Social Media Sensation The Tiny Chef Heads to Nickelodeon in Brand-New Series from Imagine Kids+Family

SOCIAL MEDIA SENSATION THE TINY CHEF HEADS

TO NICKELODEON IN BRAND-NEW SERIES

FROM IMAGINE KIDS+FAMILY

Share it: @NickJr @ImagineKidsandFamily #TheTinyChefShow

BURBANK, Calif.–Aug. 12, 2020–Herbivore social media sensation The Tiny Chef is bringing his culinary adventures to Nickelodeon in a brand-new series. The Tiny Chef Show (working title) will follow the talented chef as he whips up tasty ‘weshipees’ and the world’s tiniest plant-based dishes from his tree-stump home. Produced in association with Imagine Kids+Family, Tiny Chef Productions, and Nickelodeon Animation Studio, the series will premiere on Nick’s preschool platforms in the U.S., as well as Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels internationally. The Tiny Chef Show will be executive produced by Imagine Entertainment Executive Chairmen Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, Imagine Kids+Family President Stephanie Sperber, as well as Kristen Bell, Morgan Sackett, and Tiny Chef creators Rachel Larsen, Adam Reid and cinematographer Ozlem Akturk for Tiny Chef Productions.

“The Tiny Chef stole my heart when he taught me how to make a tiny apron, and I know he will take everyone’s hearts like he took mine,” said Ramsey Naito, Executive Vice President, Nickelodeon Animation Production and Development. “Brian Robbins and I want to thank everyone at Imagine Kids+Family as we welcome The Chef to Nickelodeon.”

“We have worked with some of the biggest stars in the business, and we could not be more excited to also now work with the tiniest! The Chef and his team have created a vibrant, inclusive, and community-based world and we at Imagine are thrilled to share it with audiences, big and small,” said Grazer and Howard, jointly. “Brian Robbins and his team at Nickelodeon created the gold standard in kids’ entertainment and the perfect home for this series.”

“We knew from the first meeting that Chef and his show would be best served by partnering with the creative team at Nickelodeon,” said Sperber. “They made Chef feel like a star and Imagine Kids+Family couldn’t be more excited to partner with the Nickelodeon team to make his cooking show a reality.”

“We cannot wait to tell The Tiny Chef this amazing news. Though we’re a little worried his tiny heart may burst with joy so we’ll make sure he’s sitting down. It’s been The Tiny Chef’s dream to have his own cooking show and now Nickelodeon is making that come true. This next chapter in The Chef’s journey will be so exciting and thrilling for all of us.” - The Tiny Team


The Tiny Chef Show marks Nickelodeon’s second project with Imagine Kids+Family, following the previously announced live-action adventure series The Astronauts. Production of The Tiny Chef Show for Nickelodeon Animation Studio is overseen by Eryk Casemiro, Senior Vice President, Nickelodeon Preschool and by Elly Kramer for Imagine Kids+Family.

The Tiny Chef is represented by CAA.

About Imagine Kids+Family

Imagine Kids+Family was formed in 2019 by Imagine Entertainment Chairmen Brian Grazer and Ron Howard with a focus on developing and producing premium kids and family entertainment with capabilities in consumer products and franchise building. Imagine Kids+Family is run by President Stephanie Sperber, a veteran kids entertainment executive with a successful career in building kids and family businesses, IP, and franchises. IKF recently acquired an equity stake in popular The Tiny Chef Show to develop the original short-form stop-motion animation Tiny Chef character across all platforms including short-form, tv series, and digital, and is part of a strategic global franchise plan. Currently, IKF is producing its first live-action series The Astronauts for Nickelodeon; Kalamata’s Kitchen; Breyer Hollow; The Trail; and Going Vintage to name a few. IKF is also producing Max Einstein under its partnership with James Patterson’s’ kid imprint Jimmy Books, and has a first-look partnership with Academy Award-winning animation company Lion Forge (Hair Love) around its existing IP of both licensed and original ideas, starting with Chippy Hood, Bug Tron, Puerto Rico Strong, and Unt. Black Comic Anthology. www.imagine-entertainment.com

About The Tiny Chef

The Tiny Chef is 6.5 inches tall (without his hat) and never talks about his age. He’s an herbivore, artist, author, filmmaker, musician, and of course, Chef. The Tiny Chef has had a meteoric rise to superstardom since his emergence on Instagram in 2018. The Tiny Chef produced a hit holiday album for charity, THE MISH MESH ALBUM, a sold out run of his first edition talking plush doll, and his first picture book THE TINY CHEF AND DA MISHING WESHIPE BLOOK will hit shelves September 15, 2020 from Penguin’s Razorbill imprint. The Tiny Chef produces all of his own material with some help from “The Tiny Team” which is Rachel Larsen, Adam Reid and Ozlem Akturk. www.thetinychefshow.com

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 41st year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The brand includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, location based experiences, publishing and feature films. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of ViacomCBS Inc. (Nasdaq: VIACA, VIAC).

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The Tiny Chef started off as an Instagram IP that now has more than 600,000 followers. It centers on the titular character as he cooks, sings and lives in his tree-stump house. Imagine’s kids division invested in the IP in July 2019—its first such investment—and the plan is to develop it into a global franchise, complete with content and consumer product.

It was the wee chef’s fun language-free approach (reminiscent of the Swedish Chef from The Muppet Show) to topics like cooking and environmental sustainability that initially drew the studio to the property, according to Stephanie Sperber, president of Imagine Kids & Family.

The number and length of episodes and a release date have not yet been set.

Nickelodeon has been cooking up a lot of food-themed content recently, including the Rachael Ray and Amirah Kassem unscripted special Cake My Day, and digital series Annie vs Hayley LeBake Off! Cooking shows have long been a staple of many kidsnets’ non-fiction slates, and the new batch of tasty fare comes amid a growing awareness that kids who watch cooking shows are more likely to make healthy food choices, according to a Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior study.

The Tiny Chef Show has developed a cult following through its short-form stop-motion animation featuring the Tiny Chef, voiced by Matt Hutchinson, as he cooks, sings, and lives his life in his tree-stump house. One of his biggest fans is EP Kristen Bell who began a formal partnership with The Tiny Chef after discovering the property and had been promoting the character and its online adventures on social media.

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Originally published: Wednesday, August 12, 2020 at 18:56 BST.

H/T: Deadline; Additional source: Kidscreen.

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