Ragdoll Productions

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Ragdoll Productions Limited
FormerlyRagdoll Productions (U.K.) Limited (1985-2000)
Ragdoll Video Limited (1991–2000) [1] [2]
Ragdoll Limited (2000-2013) [3]
Company type Private
IndustryTelevision production
Founded26 July 1984;39 years ago (1984-07-26)
Founder Anne Wood
Headquarters
Shenington, Oxfordshire
,
England
Key people
Christopher Wood
OwnerWood family (majority of back catalogue owned by WildBrain and other companies)
Subsidiaries The Ragdoll Foundation
Website ragdoll.co.uk
Footnotes /references
[1]

The evolution of WildBrain
WildBrain logo.svg
1968 FilmFair is founded
1971DIC Audiovisuel is founded
1972Strawberry Shortcake is founded
1974CPLG is founded
1976CINAR and Colossal Pictures are founded
1982DIC Enterprises is founded
1984 Ragdoll Productions is founded
1987DIC Audiovisuel closes
1988 Studio B Productions is founded
1992 Epitome Pictures is founded
1993DIC Enterprises becomes DIC Entertainment
1994 Wild Brain is founded‚ and Red Rover Studios is founded
1995Platinum Disc Corporation is founded
1996CINAR buys FilmFair's library
1997 Decode Entertainment is founded
1999Wild Brain acquires Colossal Pictures' employee base
2002 Nerd Corps Entertainment is founded
2004Halifax Film Company is founded, CINAR rebrands as Cookie Jar Group
2005Platinum Disc Corporation merge as Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
2006Decode and Halifax Film merge as DHX Media, DIC acquires CPLG, and Ragdoll Worldwide is formed with BBC Worldwide
2007DHX Media buys Studio B Productions and Wild Brain becomes Wildbrain Entertainment
2008Cookie Jar Group absorbs DIC and House of Cool absorbs Red Rover Studios
2010DHX Media buys Wildbrain Entertainment‚ and Peanuts Worldwide is founded
2011Decode Entertainment‚ and Red Rover Studios closes
2012DHX Media buys Cookie Jar Group
2013DHX Media buys Ragdoll Worldwide
2014DHX Media buys Epitome Pictures, Nerd Corps and Echo Bridge Home Entertainment, and Cookie Jar Group is absorbed
2016The WildBrain multi-channel network launches and Studio B and Nerd Corps merge as DHX Studios
2017Wildbrain Entertainment closes and DHX Media buys Peanuts Worldwide and Strawberry Shortcake
2018Halifax Film becomes Island of Misfits
2019DHX Media rebrands as WildBrain, Epitome Pictures closes, and the WildBrain MCN becomes WildBrain Spark
2020CPLG becomes WildBrain CPLG
2023WildBrain acquires House of Cool

Ragdoll Productions Limited, or simply Ragdoll, is a British television production company founded in 1984 by Anne Wood, who had previously worked for Yorkshire Television and TV-am. It is located in Shenington, Oxfordshire, and has produced a number of children's programmes, most notably Pob's Programme , Teletubbies , Rosie and Jim , Brum , Boohbah , Tots TV , and In the Night Garden..., most of which are now owned by WildBrain.

Contents

History

Ragdoll Productions was founded on 26 July 1984 by Anne Wood, who produced shows for the ITV network. It was incorporated as Ragdoll Productions (U.K.) Limited in April 1985 and was originally based in Birmingham. [4] The company's first show, Pob's Programme , premiered on Channel 4 later that year. The company was later commissioned by Central Independent Television to produce Playbox , which demonstrated the ability for the company to produce their own characters. In 1989, The Magic Mirror and BOOM! marked the company's debut in the animation and live-action markets. [5] The company at first produced puppet-based programmes, and their mascot was originally a female rag doll that was based on one that belonged to Wood's daughter.

In 1992, the company moved their operations to Stratford-upon-Avon and opened up The Ragdoll Shop.

In the mid-1990s, Ragdoll expanded operations to the United States, and signed a deal with The Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Company to sell their programmes in the market.

In 2000, Ragdoll dropped their rag doll mascot for a more simplistic logo designed by Lambie-Nairn, with the company also adopting a new name of Ragdoll Limited by that point. During that time, the company started to move away from puppet-based shows (which started with Teletubbies in 1997), by making animated cartoons. Ragdoll still produced live-action shows, but would use costumes and animatronics instead of puppets.

