In Wagtail Woods a unique little bird with a big heart called Becca and her bunch of friends are always ready for action! Becca has a innate curiosity and a wonderful way of looking at things. She sees adventure in every situation and as a result often bites off more than she can chew, landing herself and the bunch - Russell, Sylvia and Pedro - in some sticky situations. Thinking on her feet, Becca will urge a generation of kids never to give up, aim high and have big ideas, because once they do every day will be an adventure!
From her quirky dress sense to her hobbies, Becca is a bird like no other and chirps to her own tune. Her can-do attitude allows her big ideas to take flight on the most fantastical adventures with her three best friends. Becca’s infectious enthusiasm encourages her besties, aka The Wild Bunch, to seek out adventure in Wagtail Woods and boldly go where no bird, worm, squirrel and fox have gone before. The Wild Bunch haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on Becca’s list! With unique ideas, heart and positive thinking, the gang always manage to overcome any challenge they encounter in Wagtail Woods.
Becca's Bunch is an exciting entertainment show for preschoolers which merges live action, puppetry and 2D and 3D animation to create a textured world that the audience wants to reach out and touch!
Becca's Bunch (52 x 11') is produced by Dublin-based creative production, distribution and licensing company JAM Media. Nickelodeon acquired the exclusive broadcast rights to the series in the US and Pay TV rights for the rest of the world in October 2016. Becca's Bunch made its debut on Nick Jr. UK & Ireland on Monday 2nd July 2018, and is currently rolling out the series onto Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels around the world. In addition, terrestrial broadcasters ABC Australia, CBC Kids (Canada) and France Télévisions (France) have picked up the series for their respective countries.
Talking about the series, Nickelodeon Senior Vice President (SVP) of International Production and Development Nina Hahn says the project was introduced to her and Nick’s Vice President (VP) of Content Acquisitions, Layla Lewis, at a very early stage. And it was love at first sight.
“[JAM Media] showed us the short even before they did the formal pitch into our larger group, which allowed us to give them feedback from multiple different filters on what we wanted to see,” Hahn says. “The content itself had a lot of the DNA of Nickelodeon, from the visual quirkiness, to the way the characters were developed and its strong female lead at the center. It really tapped into the kind of broad, emotional and simple ideas that we like to work with.”
Jam Media, which has studios in both Dublin and Belfast in Northern Ireland, pitched the series at Cartoon Forum in 2013 under the title Early Bird.
The news follows JAM Media naming JAKKS Pacific as the global master toy licensee for Becca’s Bunch. JAKKS has secured the exclusive global rights to produce figurines, playsets and accessories, vehicles, musical instruments, plush (feature and non-feature), every day dress-up, role play, arts & crafts, board games and accessories, Halloween costumes and accessories, outdoor/indoor furniture, wagons, ride-ons, play tents, ball pits, balls and outdoor games, all based on the spritely bird and her group of animal friends. Plush, figurines, musical instruments, vehicles and playsets are planned for a Fall 2019 launch at US retail. JAKKS joins previously signed Becca’s Bunch licensees Candlewick Press, which has taken publishing rights for the US, and Egmont, which is signed on for publishing in the rest of the world. Both companies are planning a Fall 2019 retail launch in key territories.
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Online at nickjr.co.uk and the Nick Jr. Play app, parents and children can find out more about Becca's Bunch, as well as play games, take quizzes and discover creative activities, including colouring pages. Fans can like the official Nick Jr. UK & Ireland Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages, subscribe to the Nick Jr. YouTube channel and sign up to the official Nick Jr. Fan Club for the latest Nick Jr. news, highlights, video clips, competitions and more.
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About JAM Media:
JAM Media, with operations in both Ireland and the United Kingdom, is one of the leading creators and producers of multi-award winning animated and live action content for the children’s and pre-school audience. The company pride themselves on delivering high quality, innovative, story-driven brands across multiple platforms based around engaging characters with humour at its heart. Shows include Becca's Bunch, PICME, Roy, The Slimefoots, Jessy and Nessy and Zig & Zag. The company was founded in 2002 by animator friends John Rice, Alan Shannon and Mark Cumberton. Visit http://www.jammedia.com to find out more about the company.
About Milkshake!
Channel 5’s Milkshake is home to some of the world’s favourite preschool characters. There is a range of stimulating and engaging programmes that include strong story led animation, genuine documentaries for pre-schoolers and presenter led high quality musical entertainment. 2016 saw Milkshake! achieve its strongest year to date amongst Children, 4-9s, HWKs and HWKs 0-3. Milkshake! was the number one breakfast destination (6-9am) for Children and 4-9s in 2016. Channel 5 broadcasts 24 hours of children's programmes every week. Milkshake is on air from 0600 - 0915 every weekday and 0600 - 10.00 on Saturday and Sunday. For further information visit www.milkshake.tv
About Channel 5
Channel 5 launched as Britain's fifth public service channel in March 1997 and has been owned by Viacom International Media Networks since September 2014. Channel 5, 5STAR, 5USA and Spike reach 4 in 5 of the UK viewing public each month with a broad mix of popular content for all the family across entertainment, documentaries, sport, drama from the UK and US, films, reality, comedy, children’s and news. My5 is a new service allowing viewers to watch content online for free from Channel 5, 5STAR, 5USA, and 5Spike.
About Nick Jr.
Where every day’s an adventure, Nick Jr. is a top-performing commercial pre-school entertainment brand in cable and satellite homes. Launched in 1999 as the world's first channel dedicated to pre-school children, Nick Jr.’s programming includes beloved shows PAW Patrol, Shimmer and Shine, Nella the Princess Knight and Peppa Pig. Kids and parents can find lots of video clips, games, exclusive activities and downloads featuring their favourite Nick Jr. friends online at nickjr.co.uk and on the Nick Jr. Play app. Viewers also have the opportunity to catch up with the schedule through Nick Jr. +1. Nick Jr. is available on Sky 615, Virgin 715, through BT Vision and TalkTalk channel 318.
About Nickelodeon
The Nickelodeon Network is a top-performing commercial kids’ TV network in the UK and Ireland with Nickelodeon channels available in over 13 million cable and satellite homes. Having launched in 1993 Nickelodeon UK comprises seven dedicated entertainment channels for kids aged 4-15 and their families, and is a joint venture between Viacom International Media Networks and BSkyB.
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