Nelvana has acquired worldwide development, production, distribution and merchandise licensing rights to Little Critter, based on the characters from the best-selling children’s book series by Mercer Mayer.

Under the terms of the agreement, Nelvana will initially develop and produce an animated tv series based on the books and other Mayer properties for worldwide distribution. It will also hold licensing and merchandising rights to all properties developed and produced for tv.

The 90-book Little Critter series, which has sold more than 100 million copies since 1976, follows the daily adventures of the title character, who, along with his best friends Tiger and Gator, loves to play sports, go to the mall and read comics.