Seasons 14 & 15 of Fireman Sam and Season 5 of Polly Pocket currently in production
New distribution deals inked with KiKA, Amazon Prime Video, ABC Kids Australia, Warner Bros. Discovery, SUPER RTL, Family Channel and more
Toronto, ON; Los Angeles, CA – October 13, 2022 – WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, and Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT), announce new-season greenlights for beloved kids’ shows Fireman Sam and Polly Pocket, based on the popular Mattel brands.
Fireman Sam and the Pontypandy Rescue Team are returning to save the day on land, at sea and in the air with two new CG-animated seasons of Fireman Sam. Season 14 is scheduled to begin delivery in December 2022 and Season 15 is scheduled to begin delivery in June 2023, with each season bringing 26 x 11-minute episodes. The fresh seasons feature a host of nail-biting emergencies, plus newcomer Pilot Krystyna in a shiny new rescue plane, a freshly built airport, exciting upgrades to the team’s Jupiter fire engine and wonderful new friends to help!
Also returning is Polly Pocket, based on Mattel’s original micro-scale doll brand. In Season 5 of Polly Pocket, slated for delivery beginning March 2023, Polly shares her magic “pockite” with her friends—now they all have their own unique powers! Together they’ll explore fantastical, tiny worlds that are full of big surprises. The new season for the 2D-animated series will consist of 26 x 11-minute episodes and the release of Polly Pocket: Sparkle Cove Adventure, a 66-minute special. In Sparkle Cove Adventure, Polly discovers the hidden world of Sparkle Cove—a marvelous, tropical island paradise and the origin of the magical “pockite” that gives Polly her shrinking powers. The release will mark the first special for Polly Pocket since Mattel relaunched the brand in 2018.
“We are thrilled to see the continued support and excitement for Fireman Sam and Polly Pocket around the world,” said Alex Godfrey, Vice President of Content Distribution at Mattel Television. “As these iconic Mattel properties continue to resonate with audiences globally, we look forward to sharing more stories and adventures for years to come.”
“Global demand from broadcasters and streamers for both Fireman Sam and Polly Pocket remains very strong,” said Caroline Tyre, Vice President of Global Sales & Rights Strategy at WildBrain. “These beloved series continue to delight and educate kids with compelling characters and stories filled with action and humour. We’re pleased to continue working with Mattel to deliver even more Sam and Polly for kids around the world to enjoy.”
New distribution deals
WildBrain has secured multiple new streaming and broadcast deals for Fireman Sam and Polly Pocket. In deals that include the new seasons of Fireman Sam, ABC Kids (Australia) and HOP! (Israel) have picked up seasons 13-15, MiniMini+ (Poland) has picked up seasons 14 & 15, and Cartoonito (UK & Ireland) and NRK Super (Norway) have picked up seasons 13 & 14. Season 13 of Fireman Sam has been picked up by KiKA (Germany), Amazon Prime Video (UK, Ireland, Germany), Milkshake! (UK), RTE Jr. (Ireland), Cartoonito (Italy), France Télévisions (France), MiniMini+ (Poland), and Vudu (US).
Seasons 4 & 5 of Polly Pocket have been picked up by Minimax (CEE excluding Poland). Seasons 3 & 4 have been picked up by Netflix (US, U.K.); POP (U.K.), Amazon Kids+ (US); Discovery Kids (LatAm); Family Channel (Canada); teleTOON+ (Poland); Gulli, M6 & Tiji (France, French-speaking EMEA); Cartoonito & Boomerang (Italy & Turkey); SUPER RTL (Germany, Austria, Switzerland); KidZone TV (Baltics); BIGI (Israel); Channel 9 (Australia); TVNZ (New Zealand); Vudu (US); and EITB (Spain). Season 3 has also been picked up by Amazon Prime Video (UK, France, Italy) and Astro (Malaysia & Brunei).
The new greenlights and distribution deals are part of a multi-year, co-development, production, distribution and licensing agreement between Mattel and WildBrain. The new seasons of Fireman Sam and Polly Pocket are being produced at WildBrain’s Vancouver animation studio.
