Nickelodeon has licensed the international distribution rights to the Nick series, THE FAIRLY ODD PARENTS to Nelvana. In addition, Nick has renewed Nelvana-produced shows, MAGGIE AND THE FEROCIOUS BEAST and PELSWICK. In addition, Nickelodeon has agreed to co-produce a minimum of one new series with Nelvana. THE FAIRLY ODD PARENTS follows Timmy Turner and his two bungling fairy godparents. Michael Hirsh, co-chief executive officer of Nelvana, said, "Nickelodeon's programming has terrific youth appeal around the world.

Jumping up to the 40th spot, THE SIMPSONS scored a 5.4 rating/10 share. This is .5 better than it captured last week. The special Tuesday night airing of THE SIMPSONS grabbed a 4 rating/7 share for 69th place. Dropping from 57th to finish in 73rd, FAMILY GUY fashioned a 3.8 rating/6 share. In 77th place, KING OF THE HILL hitched a 3.6 rating/7 share. FUTURAMA racked in a 2.9 rating/6 share in 88th place. The U.S. universe estimate used for calculating ratings for the broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, UPN, PAX and WB) is equal to 100% of all TV households.

TV-Loonland has made several key sales to Kinderkanal, Germany’s free children's television channel. CRAMP TWINS, THREE FRIENDS AND JERRY and YVON OF THE YUKON will premiere on Kinderkanal in November 2001. Directed by Becky Bristow and based on the graphic comic novels by Brian Wood, CRAMP TWINS is a story of two 10-year-old twins Wayne and Lucien Cramp, who are completely unalike. The series is a TV-Loonland, Sunbow Entertainment and Cartoon Network U.K co-production. THREE FRIENDS AND JERRY follows four ten-year-old boys as they struggle to get through adolescence.

DIC Entertainment and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) have announced the debut of their newest children's animated series, LIBERTY'S KIDS. Premiering on Memorial Day 2002 on PBS, the series follows two young teenagers working in Benjamin Franklin's print shop as they tell the stories of the American Revolution. Walter Cronkite, one of the most respected American journalists of all time, will be voicing the Benjamin Franklin character. Dr. Jack Rakove, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, and Dr.

Gary Selvaggio, the creator of the U.K. hit animated series BUTT-UGLY MARTIANS, has entered a deal with the Krislin Company to develop and produce animated series. Previously, Selvaggio has served as creative director at both DIC Entertainment and MWS Films. He also helped develop and produce TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. Selvaggio said, "Having the whole facility placed at my disposal simply to create new toys and TV shows is fantastic. It's something that's never happened before, certainly not at MGM Animation, MWS Films nor DIC.

In 51st place, THE SIMPSONS remained the top toon in primetime. Bart and family's ratings slipped a bit however from last week's 4.9 rating/9 share to this week's 4.4 rating/8 share. Moving up from 63rd place to finish 57th in its second week of its new season, FAMILY GUY garnered an improved 4.1 rating/7 share. The special Wednesday 8 pm airing of KING OF THE HILL placed 73rd, scoring a 3.5 rating/7 share. In its regular Sunday time slot, KING OF THE HILL took home a 2.9 rating/6 share in the 85th slot. At #90, FUTURAMA fashioned a 2.6 rating/6 share. The U.S.

Cartoon Network has contracted J.J. Sedelmaier Productions for three more installments of CAPTAIN LINGER. The series was created by writer Stuart Hill and animation director J.J. Sedelmaier and follows Captain Linger, a superhero who lingers around after saving the day. "Everybody who has seen the Captain loves him," said Sedelmaier. "Ad agency people especially respond immediately because any airtime not filled makes them react. Almost immediately, however, they are charmed by this totally irresponsible use of on-air time. The problem is that, so far, these are short, interstitial pieces.

Phoenix Media Group Ltd. has obtained the universal rights to the LITTLE DINOS cartoon series throughout North America. The show is a 26-episode series that presents both popular science and scientific fantasy. Produced by Guangdong South Natural Science Museum Co. Ltd., LITTLE DINOS follows the birth, development, domination and extinction of dinosaurs. "We see the LITTLE DINOS series as a perfect complement to our own MANFRED MOOSE character," said Ron Irwin, chief executive officer of Phoenix Media Group. "Both are dedicated to imparting knowledge to children in a fun and entertaining way.

Wolfmill Entertainment has acquired the rights to ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS, an Internet adventure comic strip. The show will follow the adventures of the explorer Argosy Smith after The Shift, a cosmic event that transformed the laws governing the universe. "Steve Conley's created a fascinating universe filled with entertaining characters who give ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS a quirky humor that blends perfectly with the adventurous stories he tells," said Marv Wolfman, a partner in Wolfmill Entertainment.

