Aardman is excited to be launching the licensing and retail programme for new preschool property, Pop Paper City.

Monday 24th January 2022. Bristol, UK – The multi-award-winning independent animation studio Aardman has today confirmed its licensing partnership with LoveLove Films. The partnership will see Aardman manage the licensing and retail programme of Pop Paper City, a new and exciting preschool adventure craft show aimed at four to six year olds which encourages ‘ doing as well as viewing’. The new show will premiere on Milkshake! in the UK later this year with a global rollout to follow.

Aardman has appointed Val Fry of Fryday Brands to manage the brand in the UK, Val will be supported by Caroline High of Caroline High Consultancy, who will both be bringing a wealth of preschool licensing experience and will spearhead the development of the consumer products programme for the brand.

Pop Paper City (52 x 11”) is a vibrant 3D craft series with adventure. The series focuses on a group of unique friends who live at Pop Paper City, the capital of a stunning paper world. In each 11-minute episode, the characters find a new way to have fun together by creating new parts of their already impressive world, using craft to solve their challenges and complete their adventure. Live action montages within the show inspire children to make their own paper creations, encouraging ‘doing as well as viewing’. Through watching ‘Pop Paper City’, children will not only love the adventures the characters go on but will also be inspired to get crafty along with the show and their family members making the show an exciting immersive experience.

The first 52 episodes have many exciting storylines and themes, including: pirates, space, dinosaurs, cowboys, race cars, underwater episodes and seasonal specials. The crafts represent limitless potential in the series.

Producer Georgina Hurcombe states:

“The last couple of years have seen a huge uptake in crafts and ‘Pop Paper City’ taps into this trend, from all the colourful environments that are part of the world, to the exciting crafts made in every episode, to the characters themselves – there is huge potential when it comes to ‘creative play and what the child audience can recreate at home as well as the exciting opportunities across the toy, stationary, tabletop games, gaming and the publishing sectors”

Aardman, with representatives Val and Caroline, will focus initially on securing key partners in toy and publishing categories before extending the reach into multiple licensed categories.

Val Fry, of Fryday Brands, states:

“Caroline and I are delighted to be working together on this innovative and exciting preschool show with Aardman and look forward to inspiring both retailers and licensees with the imagination behind the storylines.”

Rob Goodchild, of Aardman, said:

“We see real potential in Pop Paper City and are delighted to have extended our partnership with LoveLove films to manage the global licensing rights alongside content distribution and a strong YouTube and digital strategy. Val and Caroline have a wealth of experience with preschool properties and we look forward to working with them to build a strong licensing programme in the UK.”

Pop Paper City hits screens later this year.

About Pop Paper City
The series of 52 episodes is currently in production and set to release later this year. Pop Paper city already won the MIP TV ‘best kid’s series in development’ which garnered it much acclaim and press. The series is funded in part by the British Film Institute. The series main ethos is ‘creating adventures together’ and encourages ‘doing as well as viewing’. The show is produced by Lovelove Films using both 3D animation and live action.

About Aardman
Aardman, based in Bristol (UK) and co-founded in 1976 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, is an independent and multi-Academy Award® and BAFTA® award winning studio. It produces feature films, series, advertising, games and interactive entertainment – current animated productions include; brand new 2021 holiday specials Robin Robin and Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas, CGI series Lloyd of the Flies, a new stop motion series for pre-schoolers The Very Small Creatures and a Chicken Run movie sequel.

Its productions are global in appeal, novel, entertaining, brilliantly characterised and full of charm reflecting the unique talent, energy and personal commitment of the Aardman team. The studio’s work – which includes the creation of much-loved characters including Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Timmy Time and Morph – is often imitated, and yet the company continues to lead the field producing a rare brand of visually stunning content for cinema, broadcasters, digital platforms and live experiences around the world. Recent celebrated projects include the ‘visually astonishing’ (Guardian), BAFTA® nominated console game, 11-11: Memories Retold, the four-times Gold Cannes Lions-winning StorySign app, AR experience Wallace & Gromit: The Big Fix up – and innovative attractions for both the domestic and international market, including a 4D theatre attraction at Efteling in the Netherlands.

The studio runs the Aardman Academy which has a commitment to nurturing talent by delivering excellence in film and animation training and mentoring. The Aardman Academy offers a variety of courses from intensive one-day workshops teaching production skills and storyboarding, to comprehensive twelve-week courses for professionals in craft based subjects from model making to animation. In November 2018 it became an Employee Owned Organisation, to ensure Aardman remains independent and to secure the creative legacy and culture of the company for many decades to come. www.aardman.com

About Fryday Brands
Established in 2018 by Val Fry, Fryday Brands is a boutique brand and licensing consultancy and agency. With over 30 years’ experience in the licensing industry, Val has a proven track record in the strategic development and commercialisation of brands from the entertainment, digital, lifestyle, toy and publishing industries, and has launched some of the UK’s largest properties. Fryday Brands has formed a strategic alliance with Caroline High Consultancy to develop bespoke projects together.