EXCLUSIVE: Peacock has acquired cutesy animated series Mittens & Pants and is planning a Q1 2024 launch.
The NBCUniversal streamer has bought the first season, comprising 39 episodes, from Canada’s Thunderbird Distribution, the sales arm of Thunderbird Entertainment.
Children’s free streaming services HappyKids, Kidoodle.TV and the Common Sense Media-owned Sensical have also bought U.S. rights to season one. HappyKids will launch the show tomorrow (November 17) and Kidoodle plans to debut it on its AVoD and FAST services on November 30.
The series follows Mittens the kitten and Pants the puppy, best friends who live in the all-animal town of Kibble Corners. The series debuted in February 2023 on commissioning broadcasters CBC Kids in Canada and Sky Kids in the UK.
France Télévisions; Warner Bros. Discovery’s Cartoonito and Boomerang channels in Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan; Hop! Channel in Israel and DR in Denmark have since bought the first season. A second season debuted on CBC Kids and streamer CBC Gem in July.
“Launching into the U.S. market is an amazing next step for this live-action series that features real animals,” said Richard Goldsmith, Thunderbird President of Global Distribution & Consumer Products. “We are delighted that preschoolers and their families all over the U.S. will soon be able to watch the funny and inspiring stories of Mittens and Pants, and their friends, on these great family-friendly platforms.”
The series comes from Toronto-based Windy Isle Entertainment, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and the assistance of Ontario Creates and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, and with the financial participation of the Shaw Rocket Fund.
Distributor Thunderbird owns kids TV productions assets such as Atomic Cartoons, through its Thunderbird Kids and Family division.
