Although Egmont Imagination is substantially diminishing its production and development infrastructure while at the same time pursuing the sale of the company’s assets, they will be at MIPCOM with a full slate of programs. Tom van Waveren, president of Egmont, said, "While Egmont Imagination no longer fits within the Egmont Group’s strategy, our company’s distribution structure remains in place for the foreseeable future as options are being considered.

Colorland Animation Ltd. and Tundra Productions, Inc. are introducing their first original co-produced series to buyers at MIPCOM 2002. Entitled OH MAX, the 26 x half-hour children's series is currently in production. OH MAX and the new animated film IN SEARCH OF SANTA mark Colorland's debut as producers of their own product. Max is an overgrown, accident-prone, recently adopted puppy with an overactive imagination. In his waking life (portrayed in CG animation), Max is still adjusting to his newly adopted household and resident pets.

Effective October 1, 2002, animation studio Saban International Paris is changing its name to SIP Animation. The newly named company will be at MIPCOM to present its latest animated series W.I.T.C.H., adapted from a popular comic book series. W.I.T.C.H. is an action series combining epic adventure and comedy, magic and realism through the adventures of five young heroines gifted with magic powers, designated to maintain the natural order of the universe while at the same time coping with the daily trials and tribulations of teenage life.

Entertainment Rights will launch its new series LITTLE RED TRACTOR at MIPCOM and the Brand Licensing Show. Co-produced by Entertainment Rights and The Little Entertainment Company in partnership with the BBC, the preschool series will begin airing on BBC's kids' channel CBeebies in 2004. The series follows the adventures of an optimistic Little Red Tractor who has to rely on his cleverness and determination to compete with the big modern machines that appear in the series. Entertainment Rights owns the global TV, home entertainment, licensing and merchandising rights for LITTLE RED TRACTOR.

Quebec, Canada-based Sarbakan, a provider of animated content for the Internet and television, is taking its popular Internet-based game GOODNIGHT MR. SNOOZLEBERG to MIPCOM in the form of a 65 x 5-minute animated series. Mr. Snoozleberg is an important diplomat who also happens to be an incurable sleepwalker. So he must dodge all kinds of obstacles while he sleepwalks in order to make it back to bed so he can perform his diplomatic duties the next morning. The Mr. Snoozleberg online Flash-animated game is available at www.sarbakan.com. Sarbakan will be at Mipcom booth # C1.05.

Los Angeles-based entertainment company channelzero will be attending MIPCOM with the pilot episode of their animated series SOSOPHIE. The short entitled "Dead Dog Double-Dare," is a co-production between channelzero, Atomic Cartoons, SMEC Media & Entertainment and Hacienda Post. SOSOPHIE is an action series that is described by its creators as THE SIMPSONS meets THE DUKES OF HAZARD. SOSOPHIE debuted at NATPE in January 2002.

Production agency CeMEDIA (Central European Media Workshop) has added Hungary's FirkaFilm to its production network and named it "First Base Studio" for the CeMEDIA production pipeline. Firka will control the overall production process and subcontract to other CeMEDIA member studios. Under contract with Varga Studios, Firka has provided animation services for an ANGELINA BALLERINA special and most recently completed the animation for 5 episodes of the series MR. BEAN. CeMedia will be at MIPCOM to distribute nearly 50 hours of animation provided by their European member studios.

HOWDI GAUDI, a new animation series inspired by the designs of Spanish architect Antoní Gaudí, will be launched at Mipcom Junior. The Gaudins Project, Steve Walsh Productions and Agogo Entertainment, in association with TV Catalunya, have completed the 26 episode half-hour series which was supervised by SIMPSONS' producer Phil Roman. The series had its Spanish premiere this September 11th on TV Catalunya, which aired a "Making Of' special along with 3 episodes of the series. HOWDI GAUDI will debut September 17, 2002 on Disney Channel Spain.

Yet another animation player has struck out on his own. Following the news last week of former TV-Loonland head of programming John Bullivant forming his own company to create and develop character based projects, UK animation scriptwriter Alastair Swinnerton has announced he has left Skryptonite, the animation production company he co-founded five years ago. Swinnerton has now set up a new company called BA20 Entertainment in order to develop and market animation properties in a style similar to that of LEGO's BIONICLE, which Swinnerton helped create.

On Sunday, October 6, 2002 MIPCOM Junior's "Talking With…" sessions will host Gary E. Knell, president and CEO of Sesame Workshop. He will be interviewed by George Winslow, director of special projects, Reed Television Group. "Talking With…" is an informal interview session that offers market participants an opportunity to interact with major players in the TV industry. Knell will unveil the story of the organization that revolutionized television with the legendary SESAME STREET and tell how its mission to create educational and challenging content for children is carried out.