Tag Archives: Sixteen South

Macmillan Children’s Books swoops in to acquire publishing for Odo

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Macmillan Children’s Books has acquired the publishing rights for Odo. The warm-hearted and funny animated series about a little owl and his forest friends was commissioned by Milkshake (Channel 5) in the UK, who premiered the series in August last year, and KiKA in Germany. The series has also been sold in to more than 150 other territories across the world including  HBOMax in the USA, Canal+ in France, ABC in Australia, SVT in Sweden and NRK in Norway and RTE in Ireland.

The series is a co-production between BAFTA winning Belfast-based Sixteen South and Polish animation studio Letko.

This latest acquisition is a key new property for Macmillan Children’s Books, strengthening its list of preschool licensed brands. It follows a deal with Lego for preschool novelty publishing, which launched in August 2021.

Nicole Pearson, Publishing Director, Brands & Media, Macmillan Children’s Books, bought world rights in all languages for six books, with an option to acquire further formats and titles, from Vicky Miller, Licensing Director at Bulldog Licensing. The first tranche of picture books will launch in the UK in March 2023.

Nicole Pearson says: “We are delighted to be working with Bulldog and Sixteen South on the delightful Odo – we were captivated by the beauty of the animation, how comedic and warm the stories are and, above all, by Odo’s strong central message of self belief and respect for others. With such an impressive array of international broadcast partners already on board, we believe Odo has real global potential and look forward to seeing this little owl spread its wings far beyond its forest home.”

“Finding the right publisher for Odo was incredibly important for us – a partner who recognised and shared the important values and ethos of the show, and with whom we could build a long-term partnership,” says Bulldog’s Vicky Miller. “We are delighted to be partnering with Macmillan Children’s Books as our global master publisher. The team at Macmillan Children’s Books impressed with their plans, creative ideas and passion for Odo. I can’t wait to see our first titles hit shelves next year.”

Belinda Ioni Rasmussen, MD, Macmillan Children’s Books, adds: “We continue to invest in key licensed properties where we know that MCB can bring something unique and exciting to a brand, and publishing innovative and exciting formats that will engage children and families. This is exactly one of these properties and we are very pleased to be working in partnership with Sixteen South Studios on developing Odo’s world through our preschool publishing.”

Sixteen South’s preschool series Odo prepares to take flight in the US and Latin America

Sixteen South’s preschool series Odo prepares to take flight in the US and Latin America

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The recently launched preschool series, Odo – recognised for its warm-hearted and comic storytelling – is taking flight in the US and Latin America following a new broadcast deal between Sixteen South and WarnerMedia Kids & Family.

Under the partnership, the series will air on the company’s upcoming Cartoonito preschool programming block, slated for HBO Max across the two regions. Cartoonito will launch this autumn on HBO Max and Cartoon Network.

Meanwhile, Odo is now set to premiere in the UK on Channel 5’s Milkshake this summer, before rolling out to the German PSB children’s channel, KiKA as well as other territories. Currently in production with co-production partners, Letko, Odo will welcome kids aged three to five into a world of possibilities depicted in its hand drawn, 2.5D animation.

Although he is one of the littlest campers at the Forest Camp for Young Birds, Odo knows he can do absolutely anything that he sets his mind to.

The series aims to teach young children self-efficacy and to believe in themselves. Comedic and warm, with gender neutral appeal, the stories also deal with important themes such as immigration, racism and respect for others, and shows kids how to deal with setbacks in a meaningful way while promoting the development of social skills.

Colin Williams, showrunner and creator of Odo at Sixteen South, said: “Odo has had a fantastic response even before it is completed and is already taking flight around the world. We’re delighted that he has now also landed on the mighty HBO Max Cartoonito strand and that his adventures will be seen by kids all across the Americas – and we hope that they will love him as much as we do.”

Sixteen South Rights are managing the international distribution rights for Odo and Bulldog Licensing has been recently appointed to represent the global licensing rights for the brand.

The WarnerMedia Kids & Family/Cartoonito deal follows recent sales of Odo to Canal+ France, ABC Australia, TVO-Kids! Canada, RTE Ireland, Mini Mini Poland, SVT Sweden, NRK Norway, S4C Wales and VRT Ketnet Belgium.

Odo is produced by Sixteen South and Warsaw-based 2D animation studio Letko with funding provided by the UK government funded Young Audiences Content Fund (YACF), which is managed by the BFI, NI Screen and the Polish Film Institute.

Sixteen South taps Bulldog Licensing as global agency for new preschool series tackling the big issues of today

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The BAFTA-winning children’s television production house, Sixteen South has signed Bulldog Licensing as its global licensing agency for Odo, the new preschool series scheduled to premiere on Channel 5’s Milkshake this summer and KiKA later this year.

Aimed at kids aged three to five, Odo is designed to teach young children to believe in themselves to help combat the rise in anxiety and depression levels in today’s children. Funny, charming and heartfelt, Odo works on multiple levels to provide a humorous experience with important life lessons for kids and parents.

According to the team, the animation ‘lends itself perfectly to a full cross-category programme of licensed products’, as focus will fall on toys and games as well as apparel, accessories, publishing, home, and stationery. Bulldog Licensing has outlined its plans to partner with leading players in the licensing world everywhere.

Believing that there’s absolutely nothing that he can’t do, Odo is the littlest owl at the Forest Camp who is determined to prove that despite his size, he is as capable as all the bigger birds. The series aims to teach young children self-efficacy and to believe in themselves to help combat the troubling rise in anxiety and depression levels in today’s children.

Comedic and warm, with gender neutral appeal, the stories also deal with important themes such as immigration, racism, respect for others, and show kids how to deal with setbacks in a meaningful way while fostering the development of social skills.

Colin Williams, creative director of Sixteen South, said: “We’ve always been big fans of Bulldog and are delighted they are taking Odo under their wing to manage our global consumer products programme. With their outstanding reputation we know that Odo couldn’t be in better hands.

“We have had an amazing response to the series from broadcasters from the US to  Australia, Canada and all across Europe, with strong presales already, and we’re sure that Bulldog will soon have licensees flocking to get on board.”

Rob Corney, group managing director, Bulldog Licensing, said: “We were completely enchanted by Odo – it’s warm-hearted and funny with a really important message. We’re really excited to be working together with such a talented studio as Sixteen South to help it take flight around the world. It’s full of wonderful, endearing characters which we can already imagine enhancing a whole range of consumer product and experiences. Watch Odo fly.”

Odo is a 52 x 7 hand drawn ‘2.5D’ animation produced by Sixteen South and Warsaw-based 2D animation studio Letko with funding provided by the UK government funded Young Audiences Content Fund (YACF), which is managed by the BFI, NI Screen and the Polish Film Institute.

The Exec Producers are Colin Williams for Sixteen South, Jakub Karwowski for Letko, Sebastian Debertin for KiKA and Louise Bucknole for Milkshake! The Educational Consultant is psychologist Dr Natascha N. Crandall, Ph.D.