"Puffin Rock" is a all-new pre-school animated TV show for 2–5-year-old's narrated by Irish actor Chris O'Dowd ("Bridesmaids", "Moone Boy", "The IT Crowd"). Set on a beautiful island off the coast of Ireland, nature and wildlife are central to the stories and visual style of the show, giving it a unique look and feel. The main characters are Oona and Baba, a cute sister and brother Puffling pair, whose daily adventures encourage learning and reflect pre-school challenges. They have a close group of friends who all help them in and out of trouble on a daily basis. Friendship and family relationships are core to "Puffin Rock".
"Puffin Rock" is co-produced by the Oscar nominated Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, Northern Irish children's media company Dog Ears, and global publisher Penguin.
Following the shows debut, a range of "Puffin Rock" books published by Penguin in 2016. A second series of "Puffin Rock" is already in production.
As narrator, Chris O'Dowd mixes amusing observations with interesting facts about the wildlife on the island. O'Dowd is excited about his first foray into children's TV: "I love the whole idea behind Puffin Rock and the style of the artwork. I can't wait to be involved in it, but then I do love anything with Puffins."
To celebrate Nick Jr. UK starting to show "Puffin Rock" from May 2015, Nick Jr. UK's official website, nickjr.co.uk, has launched the channels official "Puffin Rock" show webpage, which features information about the show, character information for Oona and Baba and their parents, Mama and Papa, Mossy the Pygmy Shrew, May the Rabbit, Silky the Seal-Pup, Otto the Owl and his little sister, Pip, and little brother, Pop - as well as exclusive online streaming clips and fun creative activities.
Commenting on Nick Jr. UK acquiring the broadcast rights to "Puffin Rock" in 2013, Tim Patterson, VP, Director of Programming – Nickelodeon UK, said: "Puffin Rock with its beautiful art style and charming storytelling is a perfect complement to the Nick Jr. schedule. It is a rich, gorgeous show and I am sure kids and their parents will be drawn into the programme’s beguiling world, but then I do love anything with rocks."
Pauline Macnamara, Executive Producer, Animation & Independent Commissioning RTÉ Young Peoples Programmes said: "Puffin Rock is a perfect fit for our new pre-school channel RTÉjr. We're delighted to be bringing stories of Irish coastal wildlife and environment to young Irish children through the world of Pip, Baba and friends. We're also excited about the creative talents Dog Ears and Cartoon Saloon have drawn together for this project. It bodes well for a very magical series which will capture the imaginations of children everywhere."
Francesca Dow, Managing Director, Penguin Children's Division said: "Penguin Children's are excited to be bringing our experience of developing classic brands to creating and investing in brand new IP. At Penguin we are experts at storytelling and we love the story and the look and the feel of the characters in Puffin Rock. Of course, the fact that the show is all about baby Puffins also made this an even more appealing project for us. We are thrilled to be working with Chris O'Dowd and to have Nick Jr. UK and RTÉ jr on board as broadcasters."
Paul Young said: "RTÉjr and Nick Jr. are the perfect broadcasting partners for Puffin Rock, so we are delighted to add Pauline Macnamara, Tim Patterson and their teams to our production. Cartoon Saloon has worked with Chris O'Dowd on his show Moone Boy, so we’re very excited to be able to bring his unique sense of humour and charming voice to Puffin Rock."
Watch a sneak peek of Nick Junior's brand-new animated preschool series in the fantastic video clip below!:
Puffin Rock from Puffin Rock on Vimeo.
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