Based on the classic The Wind in the Willows, Toad & Friends is one of the many kids animations that Hoho Rights has brought to Cannes
* with production of Ana Paula Carreira, from Cannes, France
A 1908 literary classic, The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame, inspires the story of Toad & Friends, the main title among Hoho Rights catalogue for the current edition of Mipcom Cannes, taking place this week at Le Palais des Festivals.
“We are very excited to sell our new kids shows, one of which is Toad & Friends, which is based on an English literary classic from 1908, called The Wind in the Willows, sold all around the world,” explains Oliver Ellis, Joint Managing Director at Hoho Rights. “It sold over18 millions copies in 29 different languages.”
The Wind in the Willows is a children’s novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame,in which a group of friends try to help a toad (Mr. Toad), obsessed with motorcars.
In this new series the much loved characters return: kind and considerate Mole, reliable Rat and of course incorrigible Toad. Situated on and around the river that is such a big part of their lives and landscape, they are now joined by irrepressible Hedge the Hedgehog, Kingfisher, Heron and Adder.
The series embraces all the values of the original book – endeavour, adventure, teamwork and kindness – and is set to become a modern classic.
“We are also selling our classic show, Cloudbabies, which is a pre-school show, and also Shane The Chef, which is another pre-school show that teaches kids all about healthy eating,” added Ellis.
Cloudbabies (52 x 10′) is a charming pre-school series about four, childlike characters, Baba Pink, Baba Blue, Baba Yellow and Baba Green whose job is to look after the sky and their Sky Friends, Sun, Moon, Rainbow, Fuffa Cloud and Little Star.
In Shane the Chef (52 x 11′), an ambitious, energetic chef and his daughter Izzy run a restaurant together. Shane’s firm belief is that when it comes to food, “fresh is best!”. With childhood obesity on the rise, this series encourages children to learn about food and where it comes from, make healthier choices and hopefully develop an interest in and a love of cooking.
