New 'Bookaboo' Pre-School Series Coming to CBC and ITV, Via FremantleMedia

5:48 AM PDT 7/9/2012 by Etan Vlessing

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The U.K.-originated kids show will be co-produced by Canada's Cite Amerique and British partner Happy Films, as it combines puppetry, live action and CGI animation.

TORONTO – Canadian indie producer Cite Amerique has pacted with British partner Happy Films to co-produce a new Bookaboo pre-school series for the CBC in Canada and CITV and ITV in the U.K.

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The deal, hammered out by FremantleMedia Enterprises, also includes a separate format agreement for a French-language version of the award-winning Bookaboo series to air on the Radio-Canada and TFO networks in Canada.

Happy Films and Cite Amerique will co-produce 28 11-minute new episodes of Bookaboo in the English language, combining puppetry, live action and CGI animation.

Bookaboo, whose original series aired on CITV, features a drum-playing rock puppy unable to play until he has been read a story.

“The series has been both an audience-winning and critically acclaimed show in the UK and we’re confident it will be just as big of a hit across the pond. This is the first stop on what we hope will be a world tour for Bookaboo and his crew,” Alyssa Sapire, vp of programming kids and family entertainment at FremantleMedia Enterprises, said Monday in a statement.