Seeking to become more involved in the programming that packs its daily preschool lineup, France’s new tot net TiJi has expanded its activities to include co-productions. Spun out of kidnet Canal J in December, TiJi has taken over co-pro work on two series previously on its parent net’s slate: Mona the Vampire and The Longhouse Tales. TiJi will be the exclusive French caster for the fourth season of Mona, a 13 x 26-minute toon in co-production with Paris-based Alphanim, Canada’s Cinar and Hong Kong-based Animation Services. Budgeted at US$3.5 million, the new run of the series about a little girl who thinks she’s a vampire will air on TiJi in September 2002.

The channel will also work on a 26 x 26-minute puppet series called The Longhouse Tales with French prodco Tele Images and Gullane Entertainment. The US$4.7-million series, in which puppets act out narrated stories adapted from Native-American legends, will premiere on TiJi in winter 2001.

The channel has also signed a bunch of new acquisitions, including a window deal with Canal+ for Teletubbies. After one run on Canal+, the ubiquitous preschool show will air on TiJi starting this September.

For its part, Canal J, whose acquisitions strategy is honed in on dramas and sitcoms for the seven to 12 demo, has just picked up Nick’s Kenan & Kel, a 39 x 26-minute sitcom that will join the sked in the fall.