It’s a 10 on 10 year for Nickelodeon! The category leaders in the kids space, Nick has retained its top position for six consecutive years. Continuing to build its robust content pipeline and bringing varied original programming, the Viacom18 owned kids broadcaster has announced its 10th homegrown animated comedy series, Pinaki & Happy – The Bhoot Bandhus.
Produced by Delhi based Tavrohi Animations, the new 3D animated show is fast paced, entertaining, spooky – perfect to take the young viewers on an adventurous joy ride starting 9 November, Monday at 11:30 am on Sonic.
Speaking about the success of the homegrown IPs, Viacom18 Hindi Mass Entertainment and the Kids TV Network head Nina Elavia Jaipuria stated, “Kids are at the center of our universe and understanding their evolving preferences and catering to their diverse entertainment needs is at the core of all our initiatives. With each passing year, we have identified white spaces and brought alive clutter breaking and pioneering series that have gone on to be category game changers and favorites amongst all our stakeholders -kids, parents and advertisers ensuring that we are the most loved No1 kids entertainment brand in the country. With the launch of our new show Pinaki & Happy-The Bhoot Bandhus on Sonic, we are set to once again enthrall our young viewers with an immersive and unmatched entertainment experience.”
Taking the kids into a new world of fun, the animated show will portray an unusual family of ghosts, who adopt a boy, the titular character, Pinaki, and raise him as one of their own. Fun and chaos ensues when both the worlds collide. The high-octane comedy combined with some ‘Bhootbaazi’ will take the viewers on a laughter ride with mysterious and hilarious stories of Pinaki and Happy. The show will illustrate daily adventures, familial love, friendship of Pinaki and Happy as the fun unfolds when the ‘bhoot world meets the real world’.
Directed by Ankur Chauhan, the lyrics of the title track has been penned by the legendary Gulzar and the music composed by Simaab Sen. Viacom18 Kids TV Network Content head Anu Sikka noted about the launch, “With the launch of Pinaki & Happy -The Bhoot Bandhus, we are expanding our already popular programming catalogue to keep our young audience entertained. Each character and their traits are so carefully crafted that I’m confident that the Bhoot Bandhus will be thoroughly loved by the kids. The show promises to take kids into a new world of fun bringing to them first of it’s spooky-comedy series which takes them on a laughter ride when the bhoot world meets the real world. Over the years our adorable toons have formed an unbreakable bond with kids through the stories they tell and we are confident that our young viewers will surely embrace the new characters and make them a part of their daily lives.”
After the immense success with other local IPs like Motu Patlu, Pakdam Pakdai, Shiva, Rudra, amongst others, Nickelodeon is foraying into another untapped space – horror comedy. Sony YAY!’s Paap-O-Meter (featuring Bhoot Boss, Thakela and Pakela) is kind of a forerunner in this genre which has received amazing response and viewership numbers.
Commenting on the uniqueness about Bhoot Bandhus that will strike with the kids audience, Jaipuria further shared with AnimationXpress, “Pinaki & Happy- The Bhoot Bandhus is about the characterisation and the plot. We’ve actually nuanced each and every character in the show, their mannerisms and their traits is what, I feel, is going to make a difference. Then there’s the Ghost family – Colonel Suri and Aunty Suri, who thinks she’s a great cook, but she really isn’t but has some magical power and can move things, is what adds more life to the show. And then there’s the talking Ghost Dog. So, it’s a one of a kind show, you’ll know more when you watch the show. It’s a very different show where drama, curiosity, friendship, chaos and fun enfold when the ghost world meets the real human world. It’s also been written in a very different yet funny and spooky way, diving into the Ghost World full of adventures.”
Pivoting the media mix to the new normal, Nickelodeon has chalked out an 360 degree marketing campaign starting from cross network promotions, within the network promotions, promotions on music apps, Cable and DTH networks, social media and many more.
With a perpetual spirit to innovate, Nickelodeon has always identified white spaces and launched characters that are kid’s favourite today. With the launch of Pinaki & Happy – The Bhoot Bandhus, the franchise has been true to its repute of being a pioneer and has plugged another entertainment white space in the spooky-comic genre which will further strengthen the franchise’s diverse content portfolio.