In October 2001, Ragdoll parted ways with Itsy Bitsy following a failure to reach an agreement with the company's majority owner, the Handleman Group. Ragdoll then started to sell their programmes on their own from then-on, forming Ragdoll USA. [6]

In January 2002, Teletubbies: Everywhere , a spin-off of Teletubbies , was announced to air on CBeebies within its launch window. [7] On 14 June, a new series titled Boohbah was announced and was pre-sold to CITV and GMTV for a 2003 delivery. [8] The show later saw an international roll-out.

At MIPTV 2005, Ragdoll announced a new series titled Blurrfect and that CITV had acquired broadcasting rights for an autumn 2005 delivery. [9] By September 2005, the series was renamed Blips , and soon premiered on 29 September 2005 as part of the CITV's autumn schedule. [10] [11] On 13 October, Ragdoll unrevealed two new series that were pre-sold to the BBC: In the Night Garden... and Tronji , for a 2007 delivery. [12] In October 2005, Ragdoll subsidiary The Ragdoll Foundation announced that Five's Milkshake! block had commissioned a series of six short films titled What Makes Me Happy?, which would air daily from 19 December. [13]

In September 2006, Ragdoll formed a joint venture with BBC Worldwide called Ragdoll Worldwide, to sell and license the company's programmes outside of the UK and North America. In the Night Garden... and Tronji would be the first two programmes created as part of the venture, while existing programmes were handled by BBC Worldwide, which managed the international broadcast sales and the UK and international licensing of all Ragdoll properties (including Blips, Boohbah, Brum , Tots TV , Rosie and Jim , and Open a Door), with Ragdoll retaining all British broadcast rights. A new subsidiary, Ragdoll USA Inc., part of the new joint venture, would manage Ragdoll's distribution in North America. [14]

In January 2013, Ragdoll opted to end their agreement with BBC Worldwide and put up Ragdoll Worldwide for sale. [15] On 16 September, Canadian studio DHX Media (now as "WildBrain") purchased the venture from both companies for £17.4 million (or USD$24 million) [16] The deal included the rights to most of Ragdoll's programming, but with the exceptions of Pob's Programme and Playbox , the latter of which was acquired by ITV Studios. The company also changed to its current name of Ragdoll Productions Limited, with "Productions" added back to the name after 13 years.

In 2015, Ragdoll produced the live-action/stop-motion series Twirlywoos with DHX, making it the first and only co-production between the companies.

In 2018, the company co-produced a short film with Disney UK for the Hope Works initiative, titled What Shall We Do With The Angry Monster?. [17]

In 2021, Ragdoll formed a deal with British distribution company Cake Entertainment for them to distribute their new series, B.O.T. and the Beasties, for CBeebies . On 29 March, the company was relocated to Shenington, with Anne Wood retiring from the company on 14 December, and leaving her son Christopher as director of the studio.

Pre-Ragdoll productions

The following are some of productions made by Anne Wood before Ragdoll was founded, accompanied by a brief description and vital statistics:

Productions

Ragdoll's programmes produced between 1990 and 2017 (excluding Pob's Programme, BOOM! and Storytime ) are currently owned by WildBrain (formerly known as DHX Media).

Ragdoll Productions

TitleYear(s)NetworkNotes/Sources
Pob's Programme 1985–1990 Channel 4 Currently distributed by Channel 4 Distribution
Playbox 1987–1992 ITV (Central)Currently owned by ITV Studios
The Magic Mirror1989 ITV Co-production for The Kellogg Company
Ragdoll's first animated production
BOOM!1990–1991 Channel 4 Ragdoll's first non-puppet live-action production
Currently distributed by Channel 4 Distribution
Rosie and Jim 1990-2000 ITV (Central)
Brum 1991, 1994
2001–2002		 BBC One (Children's BBC/CBBC)
CBeebies
Tots TV 1993–1998 ITV (Central)Co-produced with Carlton Television in later seasons
Rights co-owned with ITV Studios
Open a Door1994–2003 BBC Two (Children's BBC/CBBC)
CBeebies 		An international short film series co-produced with other companies.
Storytime 1995–1997 BBC Two Series 5-6 only
Teletubbies 1997–2001 BBC Two (Children's BBC/CBBC)Original series, revivals/reboots are produced by DHX Media.
Badjelly the Witch 2000 BBC One Television special/movie
Co-produced with Norma Farnes Management
Teletubbies Everywhere 2002 CBeebies Short form series
Boohbah 2003–2006 ITV (CITV and GMTV)Co-produced with GMTV
Blips 2005–2006 ITV (CITV)
What Makes Me Happy2005 Five (Milkshake!)Co-produced with The Ragdoll Foundation
Series of six short films
Twirlywoos2015–2017 CBeebies Co-produced with DHX Media
What Shall We Do With The Angry Monster?2018 YouTube Short film
Co-produced for Disney UK
B.O.T. and the Beasties2021-present CBeebies Short form series
Distributed by Cake Entertainment

