Noddy prepares for Japan debut

Last updated at 11:43 10 January 2005


Enid Blyton's Toytown hero Noddy will hit television screens in Japan later this year, it emerged today.

Entertainment rights group Chorion said it had agreed a deal with Japanese intellectual property firm OLC/Rights Entertainment Japan to distribute its Make Way for Noddy TV series to three major Japanese television networks.

Noddy will begin appearing on Japanese satellite channels Kids Station and BS Fuji and national digital station Megaport Broadcasting in the

second half of 2005, Chorion said.

The London-based group said it had also awarded the Japanese publishing, video and licensing rights for the Noddy brand to OLC.

Chorion said the deal would enable it to offer Noddy books, toys and home entertainment products to a market of more than six million under-fives - the world's second largest toy market.

The group hailed the deal as a landmark in the global expansion of the Noddy brand.

Make Way for Noddy is the UK's most popular TV programme for three-to-five year olds and is broadcast in about 115 countries. Within the next 12 months, the series will be seen in three of the world's biggest markets - the United States, mainland China and Japan.

Chorion chief executive Nicholas James said the company's success in penetrating the three markets underlined Noddy's international appeal

and its major licensing prospects.

As well as continuing success with Noddy, Chorion owns the rights to Agatha Christie's novels and has secured a four-year ITV deal to screen Miss Marple specials.

It is also developing a new Mr Men TV series after it bought the Mr Men and Little Miss brands last year.

Mr James said the Japanese deal and the Miss Marple TV agreement, under which four new films were screened in December, concluded a very positive year for Chorion.

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