Comfy berth in U.S.

Many Canadian kids’ shows from smaller companies made a big splash beyond our borders this year, such as Halifax-based Cochran Entertainment’s award-winning Theodore Tugboat, and Toronto-based Breakthrough Films’ The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon.

Indeed, Canadian expertise was much in demand at recent international colloquiums on children’s television, and we’ve even impressed our neighbors to the south – Dudley was asked to strut his big green stuff in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Here’s a look at one such indie success storyÉ

With their Big Comfy Couch kids’ series launching in over 65% of the u.s. market, the gang at Radical Sheep Productions is busy crafting new series and applying their unique puppet’s-eye view of the world to new media.

Now in its fifth year of operation and the third season of its first, and very successful, tv series The Big Comfy Couch, the Toronto-based company has six full-time employees in the office, and three in the ‘shop’ creating the puppets for the preschoolers’ show. During production, there are up to 20 people working on the puppets and 50 working in the studios.

This summer, Radical Sheep finished 13 more episodes of the series starring Loonette the Clown and her doll Molly. Also along for the ride are the Foley Family and the dust bunnies living under the couch.

‘The show is 10 times better (than in its first season),’ says Radical Sheep president Robert Mills. ‘It hit a peak with the performance, and the writing and the look and the feel of the show and the music this year is just great.’

This has not gone unnoticed. Radical Sheep recently obtained distribution in the u.s. on aps, the distribution system for the individual affiliates of pbs. As of January 1995, the show will be seen in over 65% of the u.s. market.

Radical Sheep is also working with an American company, E2 Entertainment, on merchandising for the show. Within the next year, look for home videos, storybooks and audio cassettes, along with items aimed at extending ‘the experience of the show.’ For example: a clock-rug that kids can use to do stretches with Loonette, or a child-size couch that is also a toy box, just the thing for Loonette’s ’10-second tidy,’ a segment of the show applauded by parents.

Shooting the third season of Big Comfy Couch was challenging. It was ‘hellish,’ says Mills. Radical Sheep’s offices were robbed of all computers, fax machines, vcrs and tvs. The studio’s air-conditioning wasn’t working, the ceiling leaked and ‘the control room was infested with flying ants.’

However, the season was completed, allowing Mills and company more time to devote to their other projects.

Among them is Panda Bear Daycare, which Radical Sheep is coproducing with Halifax-based Cochran Entertainment for cbc. The show, again aimed at preschoolers, is entirely from the perspective of kids. Adults have a minor role, background characters to the kids and puppets such as Freon the Fridge. With the creative aspect of the show now finished, Radical Sheep hopes to be in production in spring ’95.

Roofus the Dog is the main character in the company’s most exciting and innovative project, a series of interactive cd-roms.

Production was completed in October on the first cd-rom title where children can visit Roofus at his bookstore and choose from poems, limericks, songs, the encyclopedia nonsensica and three main stories. The stories all feature Roofus as the central character.

Mills is excited about the project. ‘It is taking what we do very well, in terms of creating characters and working with puppetsÉ and then applying that within the computer game.’

And this is just the beginning. There are five other Roofus titles in the works for further cd-roms with u.s. company Ban Software, as well as other titles with different characters. There is also talk of creating a television show featuring the characters.

Mills is pleased with the new medium. ‘Our basis as a company is creating characters and telling stories with those characters. It’s applying what we knowÉbut putting it into a different venue, where we have a great deal more control of the content.’

Mills says he wants to ‘remain small and remain creative, but at the same time be a profitable business. That’s what we’re working towards.’

‘Our main intent is to pursue the work we wantÉcreate quality work. If it’s not fun, I don’t want to do it anymore. And I’m still having fun.’