Corus Entertainment-owned Kids Can Press, Nelvana Studio and Treehouse are joining forces to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the preschool character Franklin.

A special edition re-release of Franklin in the Dark is now available in Canadian stores. The 25th anniversary edition of the book offers archival material, including an excerpt of the first manuscript and a selection of original sketches. The anniversary will also be marked by the re-release of 12 classic Franklin stories.

The Treehouse premiere of the new CGI-animated series Franklin and Friends will also hit the small screen on March 4. The Canadian original production will be accompanied by an online component, housed on http://franklin.treehousetv.com, where fans can partake in games, activities and submit their own artwork.

Nelvana Enterprises has also secured sales of the series to TF1 in France, Minimax in Eastern Europe, YLE TV2 in Finland, NRK in Norway, TVN in Poland, Discovery Channel in Latin America, Spacetoon in Indonesia, among others. Licensing opportunities are also available through Nelvana Enterprises.