ITV has picked up broadcast rights to Finnish animation studio Ferly’s Momolu and Friends in the UK. The 2D-animated comedy for preschoolers will launch on free-to-air linear channel ITVBe in spring 2022.

Ferly is co-producing the 78 x seven-minute series with Canada’s Yellow Animation, Belgium’s Digital Graphics and Atmosphere Media in Germany. Created by artist Leena Frediksson, Momolu and Friends follows a panda and his friends as they use art to solve problems they encounter.

Finland’s YLE first picked up the show in November 2020, along with Canadian broadcasters TVO Kids, SRC and Knowledge.

Momolu and Friends builds on a YouTube series called Momolu Minis, in which the panda and his friends sing, dance and play games. The shorts, which launched in 2018 in partnership with UK distributor CAKE, feature nursery rhymes and early-learning videos for preschoolers. Momolu also has a mobile app and a series of audiobooks out in the market.