L.A.-based Wonkybot Studios is launching its next franchise, dubbed Spooky Troop.
Spooky Troop will come to life as a limited-run podcast series premiering on October 18. The finale will air on Halloween, with the debut of the first Spooky Troop book following soon after.
Stewart St John—who formed the production, music and publishing company Wonkybot Studios with Todd Fisher and Michael Plahuta—created, wrote and composed the franchise. The podcast is targeted at kids ages three to seven, and teaches lessons about friendship, leadership, diversity and the importance of getting along.
Characters include Willie the Werewolf, Zianna the Zombie, Valerie the Vampire and Michael the Monster. Like the Wonkybot-produced series The Secret Diaries of Tara Tremendous, the Spooky Troop podcast will feature original songs and a score by St John and Plahuta. The series will be hosted by narrator Wikkleson Wikkedbe.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Tara Tremendous would be adapted into an animated TV series. The series is currently in development and expected to be complete by mid-2017. The brand’s first musical album and a middle-grade book franchise launched on August 2.