Mindy Candy, the U.K. company behind the hugely successful Moshi Monsters adoptable pet monsters kids game, is branching out into animation. Today it’s announced plans to make a series of 52×11 minute episodes based on the most popular characters from its Moshi world platform which is aimed at boys and girls aged 6-12.
The cartoons will be distributed on both linear and digital platforms, with no word yet where exactly they’ll be available for viewing. The company notes that its chief business development officer will be kicking off distribution discussions with “leading global broadcast networks” at Licensing Expo in Vegas next week.
Mind Candy said its executive creative producer, film & TV projects, Jocelyn Stevenson, will lead the production of the cartoons. Michael Acton Smith, founder and creator of Moshi Monsters, commented in a statement: “We’re looking forward to telling a wide range of new stories with these cartoons and taking the Moshi Monsters characters to new fans all around the world.
Speaking to TechCrunch last month, the company also cited plans for a full-length movie featuring its characters but there are no more details on those plans as yet. Mindy Candy has already milked its five-year+ franchise, which has some 80 million registered users in 150 territories worldwide, with spin-off merchandising — including toys, books, trading cards, a magazine and a music album plus music videos.
Making a cartoon is a next obvious step for a kids-focused digital brand. Indeed, it’s rather surprising it’s taken Mind Candy so long. There have been similar moves recently from Angry Birds-maker Rovio, which launched Angry Birds Toons back in March, and youth-focused mobile messaging app Line which created the spin-off Line Town animated TV series for its home Japanese market. Line Town features the main characters from its messaging stickers, underlining how the lines between messaging, gaming and entertainment continue to blur.