Ragdoll Worldwide

TitleYear(s)NetworkNotes/Sources
In the Night Garden... 2007–2009 CBeebies
Tronji 2009–2010 CBBC
Dipdap 2011 CBeebies Short form series
The Adventures of Abney & Teal 2011–2012 CBeebies

The Ragdoll Shop

The Ragdoll Shop in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire was a store that consisted of themed play areas based on Ragdoll properties and an area where merchandise was sold. The store first opened in 1992, and traded until 2005, because of expansion limits and failure to find a new larger venue. [18]

The building that formerly housed the shop is now a optometrist's practice named Dr. CP Grey's. The picture of Rosie and Jim waving can still be seen in the black window at the top of the building.

Related Research Articles

<i>Teletubbies</i> British childrens television series

Teletubbies is a British children's television series created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport for the BBC. The programme focuses on four differently coloured characters known as the Teletubbies, named after the television screens on their bellies. Recognised throughout popular culture for the uniquely shaped antenna protruding from the head of each character, the Teletubbies communicate through gibberish and were designed to bear resemblance to toddlers.

<i>Boohbah</i> British childrens television show

Boohbah is a British preschool television series created by Anne Wood and produced by Wood's company, Ragdoll Productions, in association with GMTV. It originally premiered on ITV on 14 April 2003. The series was later broadcast on Nick Jr. UK beginning on 2 April 2005.

Tots TV is a British children's television programme, produced by Ragdoll Productions and Central. The series was first telecast in the UK on the ITV network from 1993 to 1998.

Pob's Programme is a children's television programme which was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel 4. The programme is presented by a puppet named Pob, who speaks with a speech impediment and who supposedly lives inside the viewer's TV. Music was composed and performed by Mike Stanley. The opening titles of the show consist of the character breathing on the camera lens, and tracing his name in the condensation. Each week on the programme, a celebrity guest visits Pob's garden, and entertains him — though Pob and the guest never appear on screen together.

Anne Wood, CBE is an English children's television producer, responsible for creating shows such as Teletubbies with Andrew Davenport. She is also the creator of Tots TV and Rosie and Jim. She was a recipient of the Eleanor Farjeon Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CITV</span> British free-to-air TV channel for children

CITV is a British children's morning programming block on ITV2 and previously a free-to-air channel owned by ITV plc. CITV, then Children's ITV, launched on 3 January 1983 as a late afternoon programming block on the ITV network for children aged 6–12. It replaced the earlier Watch It! branding and introduced networked in-vision continuity links between programmes. These links were originally pre-recorded from a small London studio up until 1987, when Central won the contract to produce live links from their Birmingham studios. In 2004, presentation of CITV was relocated to Granada Television in Manchester, which saw the demise of in-vision continuity. Nine years later, the operations moved to ITV Granada's MediaCityUK studios in Salford.

<i>Tronji</i> British animated childrens television series

Tronji is a computer animated children's TV series and a multiplayer online game, produced in the United Kingdom and aimed at children aged six to nine years. It was commissioned by CBBC, and produced by the joint venture Ragdoll Worldwide. Andrew Davenport devised the television format for Tronji, created the key characters and is the series producer. Anne Wood had the original concept for Tronji and was the initial producer.

Alan Dapré is a British writer who has successfully written for television, radio and publishers for over 20 years. He worked as a creative and originator for Ragdoll Productions for eight years, and his episodes of Brum, Boohbah and Blips are broadcast worldwide. He co-wrote with Robin Stevens and with Joel Wilenius developed many quirky stories and characters for the new BBC show, Tronji.

Robin Gordon Stevens is an English puppeteer, actor, director, and writer for children's TV for over 35 years, and has done many successful programmes. These include Pob's Programme, Whizz, Lay-on-Five, Corners, Teletubbies, Rosie and Jim, Tots TV, Boohbah, and Blips. He also appeared as a Goblin in the movie Labyrinth with David Bowie.

