Olobob Top, an animated pre-school series from Beakus, has been green-lit for a second series.
A first series of 52 x 5-mins — ordered by CBeebies, S4C and ABC — has been broadcasting in 14 territories, with a growing global audience. Indeed, Olobob Top has figured repeatedly in the top ten shows on CBeebies.
Between first and second series Beakus has brought out books through a publishing deal with Bloomsbury and developed a children’s workshop for book festival visits that focuses on the brand’s key USP of creative play. They’ve also signed the licensing agent Raydar, and Cake Entertainment distributes the show worldwide.
Now, CBeebies, ABC and S4C have come on board for a second series of 26 x 5-mins. The creative team is once again led by co-creators Steve Smith and Leigh Hodgkinson with Cloth Cat Animation associate producing.
Olobob Top features the vocal talents of Stephen Mangan (Episodes, Postman Pat, Green Wing), and follows the wonderful adventures of three child-voiced characters–Tib, Lalloo and Bobble—living in a huge forest with their friends. Their world is made of shapes, and each story sees them head to the Olobob Top, where they use shapes to build new characters who come to life and join them on their problem-solving adventures. Focusing on creative play and imagination, Olobob Top shows young children that there is no limit to what they too can create!
Visually striking and with plenty of humour, Olobob Top was shortlisted for a Kidscreen Award for Best Preschool Animated Series in 2017. The second series will begin from spring 2019.
Co-creator and producer/director Smith said, “We’ve had such great support from CBeebies, ABC and S4C throughout, and are excited to team up again to create 26 brand new stories featuring our favourite characters. The Olobob forest is endless and so is Leigh’s (Hodgkinson, co-creator and art director) imagination, so it’s really just a matter of choosing the very best ideas and honing them into our trademark mix of beautiful design, creative play, and surreal fun for our pre-school fans!”
Jon Rennie, MD of Cloth Cat Animation said, “We’re really excited to be working on the new series of Olobob Top with Steve and Leigh, once again showcasing the wealth of animation talent in Cardiff and the UK. The response to the first series was incredibly positive and everyone on the team is looking forward to seeing more of the world and the new characters they’ll be bringing to life!”