Toronto, Canada — Guru Studio is expanding its hit preschool franchise True and the Rainbow Kingdom with the launch of True: Mini Rescues, the brand’s first  narrative short-form series created exclusively for YouTube.

Premiering this month on the official True and the Rainbow Kingdom YouTube channel in collaboration with CBC Kids, the new collection of one-minute adventures puts young viewers at the center of exciting rescue missions, inviting them to help True use quick thinking, teamwork, and her magical Wishes to save the day. Produced in both widescreen and vertical formats, the series is optimized for every screen, from connected TVs to mobile devices.

True: Mini Rescues marks a significant evolution for the franchise, introducing all-new original stories created specifically for YouTube and its community of more than six million subscribers.

“YouTube has become one of the most important places for kids to discover and build lasting relationships with the characters they love,” said Frank Falcone, President and Executive Creative Director of Guru Studio. “With True: Mini Rescues, we’re embracing new storytelling formats that go beyond the traditional episodic story arc, creating bite-sized adventures designed for the way kids watch today. It’s an exciting opportunity to introduce a whole new generation to the world of True and the Rainbow Kingdom, while giving our longtime fans fresh stories and new ways to deepen their love of True.”

The launch builds on Guru Studio’s broader digital strategy to expand the franchise to reach a new generation of preschoolers. In addition to Mini Rescues, the new True content rollout includes a mix of mindfulness and breathing exercises which launched back in May, and two different character-led comedy mini-series called Bartleby Bites and Yeti Yuks which are launching later this fall. Support for the new series was provided by Ontario Creates.