About Fireman Sam Seasons 14 & 15
Explore the skies above Pontypandy with newcomer Pilot Krystyna as she navigates her shiny new plane through thrilling animal rescues with wild boars and beavers! See the freshly built airport hangar and check out the dashing updated uniforms for the entire rescue team! Marine biologist Jodie is also back, leading ocean conservation projects, and continuing to teach the cadets about ocean stewardship.
And, as this is Pontypandy, there will be a whole host of new nail-biting emergencies. From investigating the mysterious Ancient Pontypandy Way, to learning about safe beekeeping, to fighting fire along a community Fun Run route–the action continues! There’ll be high-flying adventures in the sky, ocean-cave rescues, village Fun-Runs gone awry, and a tricky situation to help Moose out of at the end of his 40-day Sleep Out Challenge. Not to mention the cadets discovering the Moon Men are Coming to Pontypandy… But whatever the rescue, wherever the emergency, you can be sure that the Rescue Team of Pontypandy will always be there to save the day!
About Polly Pocket Season 5
After her Sparkle Cove Adventure, Polly Pocket will share the “pockite” she wins with her friends and family – giving them magic powers of their own. Shani’s translation pockite lets her communicate with anyone – even animals! And Lila can transform into anything from a hummingbird to a famous fashion designer! With new powers, Polly and her friends’ tiny adventures are extra mighty. And with their own “pockite” to master, Shani and Lila will have the opportunity to lead the friends on new discoveries!
Polly and her friends will find there’s lots to discover. Turns out, Littleton is filled with fantastical worlds – all hidden in plain sight! Thanks to Polly’s new Pocket Vision she can uncover hidden doors and sparkling portals to surprising new lands. From a world of adorable dust bunnies in her laundry room, to a land of tiny chocolatiers in a vending machine – Polly finds these wondrous worlds in the most unexpected places around town! With so much more to explore, Polly and her pals will become closer friends than ever before as they inspire each other and viewers alike to be capable, courageous and tenacious.
About WildBrain
At WildBrain we inspire imaginations to run wild, engaging kids and families everywhere with great content across all media. With approximately 13,000 half-hours of filmed entertainment in our library – one of the world’s most extensive – we are home to such brands as Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Yo Gabba Gabba! Caillou, Inspector Gadget, Johnny Test and Degrassi. At our 75,000-square-foot state-of-the-art animation studio in Vancouver, BC, we produce such fan-favourite series as The Snoopy Show, Snoopy in Space, Chip & Potato, Carmen Sandiego, Go, Dog. Go! and more. Our shows are enjoyed worldwide in more than 150 countries on over 500 streaming platforms and telecasters, and our AVOD business – WildBrain Spark – offers one of the largest networks of kids’ channels on YouTube, garnering billions of views per month from over 245 million subscribers. Through our leading agency, WildBrain CPLG, we also license consumer products and location-based entertainment in every major territory for our own properties as well as for our clients and content partners. Our television group owns and operates four family entertainment channels that are among the most viewed in Canada. WildBrain is headquartered in Canada with offices worldwide and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: WILD). Visit us at WildBrain.com.
About Mattel
Mattel is a leading global toy company and owner of one of the strongest catalogs of children’s and family entertainment franchises in the world. We create innovative products and experiences that inspire, entertain, and develop children through play. We engage consumers through our portfolio of iconic brands, including Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Fisher-Price®, American Girl®, Thomas & Friends®, UNO®, Masters of the Universe®, Monster High® and MEGA®, as well as other popular intellectual properties that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies. Our offerings include film and television content, gaming and digital experiences, music, and live events. We operate in 35 locations and our products are available in more than 150 countries in collaboration with the world’s leading retail and ecommerce companies. Since its founding in 1945, Mattel is proud to be a trusted partner in empowering children to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential. Visit us online at mattel.com.
For more information, please contact:
The DDA Group for WildBrain
Aimée Norman
aimee.norman@ddapr.com
+44 (0) 7957 564 050
Mattel
Niki Kazakos
Niki.Kazakos@mattel.com
Casey McDonald
Casey.McDonald@mattel.com