Production has begun on Nerds and Monsters, a new animated series from Vancouver-based animation studio Slap Happy Cartoons Inc. for YTV.

Corus Entertainment greenlit 40 11-minute episodes about a group of nerdy kids who find themselves on an uncharted island. The tween castaways use their smarts to survive attacks by a tribe of hideous monsters who inhabit the island.

“YTV is the perfect home for these unique and entertaining characters and we look forward to watching Nerds and Monsters strike a comedic chord with kids all around the world,” said Slap Happy partner and series co-creator Kathy Rocchio in a statement.

The development deal for the cartoon comedy was first announced in January. Slap Happy originally pitched the idea to YTV at the Kidscreen Summit in New York in 2010. The series is targeted at 6-to-11 year olds.

Slap Happy Cartoons was founded by Rocchio, Greg Sullivan, Josh Mepham and Vito Viscomi, who is based in L.A. The company has offices in Vancouver and Los Angeles.