Three shows from ACTF and Screen Australia Kids IP Incubator to launch on YouTube

From top: Worm Diner, Pit Pats and Magic Monkey Mayhem

Three original Australian children’s series from the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF) and Screen Australia’s Kids IP Incubator are set to be released on YouTube.

The Kids IP Incubator is an initiative to develop Australian children’s IP for digital platforms.

Eight teams took part in the incubator last year, receiving expert guidance and advice through in-person workshops and online masterclasses while developing their projects.

After pitching to a panel of ACTF and Screen Australia representatives, plus UK-based digital content strategist Nico Lockhart, three projects were selected to receive production funding. Those three projects will launch their YouTube channels, under the Made for Kids banner, in the coming weeks.

The first project is Worm Diner, from Victoria-based team Strange Mage, produced by Monique Mulcahy (Aunty Donna) and written and directed by emerging creatives Caitlyn Staples (independent feature film Squids) and Millie Holten (web series Long Head).

Worm Diner is a kids’ narrative comedy show aimed at 7-11s and set in a quirky family diner at the edge of the multiverse. Inside, the distantly related Worm family serve weird and wonderful characters from across the cosmos. It will launch on YouTube this June.

Also from a team based in Victoria is Pit Pats, a gentle preschool show mixing stop-motion, live action, puppetry and hand-drawn animation, with a focus on mindfulness, movement and music.

The Pit Pats team is led by writer, director and producer Darcy Prendergast and writer-director Josie Mackerras on her first screen project. The series will launch on YouTube in early August.

Finally, Magic Monkey Mayhem comes from Queensland-based Little Tiger Films and is led by writer, director and producer Nicholas Lin (Bluey) and producer Stefan Wernik (The Jellies).

The plot centres on the Monkey King and his little brother, who relocate to modern Brisbane where they must navigate Aussie culture, magical monkey mishaps and the eternal struggle of two multicultural misfits just trying to fit in. Blending live action with animation, the series, due to launch on YouTube in June, is aimed at 8-12s.

ACTF CEO Jenny Buckland said: “The Kids IP Incubator was a joyful project where learning and creativity collided for all the participants and for us as well. These three projects are highly original and made with great respect for the children’s audience. We’re looking forward to their launch on YouTube.”

Screen Australia’s director of narrative content, Louise Gough, added: “The landscape for children’s content is evolving quickly, and Kids IP Incubator plays a critical role in empowering creators to innovate and meet our littlest audiences and their families wherever they watch and engage.

“Worm Diner, Pit Pats and Magic Monkey Mayhem are bold, imaginative projects – it’s exciting to see them readying to meet audience and captivate young hearts and minds both in Australia and beyond.”