The Jim Henson Company’s recently relaunched distribution label HIP (Henson Independent Properties) has acquired the rights to distribute two new series, Alchemy II’s classic The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin, and T&B Media Global’s #Friends. The announcement was made today by Claudia Scott-Hansen, SVP Global Distribution, at The Jim Henson Company. HIP is outfit’s third-party licensing banner formed in 2009 to acquire and service global media distribution and consumer products programs for entertainment properties and external brands.
The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin is the popular 65 x 22’ series that was part of the $7 billion retail property of the late 1980s and 1990s and one of TIME magazine’s top 100 properties of all time. The show complements the new CGI-animated preschool series that is currently in development with Henson and Alchemy II. Series was produced by DIC Animation and Atkinson Film-Arts and ran from September 1986-October 1987. All of the episodes have been remastered in HD. In the original series, a young Teddy Ruxpin (talking toy that was created by Ken Forsse) and his best friend, Grubby, follow an ancient map that leads them to a collection of crystals on the mainland of Grundo.
The CG-animated series, #Friends (52 x 11’), targeted to kids 6–11 years old, is a new character-driven comedy about three human kids—the Hash Taggers—on a mission to make friends with alien kids all across the universe and then share their findings via posts to kids on Planet Earth. The action-packed series, funded by Thailand’s T&B Media Global, is created by Dan Clark and Oscar Covar, and is currently in production at Shellhut Entertainment for delivery in fall 2021. In #Friends, every alien kid the Hash Taggers meet will pose the challenge: how does one communicate, make friends, and find common interests with kids who are – at least on the outside – seemingly so different than you are?
“As an alternative smaller label managed by an extremely experienced, skilled and well-connected distribution team, HIP is well-positioned to represent a wide range of genres for the global audience,” says Claudia Scott-Hansen, SVP Global Distribution, at The Jim Henson Company. “The beloved Teddy Ruxpin is as relevant as ever to today’s kids, and the new original series, #Friends, provides a rich and immersive world of fresh characters with messages of unity, acceptance and friendship.”
