• Irish animation studio Lazy Sunday has teamed up with Mediawan Kids & Family to produce a new 2D-animated preschool series called Little Charlie (pictured, 26 x seven minutes). This co-pro from partners in Germany (Filmproduktion), the Netherlands (Submarine) and Italy (Palomar) is about a young rabbit learning new things with his friends and family. Two completed episodes will be ready to show at MIPCOM, and production on the full season should wrap in 2026. ZDF, RAI, Ketnet and RTL’s Videoland are already on board as broadcasters, and Mediawan is handling worldwide sales.

Lazy Sunday, which launched in early 2024, is also working on MANGA Girls;  Occupation Witch, a Cartoon Forum 2024 pitch that’s now in pre-production; and Beep Boop, which it’s co-producing with Toikido.

• Thunderbird Distribution, Thunderbird Brands and Japanese lifestyle brand tokidoki have signed several new licensing deals for animated series Mermicorno: Starfall. Partners joining the program are Ashtel (personal care), BBC International (footwear), Franco (bedding and bath) and Komar (sleepwear), which will roll out products over the next year. Publisher Abrams, which has already released several Mermicorno books, is also releasing new book titles in October. Produced by Thunderbird’s Atomic Cartoons, Mermicorno: Starfall is inspired by tokidoki’s mermaid/unicorn hybrid characters that team up to save the ocean from evil. 

• The KPop Demon Hunters deals keep pouring in. South Korean convenience store chain GS25 will sell a line of ready-to-eat licensed meals and desserts in its stores starting on September 17, featuring referential names like Soda Pop and one of 42 collectible stickers. 

• Reebok and Paramount Consumer Products have hit their stride with a collection of Dora the Explorer footwear launching globally in Reebok stores on September 17. The products will be available in preschool and toddler sizes, featuring the CG-animated look of the new Dora series.