Finnish kids content creator Gigglebug Entertainment has just inked with YLE and Switzerland’s SRF a deal for Season 2 of Gigglebug (52x5’) and a contract with Sony Music.

The two broadcasters were already involved in the first 26 episodes of the series, but this new order is the biggest ever for a Finnish pre-school animated show since the Moomins in the 1990s. 

Co-created by Gigglebug Entertainment co-founders Anttu Harlin and Joonas Utti, the Gigglebug stories feature the forest creature Gigglebug and its friends. The character has the unique talent of making people laugh and feel happy. The series’ goal is to show how humour and positive thinking can help you overcome everyday problems. Originally developed as a cross media project consisting of a TV series, an app and a book.

Gigglebug received funding from Nordisk Film & TV Fond’s former HighFive Cross Media Content For Kids 2012-13 initiative.

The first TV series was pre-sold by German distributor WDR to 13 territories including SVT, DR and RUV and is set to air on YLE in August and on Swiss SRF in October 2016. Sony Music will release a first single that will coincide with the Finnish TV premiere this summer.

Season two budgeted at €1.7M was co-financed by the Finnish private equity media fund IPR.VC and Germany’s WDR. Production starts this month and will be split between Gigglebug Entertainment’s studios in Helsinki and Mikkeli. “We’re planning to work on it for the next 15 months and hope to hire an extra five animators to bring our team to 20 people, told Harlin to nordicfilmandtvnews.com.

Meanwhile, the three Gigglebug App games continue to score with kids aged 2-7 around the world and have had nearly one million downloads.

A second Gigglebug book was printed a few weeks ago in Finland by Otava and another two books will follow. “The fourth book will be more detailed and Joonas and I will likely use it to develop a screenplay for a feature film,” said Harlin. “Looking back at what we’ve achieved, Joonas and I often think of the High Five Cross-Media Content for Kids workshop at Gilleleje, Denmark in 2012. That workshop made a big difference for us, making us realise that we had something very special. Sometimes, there is a moment when you feel a project clicks with people, and for us, something clicked in Gilleleje!”