Kids
Baby Jake’s licensing programme grows
MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide has announced publishing and DVD partners for the children’s channel CBeebies’ show ‘Baby Jake’.
Children‘s publishers Egmont will develop books and 2|entertain will publish DVD products for the new pre-school show which started airing last month.
‘Baby Jake’ was developed by Darrall Macqueen and combines
storytelling, humour and a mixture of live action and 2D photographic animation bringing to life the magical imagination of a young child and celebrating the special bond between two young siblings.
Darrall Macqueen joint MD Billy Macqueen, who is also the executive producer of the show, said, “These deals build upon the UK master toy licence signed with Vivid in June and reinforce the early success of ‘Baby Jake’ on CBeebies itself and on the BBC‘s catch-up platforms. Since launching on 4 July, Baby Jake has been a permanent fixture in the CBeebies iPlayer ‘Top Five‘ and grew from 240,000 viewings in week one to a stunning half a million viewings in week two. We are delighted that 2|entertain and Egmont have partnered with Darrall Macqueen and BBC Worldwide to expand Baby Jake‘s success from the small screen to the high street.
BBC Worldwide, who were last month confirmed as the licensing agent for the brand, has secured a raft of partners to develop product programmes including Vivid as the UK master toy company.
Egmont has been appointed to develop the book publishing range with plans to roll-out in July 2012.
Egmont Publishing Group MD David Riley said, “Egmont are thrilled to be welcoming Baby Jake to the Egmont portfolio. Baby Jake perfectly captures the essence of childhood and we are excited to be creating books and magazines which will enable children to laugh, sing, wiggle, jiggle and scribble along with Baby Jake and his friends. We are delighted to be working with
Darrall Macqueen Ltd to bring this fantastic property to life on the page.”
2|entertain, which works in the children‘s DVD space, has also signed up to the brand with plans to publish the debut DVD in the first half of next year.
Kids
Mukta Arts and Green Gold ink MOU to animate iconic film IPs
Kalicharan, Karz, Hero, Karma, Ram Lakhan to spawn animated shows plus features.
MUMBAI: When classic hindi movie meets animation, the result is a fresh reel of nostalgia with a cartoon twist. Mukta Arts Ltd. and Green Gold Animation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on animated shows and feature films drawn from Mukta Arts’ four-decade treasure trove of iconic IPs. The partnership taps Mukta’s SGM Animation Studio launched in 2025 as its dedicated animation and games arm and Green Gold’s proven track record in building scalable, homegrown franchises. Creative teams from both sides have already kicked off discussions, with the first project currently in development.
The slate will draw inspiration from landmark Mukta films including Kalicharan, Karz, Hero, Karma, Ram Lakhan, Khalnayak, Saudagar and Iqbal, plus character-led spin-offs from those universes. The aim is to reimagine these stories for today’s young, global audiences while preserving their emotional core.
Green Gold Animation (home of Chhota Bheem) founder and CEO Rajiv Chilaka said, “This partnership with SGM Studios allows us to apply our experience in building long-lasting animation IPs to a truly iconic film catalogue. Together, we aim to create animated worlds that are rooted in these legendary stories, yet designed to connect with today’s young, global audiences.”
Mukta Arts Ltd. filmmaker and founder Subhash Ghai added, “Mukta Arts has always believed in creating stories with lasting emotional value. Through animation, we are extending our IP into a new medium for the next generation.”
In an industry where timeless tales never go out of fashion, this collaboration promises to bring beloved characters back to life with a modern, animated glow proving that some stories are too good to stay in live-action. Stay tuned for the first animated frame to drop.
