France Animation is launching two new children’s animated series at MIPCOM 2002. TAMA & MELODY (not to be confused with 4Kids' TAMA and FRIENDS) and SPACE DJS, both aimed at the 8-12 year old set. TAMA & MELODY (52 x 13-minutes) is a cross-cultural series based on the book PEAU ET VENT by Marie Félicité Ebokéa. Adapted for screen by Claire Paoletti, the series is seen through the eyes of two musical children, an African boy named Tama and a western girl called Melody, both aged 12. The show explores the encounter between the two cultures.

Germany's EM.TV found success with its first installment of the whimsical series FAIRY TALE POLICE DEPARTMENT (FTPD), which has sold to broadcasters in France, Italy, Spain, Latin America, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Africa and the Ukraine. Therefore, EM.TV will be bringing another round of FTPD to this year's show. The second series of FTPD (13 x 24-minutes) follows a special unit of the secret service that fights crime in the fairy tale world. FTPD agents Johnny Legend and his partner Chris Anderson ensure that all fairy tale favorites really do live happily ever after.

Sesame Workshop will be seeking co-production opportunities for the SESAME STREET brand and will also launch a new half-hour format of 50 episodes of the series at this year's MIPCOM. Also available will be ELMO'S WORLD, a 32 x 15-minute interactive series that looks at the world through the eyes of a three year-old. In addition, Sesame Workshop will launch a slate targeted to 9-14 year-olds including two new live action programs: ZOE HAWKER, NEIGHBORHOOD DOG WALKER and a co-production between CBBC (UK), ABC TV (Australia) and Noggin under the working title TWO DOWN UNDER.

At this year's MIPCOM, Nelvana will launch the preschool series LITTLE CRITTER, a 40 x 12-minute animated program featuring characters and stories culled from the collection of children's books written and illustrated by Mercer Mayer. Another new animated property based on a kid's book is JACOB TWO-TWO, a 26 x 30-minute animated series based on the Canadian best seller by Mordecai Richler.

Television executive John Bullivant has launched Kickback Media, a new executive production and development outfit. According to Bullivant, the aim of Kickback is to create, develop and finance character and design-based intellectual properties. The television activities will focus predominantly on the children's market and will include both animation and live-action content.

TINY PLANETS, co-produced by Pepper’s Ghost Productions (PGP) and Sesame Workshop, will be returning to MIPCOM along with the newly formatted tween series BUS STOP. Nominated as "best new property" by License! Magazine at this year’s New York Licensing Show, TINY PLANETS has already been sold to 73 countries and Pepper’s Ghost Productions is seeking sales in Spain, Benelux and Scandinavia. TV broadcast rights are also still available in France and are being handled by Euro TV. Pepper’s Ghost will also be bringing the series BUS STOP to MIPCOM.

Atomic Cartoons will be in attendance at this year's Mipcom, showcasing a bevy of shows including DENNIS THE DRAGON, CONEY ISLAND CARNEYS, GOAL!, and DIRTY LIL’ BASTER. And in other Atomic news, ATOMIC BETTY, the studio's co-production with Film Roman, has picked up a distributor. Toronto-based independent production company Breakthrough Films will act as the series' international distributors with Breakthrough's Ira Levy and Nghia Nguyen on board as executive producers and Kevin Gillis as producer.

Mainframe Entertainment, Inc. will offer a variety of computer animated fare for preschoolers, kids, tweens and primetime audiences at MIPCOM 2002. Among the projects Mainframe will promote include TONY HAWK'S FEASTERS, with pro skateboard champion Tony Hawk acting as a mentor to a group of local kids; an all-new BETTY BOOP series featuring Betty on the road as the lead singer of a rock band; and the collage animation series FAMILY VALUES.

UK-based production company Animatrix Ltd. plans to create an all new 26 part series based on the 1980s preschooler DR. SNUGGLES. Featuring Sir Peter Ustinov voicing the title character, a cuddly bow-tied inventor who strives to make the world a better place, the original DR. SNUGGLES was broadcast in more than 80 countries, and can still be seen in Germany, Scandinavia, Holland, Ireland and Canada. Animation studio Telemagination has produced a 3 1/2-minute pilot of the newly revamped DR. SNUGGLES scheduled to screen this year at Cartoon Forum and Mipcom.

BBC (UK), France 3 (France) and ABC (Australia) have picked up independent studio Millimages' latest animated series CORNEIL & BERNIE. The 52 x 13-minute series, also known as WATCH MY CHOPS!, is currently in production and is set to broadcast internationally during 2003. Lead character Corneil is a cultured and well-read dog, who is likened by the producers to "a canine FRASIER." Corneil keeps his genius talents hidden from his owners, but when Bernie the dog-sitter is hired and discovers Corneil's secret, Corneil's life is turned upside down.