Canadian broadcaster TVOKids has signed on to support the development of Mik Believe Entertainment’s 2D-animated series Squish and Squash Save the Universe, which explores environmental science with an optimistic tone.

This preschool comedy for four- to seven-year-olds is about two first-responders battling eco-disasters across the galaxy. It’s expected to be delivered in 2027.

The 39 x seven-minute series is an adaptation of a same-name comic book series by Niall O’Rourke and Mike Hartigan that Keenspot Entertainment first published in 2024. Keenspot has since signed a deal with Simon & Schuster to release a collection in bookstores later this year.

Mik Believe’s Miklos Perlus (Caillou, CoComelon) encountered the comics and was struck by their sci-fi story, strong cartoon-style art and light-hearted tone. He got in touch with the creators to start working on turning the IP into a TV series. And with platforms swamped with pitches, he made sure the project would stand out by focusing on the environmental aspect of the comics.

It’s a topic that’s relevant to classroom lessons in Ontario, Canada (TVOKids shows have to connect to regional school curriculum), but also sure to resonate with kids around the world—and this show will combat the doom and gloom kids hear about climate change in the newscycle with a bit of hope, says Perlus.

In each episode, cat-and-elephant heroes Squish and Squash travel to different planets, which are basically stand-ins for real-world ecosystems. They help out before, during and after various natural disasters by using real-life solutions. In one of the pilot episodes, for example, they head to an all-tree planet and face a forest fire that’s doing a lot of damage. Squish and Squash build a moat and then start a controlled burn to get rid of the fire’s fuel.

The series’ graphic novel look and optimistic tone drew TVOKids to the project, says Kirsten Hurd, commissioning editor at TVOKids.

“Environmental awareness is really important,” Perlus says. “But now we have to add how to be resilient in the face of change, and how to tell kids who have a lot of climate anxiety right now that they’re not helpless—that by working together in their communities, with their classes and with their friends and families, they can face this challenge.”

He’s still got a ways to go with the project, and is just wrapping up the first phase of development now. There’s a bible, two seven-minute pilot scripts, a budget (roughly US$300,000 per half hour) and a financing plan available, and Perlus is looking for international co-producers, animation studios, distributors and presales next. He’ll be heading to Kidscreen Summit (where TVOKids discovered the series) in hopes of shoring up these partnerships.

TVOKids says the series fills a few different gaps in its lineup, including an aesthetic one as its stretch-and-squash 2D-animated style doesn’t look like any other programming the pubcaster currently has on air. Kirsten Hurd tells Kidscreen: “Education is always at the heart of what we do, but we are really looking for series that are funny and entertainment-focused. Everybody comes to us when they have some sort of big-E educational [series], but for us, it’s all about getting people into the channel and seeing all the great stuff we have. And so [a show] that’s really fun and [visually] bouncy and squishy—that will be something that feels different.”