Kids
Cosmos-Maya’s Wow Kidz partners with publishing house Twinkl
MUMBAI: Cosmos-Maya kids’ animation brand Wow Kidz has partnered with educational publisher Twinkl to create a range of educational materials and resources based on Vir: The Robot Boy.
The new jointly-created teaching resources aim to inspire children and engage them in learning by featuring one of India’s favourite cartoon robots, Vir The Robot Boy. The animated superhero character, owned by Cosmos-Maya, is also much-loved around the world, with the series of the same name now streaming on over 50 digital video platforms worldwide.
Twinkl is one of the world’s largest educational providers, offering over 710,000 resources to over 10 million teachers, parents and carers around the world. The UK-based company provides a wide range of materials from assessments and activity sheets to educational games and crafts, with resources available to use in the classroom and at home.
Wow Kidz is a market leader in the Indian animation sector and is part of the India and Singapore based cartoon studio, Cosmos-Maya. Its YouTube multi-channel network has content from over 17 of its own titles in addition to nearly 15 acquired titles in 18 languages over 34 channels. The brand has over 60 million subscribers on YouTube with Vir The Robot Boy as its best performing IP, with 13 billion views of its own and contributing nearly 40 per cent of the multi-channel network’s gross viewership.
Children can indulge in their love of Vir: The Robot Boy whilst developing skills in a wide range of topics that are suitable for children aged three to eleven years old. Covering subjects including literacy and art, the resources on Twinkl include activities such as sentence formations, creative writing prompts and colouring sheets. The educational materials are free to use and accessible to everyone through the Twinkl website.
Wow Kidz’s parent company Cosmos-Maya CEO Anish Mehta said: “With schools closing down at the start of the lockdowns around the world in April 2020, the EdTech sector saw an unprecedented boost with online coaching modules that provided immense business opportunities for animation studios beyond the standard entertainment space. Entering this collaboration with Twinkl, we get to marry two booming segments of our company – merchandising and EdTech – while entering a mutually beneficial partnership from multiple standpoints: customer retention, brand and revenue potential.”
Cosmos-Maya has been making strides in all possible avenues of the animation spectrum, and EdTech is the company’s youngest and fastest-growing division and is expected to account for 20 per cent+ of production revenues for FY 2022E.
Cosmos-Maya edtech & gaming SVP of L&M Priti Karandikar added: “The key advantage of mixing entertainment in education is that it leads to creating genuine interest in the students towards acquiring knowledge. Well-known animated characters are extremely popular and can act as ‘Study Buddies’ – entertaining and cheerful contact points for learning without taking away the primary learning objective. These ‘Study Buddies’ make topics easy to memorize, by making them into stories with multiple perspectives.”
Twinkl International Head Neil Cleverly said: “At Twinkl, we’re always asking ourselves how we can pique the interest of children and use this to engage them in learning. Through our partnership with Wow Kidz and Cosmos-Maya, we have been able to do exactly that.
“The vibrant and imaginative animations that they are renowned for have enabled us to bring learning to life, all while providing valuable teaching tools for teachers, parents and carers. We know that these Vir: The Robot Boy resources are going to be a big hit with children right across India, as well as around the world.”
Services and resources from Twinkl with the Wow Kidz brand will go live in India in the last week of March 2021.
Kids
Sony YAY! launches ‘House of Masti’ to celebrate 20 years of Shin chan
Comedian Kiku Sharda joins the fun with a special rap track as the mischievous icon returns to Indian TV.
MUMBAI: Shin chan is back and this time, he’s bringing the whole house of masti with him! Sony YAY!, India’s leading kids’ entertainment channel, has unveiled ‘House of Masti’, a specially curated programming block to mark 20 years of the iconic animated series Shin chan on Indian television. The campaign transforms the beloved character’s mischievous world into a fresh, high-energy viewing experience. It features new episodes, fan-favourite moments, and themed programming stunts, all designed to stand out from regular broadcasts.
Adding extra sparkle to the celebration, popular comedian Kiku Sharda has joined the campaign. He anchors the integration with a lively rap track titled ‘Shin chan ka YAY! Dhamaal’, infusing contemporary music and humour into the beloved series.
Sony YAY! business head of kids and animation Ambesh Tiwari said, “Over the past 20 years, Shin chan has built a strong and enduring connection with audiences in India. With ‘House of Masti’, we are celebrating this milestone through a differentiated, campaign-led experience. Kiku Sharda and the rap track add a fun, high-energy layer that will resonate with today’s kids and families.”
Starting 27 April, viewers can enjoy the World Television Premiere of Shin chan along with new episodes and an exciting lineup of blockbuster movies on Sony YAY!.
By blending nostalgia with fresh, engaging content, Sony YAY! is ensuring that the cheeky, laughter-filled adventures of Shin chan continue to entertain and connect with new generations across the country.
In a world full of serious cartoons, Shin chan remains delightfully naughty and with ‘House of Masti’, Sony YAY! is making sure his brand of chaos stays as fresh and fun as ever. Get ready for some serious masti!
