids+ (UK) for S14-15; Kixi (Germany) for S1-4; Baby First (US and its territories, plus Latin America) for S17-18.
Additionally, Quebecor Content (French Canada) and CDA Premium (Poland) have picked up S3 of the CG version and Mega Machines: The Movie; and Showmax (Africa) has picked up the movie and S1-3. In Germany, Deutsche Telekom/Magenta TV has picked up S1-4 of the classic series, plus the specials Roads and Bridges, A Christmas to Remember, Snowed Under: The Bobblesberg Winter Games and Built to Be Wild. In Australia, ABC Commercial has acquired S1-18 of the classic version, S1-3 of the CG version and a package of specials.
Little People new distribution deals
For seasons one and two of Mattel’s preschool CG series Little People (total 104 x 11’), based on the iconic Fisher-Price brand, WildBrain has also inked new distribution deals with Top Kids (Poland) and Box Kids TV (Brazil). In each episode of Little People, the fun-loving cast of pre-school characters travels to wherever their imaginations take them. Whether they journey to a whimsical farm or find themselves in a magical jungle with talking animals, the Little People’s adventures are filled with laughter and songs, as well as age-appropriate life lessons they can learn from.