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‘Fireman Sam’ and ‘Polly Pocket’ Get New Season Greenlights from WildBrain and Mattel

International distribution deals were also announced for new and previous seasons of the popular animated series as well as ‘Bob the Builder’ and ‘Little People;’ WildBrain is heading to MIPCOM, which runs October 16-19.

WildBrain and Mattel, Inc. announced new season greenlights for popular kids’ shows Fireman Sam and Polly Pocket, based on the popular Mattel brands. WildBrain has also secured new international distribution deals for previous seasons of both shows, in addition to new deals for Mattel titles Bob the Builder and Little People. The new greenlights and distribution deals are part of a multi-year co-development, production, distribution, and licensing agreement between the companies.

Fireman Sam returns with new CG-animated episodes in Season 16 (26 x 10’), scheduled for September 2024 delivery. In the new season, our titular hero and the Pontypandy Rescue Team are still saving the people and animals of Pontypandy—and they now have an upgraded Fire Station and a state-of-the-art Mobile Command Unit to help them! The people of Pontypandy will face dangers from sea monsters, flaming kites, short-circuiting scarecrows, magic shows, and a cheeky new mole. The excitement culminates in a six-episode finale featuring the music, food, parades, and magic of the Pontypandy Festival, all topped off by a special surprise guest star.

Based on Mattel’s original micro-scale doll brand, Polly Pocket and her friends return for Polly Pocket Season 6 (38 x 11’) in Summer 2024. In the new season, Polly and friends are traveling our world and dimensions beyond—from Brazil to Unicorn World to Skatesville! They'll explore new pocket-sized worlds, rescue animals in Littleton and beyond, and help their favorite dance star as she takes the stage in Rio de Janeiro.

The new seasons of Fireman Sam and Polly Pocket are currently in production at WildBrain’s Vancouver animation studio. Buyers attending MIPCOM (October 16–19) can screen Fireman Sam and Polly Pocket and visit WildBrain at stand #R7.N13 to learn more.

“We continue to see great demand around the world for Mattel’s celebrated and treasured kids’ series Fireman Sam, Polly Pocket, Bob the Builder, and Little People,” said Caroline Tyre, VP Global Sales & Rights Strategy at WildBrain. “These shows have established themselves as perennial favorites with kids and families, and we look forward to sharing them with new international audiences.”

Alex Godfrey, Vice President of Content Distribution at Mattel Television, added, “Fireman Sam and Polly Pocket have resonated with fans globally for years; it’s fantastic to see the continued support and love for the brands. The stories of these brands will be told for generations to come, and there are so many more adventures happening in Pontypandy and Littleton—we’re excited to bring them to new and existing audiences with our broadcast partners.”

Fireman Sam new distribution deals:

The new deals for Fireman Sam in Germany include KiKA for S14, Leonine Studios for S13-14, Prime Video for S14-15 plus The Great Fire of Pontypandy special, and Deutsche Telekom/Magenta TV for S11-13 plus the specials The Great Fire of Pontypandy, Heroes of the Storm, Norman Price and the Mystery in the Sky, Set for Action! and Alien Alert. In France, new deals with Canal+Kids/Piwi+ for S13 and Okoo/France 5 for France télévisions for S14. In Poland, new deals include CDA Premium for S12-13 plus the Alien Alert special, Puls 2 for S13, and Top Kids for S9-10. New seasons pickups include CANAL+ (Austria) for S10-11; Cartoonito (Italy) for S14-15; Cartoonito (UK and Eire) for S15; RTL Telekids (Netherlands and Luxembourg) for S14-15; RIK (Slovakia and Czech Republic) for S6-7; RTÉ (Ireland) for S14-15; Britbox for S1-4 and Milkshake! for S14-15 in the UK, and NRK (Norway) for S15.

Additional international deals brokered include Quebecor Content (French-speaking Canada) for S13; Showmax (Africa) for S11-15 plus Heroes of the Storm and Alien Alert specials; ETV (Africa) for S11-12; Canal+Ethiopia for S11-13; Hop! (Israel) for S16; ABC Commercial (Australia) for S1-15 plus Heroes of the Storm, Alien Alert, The Great Fire of Pontypandy, and Snow Business specials; Jim Jam for Middle East and Africa (S11) and Europe (S10-11); and Edye (the US and its territories, Latin America, and the Caribbean) for S7.

Polly Pocket new distribution deals:

New European deals inked by WildBrain for the 2D-animated Polly Pocket series include POP for S3-4 and ITVX Kids for S3-5 and the Sparkle Cove Adventure special in the UK; Gulli for S5 and TFOUMAX for S4 in France; Cartoonito (Italy) for S5; Sweet.TV (Ukraine) for S1-2; CANAL+ (Austria) for S1-2 and Leonine Studios (Germany) for S2.

Additional international deals include Family Jr. (Canada) for S5; Amazon Kids+ (US) for S4-5; Showmax (Africa) for S1-4; Warner Bros. Discovery (Latin America) for S5; TVNZ (New Zealand) for S4-5; Stan (Australia) for S1-5; SBC (Seychelles) for S3-4; Canal+Ethiopia for S2-4; and True Visions (Thailand) for S1-5. Broadcasters have also picked up Mattel’s classic version of Polly Pocket, originally premiered in 2010, including CDA Premium (Poland) for S3 and S6 alongside Viet Content (Vietnam) for S1-11.

Bob the Builder new distribution deals:

Bob the Builder teaches kids that you can build anything with teamwork and the right tools!

Mattel’s CG-animated Bob the Builder series, produced by WildBrain Studios, has been picked up by broadcasters, including CANAL+ (Austria) for S1; Sweet.TV (Ukraine) for S1; Top Kids (Poland) for S2-3; Rik for S1-2 in Cyprus and S2-3 in Slovakia and Czech Republic; Viet Content (Vietnam) for S3; Box Kids TV (Brazil) for S1 and TIGA (Thailand) for S2-3. Additionally, WildBrain has secured new partnerships for Mattel’s classic Bob the Builder series, including with Amazon Kids+ (UK) for S14-15; Kixi (Germany) for S1-4; Baby First (US and its territories, plus Latin America) for S17-18.

In addition, Quebecor Content (French Canada) and CDA Premium (Poland) have picked up S3 of the CG version and Mega Machines: The Movie; and Showmax (Africa) has picked up the movie and S1-3. In Germany, Deutsche Telekom/Magenta TV has picked up S1-4 of the classic series, plus the specials Roads and Bridges, A Christmas to Remember, Snowed Under; The Bobblesberg Winter Games, and Built to Be Wild. In Australia, ABC Commercial has acquired S1-18 of the classic version, S1-3 of the CG version, and a package of specials.

Little People new distribution deals:

Little People’s fun-loving cast of preschool characters travels wherever their imaginations take them!

For Seasons 1 and 2 of Mattel’s preschool CG series Little People (total 104 x 11’), based on the iconic Fisher-Price brand, WildBrain inked new distribution deals with Top Kids (Poland) and Box Kids TV (Brazil).

Source: WildBrain

Debbie Diamond Sarto's picture

Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.