UK’s Karrot Entertainment launches commercial division Karrot Kids

MaeBee is an original preschool series from Karrot

UK-based animation studio Karrot Entertainment has launched a commercial division targeting licensing and consumer products.

The division, Karrot Kids, comes as the company prepares to launch new original preschool series MaeBee on CBeebies and iPlayer this autumn. MaeBee will be the first Karrot IP to be taken to market under the Karrot Kids banner.

The division has been established to build long-term consumer products programmes, brand partnerships and content distribution around Karrot’s portfolio of owned brands, with a particular focus on securing cross-category partners for MaeBee and expanding opportunities for established properties including Sarah & Duck.

Created for the screen by Tim and Becca O’Sullivan and developed in-house at Karrot, MaeBee is a co-viewing 2D animated comedy about a curious young gnome and her foster brother as they discover the natural world together through imaginative adventures.

The 52×7′ series is produced by Karrot in partnership with Ireland’s Kavaleer Productions. CBeebies, France Télévisions and Irish pubcaster RTÉ are the commissioning broadcasters, while the ABC recently acquired the broadcast rights for Australia. France TV Distribution holds the non-English-speaking sales rights, while Karrot retains English-language territories and licensing rights.

Ashley O’Kane, Karrot’s head of licensing and partnerships, said: “Karrot has always been driven by original ideas, memorable characters and great storytelling. With Karrot Kids, we are taking the next step in how we build and manage those brands beyond the screen.

“MaeBee is a fantastic starting point: it has a distinctive world, characters with real warmth and humour and the backing of major broadcasters from launch. We’re looking forward to meeting partners who share our ambition to build something genuinely special around MaeBee, while also unlocking new opportunities for our wider portfolio.”