RTVE to air Bumpy the Bear 

Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE has picked up free-to-air TV rights, and YouTube catch-up rights, for Canary Islands-based studio Krakatoa and Argentina’s Spiritum Entertainment’s Bumpy the Bear. Production has started on the 52 x two-minute musical preschool series about animals who learn new things at school. The first 13 episodes are set to be delivered in April, with full delivery in October.

Bejuba! adds a festival darling to its catalogue 

Canadian distributor Bejuba! Entertainment has acquired global rights to a 2D-animated sci-fi series called The Cloaked Realm (10 x 26 minutes) from indie producers Marisa Cohen and Peter Isaac Alexander. This completed anthology of sci-fi stories in the public domain explores topics like aliens, AI and space exploration. It’s aimed at both kids and adults, says Bejuba! president Tatiana Kober. Something of a festival darling,The Cloaked Realm has picked up more than 100 awards on the circuit. It stood out to Kober because it’s smart, has a unique style and a good twist at the end: “I love sci-fi, and it’s rare to find a series that’s completely self-financed and a labor of love.”

Licensing partners check into Bubble’s Hotel 

Epic Story Toys has signed deals with licensing agents Partners Plus (Greece), MBC (MENA) and BOING (Italy) for its proprietary IP Bubble’s Hotel (52 x 11 minutes). Their mission will be to start building toy-led consumer products programs for the preschool series that will coincide with its Q3 TV rollout in their respective regions. In other news, Epic Story Toys—whose sister company Epic Story Media manages global sales for digital-first preschool series Silly Crocodile—is developing a line of toys for it.

Horizon Group USA looks beyond America 

DIY/arts & crafts manufacturer Horizon Group USA has locked in new distributors including Jazwares (Germany, Switzerland and Austria), Maki (Nordics) and First Kid Group (the Middle East) to expand the reach of its products internationally. The company has licensing deals in place for Play-Doh, Bluey and Star Wars.

Zuru positions for UK growth 

Building out its British distribution network, the Hong Kong-based toyco has signed a deal with importer KandyToys to bring IPs Zuru has rights to (such as Spin Master’s Fuggler brand) into the country. And just last month, Zuru opened an office in the UK.