South African preschoolers will be able to watch a brand new seires, Ha! Ha! Hairies, produced by Welsh independent producer Indie Adastra (makers of the award-winning series Grandpa in my Pocket), in May on Boomerang in the Cartoonito slot on DStv channel 302.
Cartoonito is Turner Broadcasting’s preschool brand, which has been live across Europe, the Middle East and Africa since 5 September 2011. Turner has also secured all licensing and merchandising rights for Ha! Ha! Hairies.
Aimed at kids aged four to six years old, Ha! Ha! Hairies will be produced bilingually in English and Welsh, with the English series being available in South Africa.
The 52 x 12-minute series centres on a delightful, fun-loving hairy family who live in Hairyland, where laughter is just as important as hair. However Boris Boo Hoo, the comedy baddy, is always out to ruin their fun, leading to hilarious, madcap, comic mayhem.
A live-action show with animated elements, Ha! Ha! Hairies will bring a contemporary makeover to classic silent movie clowning and mime routines to delight young viewers today.
The live action cast is supported by two animated Hairy Fairies, Wiggy and Kwiff who narrate the show.
Inspired by comic geniuses past and present – from Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy, to Rowan Atkinson and Lee Evans – Ha! Ha! Hairies will showcase theatrical capers never before seen in live-action for kids.
Michael Carrington, chief content officer, EMEA, Turner Broadcasting said: “Ha! Ha! Hairies is a wonderfully unique premise which captures the physical language of laughter and comedy. Cartoonito sets itself apart as a destination for preschoolers with its sense of quirkiness and vibrancy, and Ha! Ha! Hairies is in every sense a show which chimes with the channel’s quirky brand values.’
