In this report, Playback looks at the people and forces involved in the development of three new Canadian kids’ programs and the marketing and merchandising thrusts behind those and some other kids’ properties.

Inside:

Development diaries:

The Charlie Horse Music Pizza p. 24

Zoboomafoo p. 27

Mr. Men p. 29

Treehouse TV p. 26

Wimzie update p. 30

ACT awards approach p. 30

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On Nov. 1, ytv’s new specialty Treehouse tv began broadcasting four-and-a-half-hour blocks of preschool programming from 6 a.m. until ‘bedtime,’ and for their audience that means 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. The Shaw-owned commercial-free network has no corporate sponsors to date and will be knocking out the daytime portion of TMN-The Movie Network on some Rogers Cable systems.

vp and gm at Treehouse, Susan Ross, says the initial primary objective for the channel is creating brand awareness.

As to making the network viable, Treehouse is entitled to include up to two minutes per hour of corporate sponsorship messages, and while no deals have been signed yet, Ross says they have been talking to ‘some of the same advertisers you would see on tvo and pbs preschool blocks, companies with baby products and preschool toys.’

As a privately funded network, Treehouse marks an interesting step in preschool programming because regulations that restrict advertising to preschoolers have seen the market traditionally dominated by pubcasters, though ytv certainly has a significant share.

Ross says Treehouse intends to generate revenues initially through investments from parent companies ytv and Shaw, and through subscription revenues. Long term, Treehouse intends to make money from program sales to other territories, with ancillary revenues coming from any of the characters or equity the network builds through licensing and merchandising.

Treehouse currently runs on a four-and-a-half-hour wheel of programming that Paula Parker, director of programming at ytv and Treehouse, hopes to extend to six hours. The reason for the current limited schedule is due to purely ‘technology challenges,’ says Parker. The original application for Treehouse had a 6 a.m. to noon block of programming, with a repeat from noon to 6 p.m., followed by a 9 p.m. to midnight slot aimed at parents and caregivers.

‘Technology challenges don’t allow us a dual feed at this time, nor do we have more than four-and-a-half hours time capable to feed out the network,’ explains Parker.

Original productions running on Treehouse include 40 episodes of the craftmaking and storytelling show Crazy Quilt and Ants In Your Pants, a music-oriented program which also has 40 episodes in the can for this year.

The all-important interstitial element of Treehouse will be a series of three- to five-minute hosted segments centered on the village of Treetown. Hosts Rosabelle (Denise Shaw) and Tansy (Kathleen Le Roux) preside over a group of six toys that include the ‘edgy’ Ruby Rae Craw, a doll made up of broken toy parts who does things ‘you’re not supposed to do.’

It is with the Treetown hosts and characters that the network will be branded, and Ross suggests that Treetown could eventually become its own show.