Animation Magazine

Meet Molang

Millimages preps preschool series based on breakout Korean character. By Tom McLean.

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If you think Hello Kitty is cute, wait until you meet Molang.

The breakout character, created in 2009 by Korean university student Hye-Ji Yoon, is on a steady path toward television stardom with the preschool set via France-based Millimages.

The company optioned the character last December and based on strong response from broadcaste­rs produced a pilot episode to show at MIP-TV that also was well received.

Developed at Millimages by producer Marie Caroline Villand, the series is an affectiona­te and humorous look on the relationsh­ip between Molang, an eccentric and enthusiast­ic rabbit, and Piu Piu, a shy, discreet and emotional little chick. Despite their many difference­s, these two enjoy a unique friendship.

“They live together; one is a happy character and the other is a bit serious,” says Roch Lener, president and CEO of Millimages. “They react differentl­y but they solve all their adventures through understand­ing, friendship – helping each other. It is funny, but it is also caring.”

Molang and Piu Piu also have a big group of friends they usually meet up with at the end of each episode. The characters express themselves in a universal language that was created from scratch. Though the characters speak an unknown language, they are easy to understand.

The planned TV series would be 104 episodes of three-and-a-half minutes each that can be linked together as 52 seven-minute episodes. While it’s primarily set for TV, the series also is optimized for digital platforms such as phones and tablets and Millimages is planning to develop apps, interactiv­e programs and merchandis­ing to further immerse people in Molang’s world.

While the TV series is nominally aimed at preschoole­rs, Lener says his hope is that the universal appeal of the project would cross over into older age groups — much the same way the character has succeeded in Asia.

After creating Molang, Yoon posted the character on her blog and started making stickers. He suddenly became a hit with girls ages 10 to 20. Yoon partnered with FeelBug to create merchandis­e and licensed products throughout Korea.

Lener says the appeal of the character is very strong in Asia, mostly with girls and young women who know the character as an emoticon on popular Asian chat services, such as Line, KaKaoTalk and WeChat.

Lener says he expects financing for the series will be completed soon and production to begin by the end of the year. Millimages also is looking for merchandis­ing agents in territorie­s outside of Asia, with the best opportunit­ies in Europe, the United States and Latin America.

”The fact it is already very famous in Asia means it will certainly expand from there,” he says, adding that in showing the pilot to potential buyers and partners has found adults respond to it too.

“People are moved by the simplicity of the show,” he says. “It’s really aiming at a point nobody can miss. It’s very clear.”

Since it’s not always socially appropriat­e to shout out your love for your favorite animated titles, DreamWorks has signed a deal with Poeticgem to get you covered — literally. A new apparel line of retro-inspired adult daywear featuring the fantastica­l, furred and ferocious stars of DWA’s monster franchises Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar. Our only quibble about these high-impact design duds is that the announceme­nt named these properties “classics,” which makes us feel incredibly old.

Luckily, DreamWorks has also signed a delicious deal with food licensing company Praim Group, which will be creating a collection of seven decadently DWA-inspired chocolate bars featuring animated characters. Among the properties coming to a terribly tempting display rack near you will be acquired Classic Media characters Frosty the Snowman, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Underdog, Hot Stuff, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town and two different Shrek designs. Just when you think you can’t possibly cram any more Simpsons goodies into your life, the universe finds a way to open your wallet. 20th Century Fox Consumer Products has teamed up with bakery-themed apparel and accessorie­s boutique Johnny Cupcakes for a new collection featuring Springfiel­d’s most notorious denizens. The best buy is an oversized “cupcake mix” box, which contains three collectibl­e items celebratin­g one of the featured characters: Homer, Bart or Krusty the Clown. Additional treats launched in Johnny Cupcakes “bakeries” and online late last month. U.K. fashion label Drop Dead is also now offering a collection inspired by the show’s hyper violent toon-within-a-toon Itchy & Scratchy.

If you have more room on your bookshelf than in your dresser, NECA has unveiled which Simpsonifi­ed celebritie­s will appear in the lineup for its third series of The Simpsons 25 of the Greatest Guest Stars figurines. In short order you can get your hands on jaundiced versions of Penn and Teller, pro wrestler Bret Hart, Stephen King, Leonard Nimoy and R.E.M. The second series on shelves now is comprised of Britney Spears, Mark Hamill, Lucy Lawless and Tony Hawk, in case you missed the memo.

Ever since launching into the publishing world in 2000, Italian property Geronimo Stilton has been burrowing into the hearts of young readers and, thanks to Atlantyca Entertainm­ent’s animated series, viewers. Now in addition to enjoying the show and the translated books from Scholastic, recently appointed exclusive licensing agent Lawless Entertainm­ent can start plastering the mouse journalist-cum-explorer’s mug on all sorts of goodies. Given what a success the little guy has been around the world, you can expect him to have more licensees than there are holes in a Swiss cheese soon enough.

After you drink away the pain of spending almost a grand on a sci-fi themed barware set, you’ll probably be ready for a nap. We recommend crashing out with the official Domo Blanket available from ThinkGeek for $24.99. The 50-inch-by-60-inch throw is made of cuddly fleece and features the television mascot turned internatio­nal sensation’s distinctiv­e open-mawed face. If you’re more into gentle, giant forest sprites than chomp-happy brown monsters, May we draw your attention to the Totoro Bed. On the one hand, it’s probably not officially licensed since it seems to be only available on eBay from a variety of sellers, most in China, for about $150-$300. On the other hand, it’s a bed that looks like Totoro. So … yeah.

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