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Henson's HIP Brings 'Elias: Rescue Team Adventures' to MIPTV

The Jim Henson Company’s licensing banner, Henson Independent Properties, unveils its new CGI-animated series, Elias: Rescue Team Adventures, at MIPTV 2014.

The Jim Henson Company’s third party licensing banner, HIP (Henson Independent Properties), is unveiling at MIPTV the first episodes of the 52 x 11’ CGI-animated series, Elias: Rescue Team Adventures.  This all-new series is a follow-up to the original International Emmy-nominated series which first gained popularity as a children’s picture book by Alf Knutsen and Sigurd Slåttebrekk.

Norway’s Animando is producing the series in partnership with the Icelandic animation studio Caoz Animation.  Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) commenced broadcast of the series in March, 2014. 

HIP represents the media distribution rights to the new series together with global consumer products rights under a deal announced in 2013.

Elias is a brave, playful little rescue boat with an enthusiasm for adventure who teams up with his skillful friends to save the day.  The series features child-sized adventure stories that inspire young children to have fun exploring their own world with confidence and courage. 

Elias: Rescue Team Adventures is a very distinct and captivating series for the global pre-school audience,” said Richard Goldsmith, Executive Vice President, Global Distribution, The Jim Henson Company.  “Animando and Caoz Animation have done a great job in producing this new series which features high quality CGI animation that will be appealing to broadcasters across the globe.  Kids will undoubtedly be entertained by Elias in a whole new series of adventures while also learning important lessons on safety, cooperation, community and bravery.”

More than 300 different consumer products have been introduced in the Nordic region with retail sales of over $70 million.  Almost 1 million toys and 700,000 DVDs have been sold to date. Some of the key partners in the Nordic region for the brand are TSI for toys with 46 SKUs at retail; Cappelen Damm for books, magnetic books and audio books; SF for DVD; Pan Vision for PC Games; Egmont for activity books, games and iPhone apps; Regatta for life jackets; Helly Hansen for clothing; and KIMs for potato chips.

The Jim Henson Company, renowned across the globe for its pre-school programming that is entertaining, engaging and educational, will also be meeting with new broadcast partners for its own series, Doozers and HIP’s Driftwood Bay.

Doozers, a co-production with DHX Media, is the company’s latest series, inspired by the wildly popular characters from the classic Henson series, Fraggle Rock.  Focusing on four Doozers kids, this team of best friends love to design, create and innovate – and have a blast engaging in exciting projects and playing together. With the first episodes already successful on Turner Broadcasting’s Cartoonito in the UK, Boomerang in Germany, Boing in Italy, Discovery Kids Latin America, Cartoon Network Asia and Nick Jr. Australia, we are looking forward to meeting with potential new broadcast partners at MIP. 

The Jim Henson Company’s third party licensing label, HIP (Henson Independent Properties) is the exclusive worldwide distributor for Northern Irish independent production company Sixteen South’s new mixed media, animated preschool series, Driftwood Bay, about a little girl who creates an imaginary world from treasures she finds washed up on the beach. The series, which will have its world debut on Nick Jr. in the UK in May, features a multi-talented voice cast sure to excite buyers, including Stephen Fry (QI, The Hobbit), Peter Mullan (Harry Potter, Top of the Lake) and Richard Dormer (Game of Thrones, Good Vibrations, Fortitude).

Source: The Jim Henson Company

Jennifer Wolfe's picture

Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.