Snipple creates longform animation arm

Snipple Originals’ adult toon Trippin’

Philippines-based animation studio Snipple has launched a UK-based but internationally focused division devoted to the development of longform animated content.

Snipple has secured a £6m (US$8.2m) investment from UK investor BGF ahead of Snipple Originals’ launch, providing BGF with a minority stake in the company.

Snipple is behind animated series like Where’s Waldo?, Dora & Friends: Into the City!, Animaniacs, Green Eggs & Ham, Ducktales and Be Cool Scooby Doo.

The new division will develop original IP for longform content and already has five shows in its slate, including Peeled Prawn & Shaved Sheep, a comedy-action adventure series aimed at six- to 12-year-olds.

Also on the slate is Snö, a magical adventure series for 4-7s set in the far, far north, while Cassidy’s Castle is a metaphysical mystery series for 6-12s about dreams, doors and destiny.

Concluding the slate are Wise Island Woohoos, an environmental edutainment series aimed at 3-6s, and Trippin’, an 18-plus comedy series based on a high-octane and extremely offensive US road trip.

Snipple Originals is led by producer Karina Stanford-Smith, who has been appointed animation development director. With 30 years’ experience in the industry, Stanford-Smith has worked with companies like Disney, Nickelodeon, Amazon, CBBC, CITV, Zodiak Kids, Milkshake! and The Jim Henson Company.

Vincent James, who was previously at the BBC, Nickelodeon, ITV, Children’s TV Workshop and DreamWorks, has been appointed creative director.

Amazon, Coolabi, The Jim Henson Company and Zodiak Kids alumnus Simon Godfrey joins as creative development producer.

“The Snipple Originals development team have been working together for 30 years in various guises. We have a chemistry that has allowed us to hit the ground running, now bringing a varied slate of projects to the table,” Stanford-Smith said.

Tom McDonnell, investor at BGF, said: “As a rapidly growing and highly profitable animation production business, Snipple is well placed to capitalise on significant and increasing demand for new content from the likes of Netflix, Disney and Amazon.

“Animation has proved particularly resilient to the headwinds of Covid and this represents an exciting opportunity to invest in a business competing on a world stage.”