COOKIE JAR ENTERTAINMENT'S PETER PEPPER'S PET SPECTACULAR GREENLIT FOR PRODUCTION
Series Marks First Canadian-South African Animation Co-Production
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
TORONTO (March 30, 2009) – Cookie Jar Entertainment's new series, Peter Pepper's Pet Spectacular has been greenlit for production in 2009. This is the first Canadian - South African animation co-production where the work will not be subcontracted outside of either country. The co-production between Canada's Cookie Jar Entertainment, a leading global independent producer of children's entertainment, and Clockwork Zoo, South Africa's biggest animation studio, is scheduled to air on CBC.
"We are thrilled to co-produce this wonderful series with Clockwork Zoo," said Toper Taylor, President and COO, Cookie Jar Entertainment. "This marks a great moment in animation and we believe that Cookie Jar's history of making quality children's entertainment along with Clockwork Zoo's creativity and strong presence in South Africa's animation industry will make this a successful series."
"We are delighted that the first official animation co-production between South Africa and Canada is with Cookie Jar Entertainment," said Sean Rogers, MD Clockwork Zoo and Executive Producer of Peter Pepper's Pet Spectacular in South Africa. "As such, Peter Pepper's Pet Spectacular is an historical landmark in the growth of the South African animation industry and we hope it will be the first of more future creative collaborations."
This charming animated series highlights the notion that each child is spectacular in his or her own special way. Lessons in theatrics, cooperation, and collaboration are told through the pets as they each perform their special acts on stage. Performance and song add magic and music to each spectacular tale, plus each episode features live action footage of real kids with their pets. CBC has picked up 26 half-hour episodes. Cookie Jar CEO Michael Hirsh and President and COO Toper Taylor will be reuniting with Peter Pepper's Pet Spectacular author Betty Paraskevas and illustrator Mickey Paraskevas, who also wrote and illustrated the popular book turned TV series, Maggie and the Ferocious Beast.
ABOUT COOKIE JAR
The Cookie Jar Group is a Canada-based global children's entertainment and education company dedicated to excellence. Through Cookie Jar Entertainment, the company is a leader in the creation, production, marketing and licensing of evergreen character brands that appeal to kids and families worldwide. Cookie Jar Entertainment's library of nearly 6,000 half-hour episodes features some of the world's most recognizable brands, including "Strawberry Shortcake", "Caillou", "Inspector Gadget", "The Doodlebops", "Arthur" and "Johnny Test". The company owns non-character based brands for licensing such as Mommy & Me. Through its pan-European subsidiary, the full-service licensing agency Copyright Promotions Licensing Group, Cookie Jar represents numerous third-party iconic brands. Cookie Jar Group also has a one-third interest in international children's television channel Kidsco. Cookie Jar Education, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, is one of North America's largest providers of supplemental education materials, reaching nearly 2,000 teachers across the United States, through the Carson-Dellosa and HighReach Learning brands.
ABOUT CLOCKWORK ZOO
Clockwork Zoo, the largest animation studio in Southern Africa is branching out from creating original programming to high-profile servicing work and co-productions with top international studios. The company has a hugely successful live-action team creating five hours of original programming every week for local public broadcaster SABC. Clockwork Zoo Animation has a team of 40 animators, designers, storyboarders, editors, writers and production staff. Building on the critically acclaimed URBO: The Adventures of Pax Afrika, currently airing its second 52 episode season throughout Africa, the team has three shows: Deadbeats, Lucy and the Nightmares and Banna Banana aimed at different markets around the world. Clockwork Zoo has an office in Brussels to facilitate their co-production and servicing deals. The first of these is Dear Dragon with Wish Films in the UK and Peter Pepper's Pet Spectacular with co-producer Cookie Jar in Canada. The studio also provides animation service work to Paris-based Xilam Animation and Dinamo Productions in Wales.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Brook Hefner/Cookie Jar Entertainment bhefner@cjar.com; (818) 955-5454
