Nelvana Limited is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment production company owned by Corus Entertainment since 2000. Founded in July 1971 by Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert, and Clive A. Smith, it was named after Nelvana of the Northern Lights, the first Canadian national superhero, who was created by Adrian Dingle. The company's production logo is a polar bear looking at Polaris, the North Star.
Barney & Friends is an American children's television series targeted at children aged two to five, created by Sheryl Leach. The series first aired on PBS on April 6, 1992, and features Barney, a purple anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus rex who conveys educational messages through songs and small dance routines with a friendly, huggable and optimistic attitude. The series ended on November 2, 2010, although new videos were still released on various dates after the last episode aired. Reruns aired on Sprout from 2005 to 2015, and from December 17, 2018 to January 25, 2020 on Sprout's successor network, Universal Kids. On October 6, 2015, the series was initially renewed for revival with a new season to premiere in 2017, but that never came to fruition. A CGI-animated series aired on Cartoon Network's Cartoonito on October 18, 2024, and streamed on Max on October 14, 2024.
Michael Hirsh (born April 7, 1948) is a Belgian-born Canadian producer, TV executive, entrepreneur, and author. He has been attributed to building from the ground up the Canadian animation industry and, more specifically, award-winning children's programming since the 1980s. He co-founded Nelvana, a Canadian based animation and entertainment studio in 1971 with partners Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith producing numerous cartoons that established Nelvana as a leader in the industry including Little Bear, Franklin, Babar, Max & Ruby, The Magic School Bus, Care Bears, The Adventures of Tintin, Inspector Gadget, Droids and Ewoks, among many, many others. After Corus Entertainment's acquisition of Nelvana, Hirsh became the CEO of Cookie Jar Group, which created numerous highly popular children's shows, among them Arthur, Johnny Test, and Strawberry Shortcake. When Cookie Jar was acquired by DHX Media Hirsh became the Executive Chairman of the company, the largest supplier of kids programming to online streaming services as well as a leader in production and licensing and merchandising for children. Three years after the acquisition by DHX Media, Hirsh left the company to serve as CEO and chairman of WOW! Unlimited Media from 2015 to December 2023.
The Berenstain Bears is a preschool children's animated educational television series based on the children's book series of the same name by Stan and Jan Berenstain, which centers on the lives of a family of anthropomorphic bears who learn a moral or safety-related lesson during the course of each episode. The series functions as a revival of the 1985–1987 cartoon series of the same name, and is co-produced by Nelvana Limited and Agogo Entertainment, produced in association with Treehouse TV (Canada) and PBS.
Franklin and Friends is an animated children's television series produced by Nelvana. The second adaptation and spin-off of the classic characters from the Franklin the Turtle series of children's books written by Paulette Bourgeois and illustrated by Brenda Clark (the first being Franklin, which was also co-produced by Nelvana Limited, the series was announced by Nelvana Limited on September 28, 2010. The series also serves as a reboot of the 1997 animated television series. The series premiered on Treehouse TV on March 4, 2011. The series’ theme song is a revamped version of the original series theme, "Hey It's Franklin".
Ranger Rob is an animated children's television series created by Alexander Bar. The series debuted on Treehouse TV in Canada on September 5, 2016. It is produced by Nelvana in Canada, and Studio Liddell in the United Kingdom. In the United States, it airs on Universal Kids and UniMás.
Esme & Roy is an animated children's television series created by Dustin Ferrer and Amy Steinberg. The series is produced by Sesame Street producer Sesame Workshop and Canada-based animation studio Nelvana, in association with Corus Entertainment.
Cartoonito is a brand name used by Warner Bros. Discovery for a collection of television networks and programming blocks aimed at preschool children. The name combines the "cartoon" with the Spanish suffix "ito", meaning "small".
Mattel Television is the television production division of American toy and entertainment company Mattel, originally founded on March 31, 2016 as the successor to Mattel's earlier entertainment division, Mattel Playground Productions, under the name Mattel Creations.
Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe, or simply Agent Binky, is a Canadian animated television series developed by Carolyn Hay and Hugh Duffy and produced by Nelvana. Loosely based on the Kids Can Press graphic novel series by Ashley Spires, the series premiered on Treehouse TV in Canada on September 7, 2019. 104 episodes were currently produced.
The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo is an American late-night talk show hosted by the Muppet character Elmo. It is a spin-off of Sesame Street and was developed exclusively for the HBO Max streaming service. The series, consisting of 13 episodes, debuted on HBO Max on May 27, 2020. The first three episodes were available at launch, after which new episodes were premiered weekly. Each episode runs for 15 minutes. In March 2021, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on September 30, 2021, when the show moved to the service's Cartoonito section. However, in August 2022, the series was removed from HBO Max. The series aired on PBS Kids from February 10, 2023, to May 10, 2024.
Little Ellen is an American preschool animated television series produced by Ellen Digital Ventures and Warner Bros. Animation, with animation produced by Lighthouse Studios. This is the first Warner Bros. Animation produced series created for Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming service HBO Max under the Cartoonito brand and it is also the first preschoolers-focused series which is not from a popular franchise produced by Warner Bros. Animation since Firehouse Tales.
Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go is an American animated comedy children's television series created by Britt Allcroft and developed by Rick Suvalle that premiered on Cartoon Network's Cartoonito block in the United States on September 13, 2021, and on Treehouse in Canada on September 18, 2021. It is produced by Mattel Television and animated by Nelvana.
Cartoonito is a programming block that airs on weekday mornings. It premiered on September 13, 2021, on Cartoon Network, and a dedicated section on the streaming service Max. Cartoonito targets a preschool audience around 2 to 6 years old. Cartoonito marks the first dedicated preschool block on Cartoon Network in over fifteen years.
Barney is an American media franchise targeted at children aged 2–6. Centering around the titular character Barney, a purple anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus rex who conveys educational messages through songs and small dance routines with a friendly, huggable and optimistic attitude, the franchise consists of three series: Barney & the Backyard Gang (1988—1991), a direct-to-video series consisting of only eight episodes; Barney & Friends (1992—2010), a television series that ran on PBS Kids; and Barney's World (2024–present), a fully computer-animated series set to air on Cartoon Network's Cartoonito, and which is currently streaming on Max. The franchise is currently distributed by 9 Story Media Group, under license from Mattel Television.
