Contender depicts modern preschool life in Humf

Paying homage to the fact that not all family dwellings fall into the house-with-a-white-picket-fence category, London, England-based Contender Entertainment Group’s newest preschool toon Humf stars a young monster who lives in a downtown apartment complex and explores a decidedly urban landscape to learn about his place in the world.

A co-pro with U.K. indie studio King Rollo Films, this 39 x seven-minute show centers around the daily discoveries of its furry, purple namesake star, who ponders curiosities such as why his tricycle only moves when it’s going downhill, and where the moon goes when he’s inside. His friends and his parents offer suggestions to help Humf find the answers, but by the end of each episode, he figures everything out on his own through experimentation and logical deduction.

While Contender’s sales team works hard to lock in presales for a 2007 launch, head of production Laura Campbell and Humf creator Andrew Brenner (who has written episodes of The Cramp Twins and Tractor Tom) are currently in the process of hammering out story ideas in order to be ready to formally unveil this US$2.3-million, 2-D animated series at MIPCOM.

MGA’s Bratz dolls migrate from toy shelves to TV screens

With music CDs, video games, home décor, fashion apparel and home vids under their oh-so-trendy belts, MGA Entertainment’s Bratz dolls are getting ready to cross over into yet another entertainment domain. Set for delivery in September, a new CGI TV show follows along as the girls start up Bratz Magazine. But Burdine Maxwell, editor-in-chief at rival mag Your Thing, doesn’t welcome the competition and tries everything she can think of to tank the girls’ teen title.

In one slumber party episode, the Bratz girls are freaked out when they think a burglar is trying to break into the house. But it turns out to be Your Thing’s obnoxious student interns Kirstee and Kaycee (a.k.a. The Tweevils), who caught wind of the PJ party and saw a prime opportunity to spy on their rivals and steal magazine ideas.

MGA is handling all domestic and international sales for the 26 x half-hour series, and L.A’s Mike Young Productions is overseeing CGI animation work that’s been contracted to India’s Crest Animation. The project budget is set at roughly US$400,000 per ep, and don’t be surprised if you see an actual Bratz magazine hit U.S. newsstands soon. (In fact, there’s already one out in the U.K.!)