Mainframe Entertainment and MTV have announced they have begun development on the sci-fi comic TV series GATECRASHER. The half-hour CGI series is designed and written by the team of Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Connor and Mark Waid and is produced in association with Black Bull Entertainment. The show centers around the story of Alec Wagner, a college student who is half-human, half alien and a full time member of the Split-Second Squad, a secret alien army that protects Earth from alien attacks.

Toon Disney is adding PEPPER ANN to the channel's fall schedule. Produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, the series will make its Toon Disney premiere on Labor Day weekend. The show joins DISNEY'S DOUG, the preschool series RUPERT, MAGICAL WORLD OF TOONS, PRINCESS POWER HOUR and CHILLIN' WITH THE VILLAINS on Toon Disney's fall schedule. "We are delighted to welcome PEPPER ANN to Toon Disney," said Jonathan Barzilay, senior vice president and general manager of ABC Kids and Toon Disney.

Vancouver-based Studio B Productions has announced that all three of its animated children's series currently airing on Canada's national television have been picked up for another season. "We’re very proud to have all three of our original shows picked up for national broadcast," said Blair Peters, partner and founder, Studio B Productions. "There's a lot of competition out there and we're pleased that kids have responded well to our characters and stories." D’MYNA LEAGUES follows the wacky baseball adventures of a team of teenage myna birds.

With primetime TV animation boiling down to what airs on Fox, four toon comrades battle it out for rating supremacy. THE SIMPSONS finished at #47 with a 4.9 rating/9 share. The debut of FAMILY GUY's new season placed 63rd in its Wednesday 9:30 pm slot, bringing home a 3.8 rating/7 share. At #69, KING OF THE HILL hooked a 3.6 rating/7 share. FUTURAMA placed 81st, racking in a 3.2 rating/7 share. The U.S. universe estimate used for calculating ratings for the broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, UPN, PAX and WB) is equal to 100% of all TV households.

Shanghai-based Hweilai Studios has announced that Dennis Hopper is set to star in a new special effects heavy TV series, entitled FLATLAND. The EASY RIDER star has agreed to appear in 22 episodes as the mysterious villain Mr. Smith, who controls the show's strange universe. The show follows the adventures of three young adults trapped in a fourth-dimension where time and space crisscross. Hweilai is still looking for a distributor in the States. The studio is spending approximately US$1.75 million per episode.

AurenyA, is about to start production on the next three half-hour specials of STORIES FROM THE SEVENTH FIRE for Storytellers Productions Inc. The computer animation and visual effects studio will be responsible for the 3D animated portion of the half-hour animated and live-action productions, currently to be shown on various Canadian broadcasters, including CBC National, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), Vision, Access and SCN.

Nickelodeon has announced that its new Nick Jr. series, OSWALD THE OCTOPUS, will premiere in primetime on Monday, August 20, at 8 pm. The series follows the thoughtful blue octopus (voiced by Fred Savage of THE WONDER YEARS) and his friends Weenie the dog, Henry the penguin and Daisy the flower. The show was created by children's author and illustrator Dan Yaccarino. Nickelodeon and HIT Entertainment are co-producing the series. The acoustic music in OSWALD is done by jazz musician Evan Lurie, a member of the group The Lounge Lizards.

Boomerang, the classic toon channel from Cartoon Network, will launch on Telewest's digital service, in its Supreme Package, beginning mid-July. Casey Harwood, commercial director U.K. & Ireland for Turner Broadcasting said, "The launch of Boomerang means that Telewest Active Digital will carry all of Turner's UK channels. Telewest consistently delivers high penetration for their TV packages and I am sure the addition of Boomerang will help grow this further." James Greville, head of Cartoon Network U.K., said, "Boomerang is the success story of 2001.

TV Land, the spin-off network of Nickelodeon's Nick-At-Nite block, has announced the development of an animated pilot entitled THE ALAN BRADY SHOW, based on Carl Reiner's character on the DICK VAN DYKE SHOW. This pilot is the first plot-driven series in the network's five-year history. The series will be set in the present, 40 years after the debut of THE ALAN BRADY SHOW, and will follow the backstage exploits of creating the TV show. The series will feature Carl Reiner in voice over.

Nickelodeon is commissioning three separate pilot concepts for proposed RUGRATS spin-off series. The first of the three spinoff ideas features spunky next-door neighbor Susie Carmichael and troublesome tike Angelica Pickles in pre-school. The second has Susie and her family moving to Atlanta to live with Grandma Carmichael and help her run the family restaurant. The third possible spinoff continues the adventures of the Rugrats as "tweens" as seen in the upcoming 10th anniversary special "All Growed Up," which debuts on July 21 at 8 pm.

The Disney Channel will premiere its new animated series, STANLEY, in September 2001 as part of a Playhouse Disney block. In addition to airing mornings on the Disney Channel, the series will air in primetime on the recently announced Playhouse Disney network scheduled to launch in early 2002. The interactive, learning-based series was created and executive produced by Jim Jinkins (DOUG) and David Campbell's (PB&J OTTER) Cartoon Pizza Productions, in association with the Disney Channel.