France's Marathon Media has concluded several new deals for its leading kids shows MONSTER BUSTER CLUB, FAMOUS FIVE ON THE CASE and TOTALLY SPIES, reports C21 MEDIA.

MONSTER BUSTER CLUB (52x56), which was pre-sold to Super RTL in Germany, has been picked up by RTVE (Spain), RTV (Slovenia), RTE (Ireland), LNK (Lithuania), Arabic network MBC, Radio Canada and Denmark's TV2. Additional negotiations are in progress in the U.S., Italy, Turkey, Singapore, South Africa and Brazil.

Hyderabad-based DQ Ent. has struck major co-production deals with a number of international companies at this year's MIPCOM.

DQ, Classic Media, and MoonScoop have forged a partnership to produce a new 52x11 3D series called CASPER'S SCARE SCHOOL, based on Seymour Reit and Joe Oriolo's classic character Casper the Friendly Ghost.

License! Global Magazine's 4th Annual Licensing Challenge, held in conjunction with MIPCOM Jr., was in fact won by two properties, Breakthrough Animation's MY BIG BIG FRIEND and Alphanim's award-winning HAIRY SCARY (52x13 or 26x26). In a story published Monday, AWN identified the former show as the winner, but failed to include co-winner HAIRY SCARY. The complete results were reported in LICENSE! GLOBAL WEEKLY E-NEWS.

Spanish animation company Zinkia has inked a deal with videogame publisher and distributor Virgin PLAY to launch HELLO POCOYO!, the first console game based on the award-winning animation series POCOYO.

The deal, signed on the first day of MIPCOM, sees Virgin PLAY's v.2 PLAY label handling worldwide distribution rights for HELLO POCOYO! for Nintendo DS. The console game, which is currently in production at Zinkia's studio in Madrid, is set to debut in Spain in the first quarter of 2008.

Cuppa Coffee Studios' new stop-motion animated comedy series LIFE'S A ZOO.TV is being formally launched at MIPCOM. With thirteen half-hours aimed at the "teens and up" crowd slated for a spring 2008 delivery, LIFE'S A ZOO.TV promises to deliver a new spin on "reality" television alongside its own Web channel at lifesazoo.tv.

Aardman is making its foray into the preschool market, unveiling its brand new stop-motion animated series TIMMY at MIPCOM. The 52x10 series has already been pre-bought by CBeebies in the U.K., and Aardman International is looking to secure further worldwide pre-sale deals at the market.

Breakthrough Animation and 2-D Lab's children's animated series MY BIG BIG FRIEND (52x11) has won The Licensing Challenge, sponsored by License Global! at this year's MIPCOM Jr.

The Licensing Challenge is a pitching session that showcases the TV property with the highest licensing potential. The international jury included Leigh Anne Brodsky (Nickelodeon), Stan Clutton (Fisher Price), Anna Hewitt (BBC), Andrew Lane (Hasbro), John Lee (World World), and Richard Woolf (Jetix). The panelist of judges selected MY BIG BIG FRIEND from a short list of five entrants based on:

A KIND OF MAGIC (26x30), Xilam's new animated comedy series in which a bunch of maladjusted fairy tale characters find themselves catapulted from their magic kingdom into the real world, was rated the most popular series at MIPCOM Jr., attracting over 280 buyers.

Currently in production at Xilam's Paris-based animation studio, and due to debut

Monster Distributes is bringing three new acquisitions to MIPCOM and will be screening a number of other programs at MIPCOM Jr.

BANJO THE WOODPILE CAT (1x30), originally released in 1982, was the first independent production from legendary animator Don Bluth (THE SECRET OF NIMH, AN AMERICAN TALE, THE LAND BEFORE TIME, ANASTASIA). This is the first time that the fully restored film has been available to TV and DVD in both HD and standard-def.

Yowza Animation and Cuppa Coffee will join their talents in bringing a unique visual style to Star Farm's THE KINETICS (52x11) with a breakthrough blend of 3D effects and stop-motion animation. Star Farm will introduce the property to international buyers at MIPCOM Jr.