The new animated preschool series follows the misadventures of a ‘Bossy Bear’ and his bestie, Turtle; the show is slated to debut in 2023 on Nickelodeon in the U.S. and Nick Jr. channels internationally.
Nickelodeon has greenlit Bossy Bear, a new animated preschool series from husband-and-wife team, David Horvath, and Sun-Min Kim (UglyDolls), based on the book series by Horvath. The series (30 episodes) follows the misadventures of Bossy Bear, an overly enthusiastic extrovert, and Turtle, a thoughtful introvert -- unlikely besties who make the perfect team for navigating silly childhood adventures in their Koreatown-inspired city of Pleasantburg. The show is slated to debut in 2023 on Nickelodeon in the U.S. and Nick Jr. channels internationally.
“Bossy Bear is incredibly funny with a confidence and passion for life that knows no bounds,” commented Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation president Ramsey Naito. “Everyone on the preschool animation team, led by Eryk Casemiro, is looking forward to collaborating with our creative partners at Imagine Kids+Family to bring these relatable characters and authentic stories of family, friendship, and community to our audience.”
“I’ve known David and Sun-Min for years and have been a huge fan of their unique and fresh graphic content,” added Imagine Kids+Family president Stephanie Sperber. “Bossy Bear was the first IP we optioned when we started Imagine Kids+Family a few years ago and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with Nickelodeon in bringing these funny and vibrant characters to kids around the world.”
The voice cast features Jayden Ham (Sea of Lights, Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge) as Bossy; Jaba Keh (Sesame Street) as Turtle; Claudia Choi (Her, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) as Bossy’s Mom and Gran-Gran; and Shaun Baer (Chicago PD) as Bossy’s Dad. Additional talent will be announced later.
Horvath and Kim are the creative minds behind the UglyDolls and Tea Time Cats franchises. Horvath also penned the “Bossy Bear” book series (Hyperion), inspired by a blend of Korean and U.S. pop culture.
The show is executive produced by Sperber and Elly Kramer; Horvath and Kim; Bob Mittenthal (It’s Pony, The Loud House) for Nickelodeon Animation; and Ashley Postlewaite (Tom and Jerry in New York, The Mr. Men Show) for Renegade Animation. Jeff D’Elia (Captain Underpants, Doug Unplugs, Rugrats) serves as story editor and Chil Kong is consulting producer.
This marks Nickelodeon’s third project with Imagine Kids+Family, following live-action-adventure series The Astronauts and the previously announced preschool series The Tiny Chef Show. Production of Bossy Bear for Nickelodeon Animation Studio is overseen by Casemiro, executive vice president, Nickelodeon Animation, Global Series Content. Max Goodman serves as Nickelodeon’s executive in charge of production for the series.
Paramount Consumer Products will lead consumer products licensing for the Bossy Bear property worldwide in partnership with Imagine Kids+Family.
Source: Nickelodeon
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
