Kids and family entertainment venture Toon2Tango, a LEONINE Animation Studios company, has announced an agreement to distribute the first 26 episodes of a brand-new show for preschoolers, ThinkerBen & Motor (originally developed under the production name TinkerBen & Motor), along with plans to co-produce the second series.
The series stars ThinkerBen, a boy-genius engineer who teams up with his robo-dog pal Motor and his talented friends to help the friendly folk of Wowtown using cool gadgets, ingenuity — and imagination! No matter the problem — a rocket-swiping monkey, a farmer’s flock gone astray, or a lost dinosaur on the loose — ThinkerBen has limitless inventiveness and a team of specially skilled friends to help solve it.
Promoting teamwork and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths) professions in a kid-relatable way, this funny and uniquely inventive new show encourages children to take innovative approaches to everyday challenges and highlights how technology can empower them to make a positive impact on the world.
Toon2Tango believes the show offers strong licensing potential across a variety of categories, including games, toys and books, while its focus on invention and problem-solving offers the potential for additional content, promotional partnerships and educational activities designed to engage and benefit children. ThinkerBen & Motor has been named a finalist in the forthcoming Kidscreen Licensing Challenge, a competition showcase that spotlights five kids’ entertainment properties with untapped licensing potential.
The show has already secured local broadcaster support in the Balkan region, with backing from United Media Group and Central Media Entertainment. It has also been introduced to the industry as a selection as the pitch events Cartoon Forum (Toulouse) and Animation Production Days (Stuttgart).
ThinkerBen & Motor is being produced by independent Belgrade-based studio studio Metaxilasis, which specializes in high-quality 2D animation for the international market. The studio has already found international success with hit web series Om Nom Stories, inspired by the character from the Cut the Rope video game series, which has garnered 60 billion views on YouTube and is available on 80 platforms worldwide, including Boomerang, Netflix, Disney+ and CCTV.
“The Toon2Tango team are incredible professionals, and we are very happy about this partnership,” said Dmitri Gorbunov, Founder of Metaxilasis. “We are confident that with this collaboration, our project will bring joy to children around the world.”
Toon2Tango will be distributing the first 26 episodes of ThinkerBen & Motor globally, excluding Eastern Europe, Russia and CIS. It will also manage the financing of an additional 26 episodes for which it will be co-producer. Production of the first 26 episodes is ongoing, with final delivery scheduled for August 2025.
The deal comes hard on the heels of the recent announcement between Toon2Tango and toy company Schleich to produce a wide range of entertainment content based on the massively successful toy line Eldrador Creatures.
ThinkerBen & Motor joins a growing list of Toon2Tango hits including Agent 203 and Monster Loving Maniacs, along with productions arriving on screens around the world in the coming months and years such as The Wee Littles, Hey Fuzzy Yellow, Showtime and Dinomite & Lucy, all underlining the strength of the Toon2Tango offering among preschoolers, children, tweens and teens.
“We have a reputation for successfully bringing diverse, innovative and incredibly entertaining shows to market as both co-producer and distributor and there’s no doubt that ThinkerBen & Motor fits that description perfectly,” said Ulli Stoef, Co-Founder of Toon2Tango. “We are looking forward enormously to working with the talented team at Metaxilasis to bring this awesome and inventive new show to many broadcast and licensing markets around the world where I am sure it will enjoy a very positive reception.”
