Blue Ant Studios has acquired the Canadian rights to Japanese unscripted series Old Enough! from Tokyo’s Nippon TV.

Old Enough! is an unscripted program that captures toddlers independently undertaking errands for the first time, exploring both the child’s task and the parenting styles. With a supervisory team overseeing each adventure, the show delves into parenting perspectives and has been a cultural phenomenon in Japan for more than 30 years.

Production on the inaugural North American edition is underway, and is scheduled to air on TVO in September, according to a news release. Comedian Colin Mochrie will narrate for the show.

Matt Hornburg, Mark Bishop and Donna Luke from Blue Ant Studios serve as executive producers, while Stefanie Haist is supervising producer. Mitch Burman (Undercover High, Extreme Babysitting) is the series producer and showrunner.

The Canadian adaptation is a collaborative effort between Blue Ant Studios, TVO and Nippon TV. Old Enough! is produced with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and in association with Rogers Sports & Media.

“Independence is a key part of healthy childhood development. It begins with taking our first steps and flourishes through our appetites to learn and explore,” says Natasha Negrea, head of programming at TVO, in a statement. “This exciting new version of Old Enough! showcases young kids discovering their delightful first moments of being independent.”

Image courtesy of Blue Ant Studios