BBC Worldwide has appointed Jasnor as master toy licensee for its new preschool show Hey Duggee in Australia and New Zealand.

The 52-episode series, which currently airs on CBeebies and is bound for ABC Kids in September, follows a big, lovable dog named Duggee who runs a Squirrel Club where members take part in activities and adventures to earn badges.

Jasnor will start distributing Duggee and Squirrel Club (octopus, crocodile, mouse, hippo, rhino) products this Christmas, including a line of talking soft toys featuring key phrases from the series. The master plan is to follow up this initial toy launch next year with a range of collectible badges like the ones the squirrels earn in the show. And Jasnor will continue to work closely with Golden Bear, Hey Duggee’s master toy partner in the UK.

Meanwhile, publishing partner Penguin Random House will launch two books –  The Best Scarecrow Ever and the Squirrel Club Sticker Activity Book – in August, and there are also plans in the works for Hey Duggee DVDs.

Since launching in January, Hey Duggee has quickly become a global hit. In February, BBC Worldwide locked up broadcast deals in several European countries, and Japanese and South Korean broadcasters recently picked up the series as part of packaged CBeebies programming blocks.