Moonbug shutters ‘Oddbods’ firm One Animation, partners with Crayola & Sesame Street

Oddbods (Source: One Animation)

UK-based Moonbug Entertainment has shuttered One Animation, the Singapore studio behind children’s animation Oddbods, less than two years after its acquisition, TBI has confirmed.

Candle Media-backed Moonbug is to keep its Singapore office open, led by Yasmin Zahid, head of APAC distribution and brand partnerships.

Zahid will look to expand One Animation brands such as Oddbods, which launches its fourth season this month, and its spin-off Minibods.

Sashim Parmanand

Moonbug told TBI that Zahid would “lead and expand the team in the region ensuring Moonbug’s future growth and expansion across APAC.”

The shuttering of One Animation saw some of the animation team made redundant several weeks ago, according to Kidscreen, but Moonbug declined to comment to TBI on the number of staff affected.

It is also unclear whether One Animation CEO Sashim Parmanand is still at the company.

The Singapore office will now focus on pre- and post-production and to outsource the rest of its animation work to third parties.

A large portion of the work being done at One Animation was third-party animation services for other media companies, which have now been completed, and were not Moonbug business.

A Moonbug spokesperson told TBI: “When Moonbug acquired One Animation in 2022, it not only acquired an incredible premium kids’ franchise in Oddbods, but also an incredible Singapore-based leadership team and production studio.

“At that time, the production capabilities not only supported Oddbods, but also provided third-party animation services for other media companies.

“As was always the plan, in order to focus resources entirely on Moonbug’s owned franchises, we have scaled back the studio operations and wound down third-party services.

“Consistent with the majority of Moonbug’s production pipeline, most animation is now being outsourced. We are immensely grateful for the valuable contributions from the team and the APAC region will remain a key market and priority for us in 2024.”

Moonbug added: “Oddbods and Minibods remain important IPs for Moonbug and a key part of our portfolio. Oddbods and Minibods both continue to grow rapidly in Asia as well as globally and we are looking forward to launching the new season 4 of Oddbods this month.”

One Animation, led by Parmanand, was founded in 2008 and is also behind shows including Antiks, Insectibles and Rob The Robot.

Moonbug acquired the company in 2022 with plans to expand Oddbods’ global distribution reach and grow the brand into new formats, products and experiences. Its team joined Moonbug, but remained in Singapore to continue developing and producing their own slate of shows.

At the time, Moonbug CEO Rene Rechtman said that: “One Animation’s creative storytelling and international appeal provide us with even stronger credentials as we continue on our journey to be the leading digital-first kids’ entertainment company in the world.”

Crayola Crew (Source: Crayola Studios)

Crayola & ‘Sesame Street’ partnerships

In related news, Moonbug has partnered with Crayola Studios to produce Crayola Crew, a 2D & 3D CGI animated series that follows friends Bria and Rafa as they embark on whimsical adventures with a cast of diverse crayon characters in the Colorverse, a world where “anything is possible with a little imagination.”

“Crayola is a trailblazer in the children’s space,” said Dan’l Hewitt, Moonbug Entertainment’s VP of brand partnerships. “Moonbug is thrilled to partner with Crayola to bring children’s imagination to life through these new upcoming digital series.”

Moonbug has also teamed with Sesame Workshop for a crossover between its Blippi franchise and the iconic Sesame Street brand.

Sesame Street characters Big Bird, Elmo and Abby, along with Herb the Dinosaur, will feature in ‘Blippi-verse’ episodes and music videos heading to the Blippi and Sesame Street YouTube channels tomorrow, 3 February.

“We’re beyond excited to work with Sesame Street to bring some of their beloved characters into the curious and adventurous world of Blippi,” said Katelynn Heil, GM of Blippi.

“I grew up watching Sesame Street and introduced my own kids to it as well, so it is a bit surreal to partner with such an iconic brand. As we celebrate 10 years of Blippi, this partnership is a great example of our joint mission of educating children through song, dance and play.”