<i>In the Night Garden...</i> British childrens television series

In the Night Garden... is a popular British preschool children's television series created, written and composed by Teletubbies co-creator Andrew Davenport for CBeebies and BBC Two and produced by Ragdoll Worldwide, a joint venture of Ragdoll Productions and BBC Worldwide. The show was aimed at children aged from one to six years old. The programme is narrated by Derek Jacobi. It is filmed in live action and features a mix of actors in costume, stop motion, puppetry and CGI animation. The characters include Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka, the Tombliboos, the Pontipines, the Wottingers, the HaaHoos, the Ninky Nonk, the Pinky Ponk, the Ball and the Tittifers.

WildBrain Ltd. is a Canadian media, animation studio, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest independent library of children's television programming, including the assets of acquisitions such as Cookie Jar Group, Epitome Pictures, and Wildbrain Entertainment among others, distribution rights to the Jay Ward Productions library, and a stake in the Peanuts franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Studios Home Entertainment</span> British video and music publisher

2 Entertain Video Limited, trading as BBC Studios Home Entertainment, is a British video and music publisher founded in 2004 following the merger of BBC Video and Video Collection International by BBC Worldwide & Woolworths Group respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darrall Macqueen</span>

Darrall Macqueen is an independent children's television production company based in London, United Kingdom. It was formed in 2000 by Billy Macqueen and Maddy Darrall.

Blips is a British comedy children's television series from Ragdoll Productions, which first aired on CITV on 29 September 2005. It starred Robin Stevens as Mr. Perfect and Patricia Routledge as the narrator. The 26 episodes were written by Alan Dapre & Robin Stevens. Since 2009, the show has been difficult to find, due to it not getting a home media release of any kind, and has been regarded as lost. The show features the 3D animated 'Blips' characters alongside the main protagonist Mr Perfect.

Andrew Davenport is an English writer, puppeteer, producer, composer, and actor, specialising in creating television, music, and books for young children. He is known as co-creator and writer of Teletubbies and writer, voice artist and puppeteer of "Tiny" on Tots TV. He is also the creator, writer, and composer of both In the Night Garden... and Moon and Me.

Dipdap is a children's programme on CBeebies, in which a drawn line creates endless challenges and surprises for the unsuspecting little character Dipdap.

<i>The Adventures of Abney & Teal</i> British-Canadian childrens television series

The Adventures of Abney & Teal is a British animated surreal children's television programme which uses a mixture of 2D and CGI animation based on the works of writer and illustrator Joel Stewart. The show, which follows the adventures of two friends, is set on a series of small islands on a lake in a park in an unnamed city. The show was first broadcast on CBeebies in the United Kingdom in September 2011, and is produced by Ragdoll Worldwide, the joint venture of Ragdoll Productions and BBC Worldwide.

Andrew William John McCrorie-Shand is a British composer. He is mostly known for having composed musical scores for children's television programmes, including the original theme tune for Teletubbies, and also the chart topping hit that followed it, Teletubbies say "Eh-oh!". McCrorie-Shand has also composed the music for Rosie and Jim, Brum and Tots TV.

References

  1. 1 2 "RAGDOLL PRODUCTIONS LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". Companies House . 15 October 1991. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  2. ↑ "Terms and Conditions". Ragdoll Productions. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  3. ↑ "DHX WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK".
  4. ↑ "DHX WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK".
  5. ↑ "1980s – the Early Years".
  6. ↑ "Ragdoll and Itsy Bitsy part company".
  7. ↑ "CBBC: Launch dates and new shows".
  8. ↑ "ITV/GMTV greenlight for Ragdoll".
  9. ↑ "StackPath". Archived from the original on 23 September 2006.
  10. ↑ "StackPath". Archived from the original on 23 September 2006.
  11. ↑ "Blips to splat onto CiTV this autumn".
  12. ↑ "StackPath". Archived from the original on 23 September 2006.
  13. ↑ "StackPath". Archived from the original on 23 September 2006.
  14. ↑ "StackPath". Archived from the original on 20 November 2007.
  15. ↑ "Ragdoll puts sales joint venture with BBC Worldwide on the market". The Guardian (London). 29 January 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  16. ↑ "Teletubbies owner bought by Canadian firm DHX Media". The Guardian (London). 16 September 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  17. ↑ "#SoundCelebration Day 2: What Shall We do with the Angry Monster?".
  18. ↑ "StackPath".
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