Discovery Kids LatAm has scooped up Italian prodco Rainbow’s animated preschool series 44 Cats. The 52 x 11-minute CGI series will premiere across the region in 2019.

In addition to picking up the show, Discovery Kids also grabbed exclusive licensing and merchandising rights for the region, excluding master toy. Alongside a yet-to-be-named master toy licensee, it will be creating retail program executions throughout LatAm.

Following the adventures of four kittens who make up a musical group called The Buffycats, the series focuses on themes of friendship, altruism, tolerance and diversity. It is produced in collaboration with Antoniano Bologna, and is the first project Rainbow is working on with Canadian animation service company Bardel, which it acquired in 2015.

The show’s title was inspired by the famous Italian song “44 Gatti”, which won the international children’s song festival Zecchino d’Oro in 1968 and became one of the most popular children’s songs in the country.

It was picked up earlier this year by Germany’s Super RTL for a 2019 launch.