TORONTO – February 20, 2024 – CBC Kids and 9 Story Media Group are pleased to announce that production is underway on Let’s Go, Bananas! (26 x 22 min), a new animated comedy described as “Modern Family” for the preschool set. The series was commissioned by CBC Kids, pre-bought by Sky Kids, and will premiere this spring on CBC and CBC Gem in Canada. 9 Story also holds worldwide distribution and merchandising rights.
Let’s Go, Bananas! was created by award-winning writer and producer Tim Bain, creator of action-comedy series Kangaroo Beach and writer on hit children’s series including Bluey, PJ Masks, Thomas the Tank Engine and Aardman’s Epic Adventures of Morph. The series is inspired by Tim’s own family and features a community of three sweet and silly animal families, the Bananas (gorillas), Crockers (crocodiles) and Tiger-Zelles (tigers and gazelles). Developed and produced by 9 Story Media Group and animated by its award-winning studio Brown Bag Films Toronto, the series is written by Tim and directed by Matt Mitchell (Let’s Go Luna, Rosie’s Rules).
“As a father of three bouncing kids it’s a joy to turn funny everyday stories from my home life into an animated comedy series,” said Tim. “And as a writer, it’s delightful to find fresh stories to tell with diverse families we don’t often see on screen. The show is stuffed full of the ridiculous nuances of family life, like sibling rivalry, zany toddlers, nutty pets, chaotic road trips and those kid song earworms that get stuck in your head all day. I hope all sorts of families across the world will relate to the silly shenanigans of our completely bananas characters!”
“I am delighted to share Let’s Go, Bananas! with kids and families around the world,” said Karen Fowler, Vice President, Development and Production for 9 Story. “Each episode stars three sweet, silly, diverse families sharing each other’s lives, loves, triumphs, and tantrums in relatable tales told by their five funny and fabulous kids. It’s a madcap, heartfelt take on family life.”
“We hope kids in Canada will see themselves in Let’s Go, Bananas! with its fresh and contemporary stories of three families who share everything – the good, the bad, and the hilarious,” said Marie McCann, Senior Director, Children’s Content, CBC Kids.
Let’s Go, Bananas! is a feel-good celebration of the realities of family life; messy, joyful, chaotic, wonderful, and of course, totally BANANAS!
For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports; Marie McCann is Senior Director, Children’s Content, CBC Kids; and Drew Mullin is Executive in Charge of Production, CBC Kids.
About 9 Story Media Group
9 Story Media Group is a leading creator, producer and distributor of premium, kids and family-focused content. Its award-winning animation studio, Brown Bag Films, is recognized around the world for best-in-class brands such as “Doc McStuffins,” “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” “Octonauts,” “Wild Kratts,” and “Blue’s Clues & You”. The company’s international distribution arm, 9 Story Distribution International based in Dublin, represents 5,000 half-hours of animated and live-action programming, seen on some of the most respected international channels and platforms. Its in-house consumer products division, 9 Story Brands, builds international entertainment brands for kids, with expertise across creative, brand marketing, and licensing. 9 Story’s Creative Affairs Group creates, develops, and produces award-winning branded properties using groundbreaking formative research. With facilities in Toronto, Dublin, New York, and Bali, 9 Story Media Group employs approximately 1,000 creative and corporate staff worldwide. www.9story.com
About Brown Bag Films
Brown Bag Films is one of the world’s most exciting, original, and successful creative-led animation studios. With studio locations in Dublin, Toronto, and Bali, Brown Bag Films creates cutting-edge animation for the international market. Founded in Dublin, Ireland in 1994 by Managing Director Cathal Gaffney and Creative Director Darragh O’Connell, and acquired by 9 Story Media Group in 2015, Brown Bag Films is creatively-driven with a focus on producing the highest quality, cross-platform animation with strong stories and engaging characters. The studio’s much-loved TV shows are viewed by millions of children worldwide and include “Doc McStuffins,” “Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood,” “Karma’s World,” “Lu & the Bally Bunch “Peter Rabbit,” “Wild Kratts,” “Blue’s Clues & You “Ada Twist, Scientist,” “Vampirina” and “Octonauts”. Brown Bag Films has earned numerous awards and nominations including nineteen Emmy® Awards and two Oscar nominations. www.brownbagfilms.com
About CBC Kids
CBC Kids entertains, informs, and enlightens kids living in Canada from two to tween and their grownups on CBC TV, CBC Gem, cbckids.ca and cbckidsnews.ca as well as on YouTube and TikTok.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
About Sky Kids
The Sky Kids package is home to over 10,000 episodes of award-winning kids’ content including Sky Originals, on demand and a variety of partner channels such as Nick Jr., Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon.
The Sky Kids linear channel offers a raft of new Sky Original content and franchise favourites to inspire and entertain kids (age 1-7).
All Sky Kids content is available to watch in safe, child-friendly environments. Through the Sky Kids app which offers content on demand, available to all Sky customers with the Sky Kids package, parents can create personalised age profiles for their children, alongside a ‘sleep mode’ to moderate screen time, while they watch content on the go.
The Sky Kids package is available for just £7 a month, for Sky customers with Sky’s signature pack. Members of streaming service NOW can also enjoy Sky Kids with its £9.99 Entertainment Membership.
