Launched in November, Paper Owl Films’ series Happy the Hoglet has been such a success that both its broadcasters, ITV and RTÉjr, are very happy to progress with a second series.
Happy the Hoglet follows a baby hedgehog’s adventures with his friends as they explore their feelings. Each episode focuses on an adventure during which Happy learns to understand emotions from feeling excited to ‘hangry’ or feeling like he just needs a quiet minute. The show helps its young audience overcome negative feelings and make the most of positive ones.
Reaction to the first series has been positive. Pre-schoolers laugh out loud while watching the show and collaborate to identify the emotions on-screen. A constructive response from educators shows there is an opportunity for follow-up activities with the characters from Happy in the classroom. Aardman is the distributor for series one and series two of Happy the Hoglet.
Paper Owl Films creative director Grainne McGuinness said, “Toddlers need to learn emotional resilience earlier than ever given the world they are set to grow up in. The reaction to the first series of Happy has been huge so we are thrilled to be bringing the show to Kidscreen Summit later this month.”
ITV acquisitions manager Darren Nartey said, “We’re extremely delighted with the performance of Happy across our platforms. It’s a beautiful, engaging and well-written show, and our young audience has responded really well to it.”
Production of the next 26 episodes of Happy the Hoglet is planned to start in late 2024.
