‘Bleeker the Rechargeable Dog’ Headed for TV
Jonathan Mahood’s Bleeker the Rechargeable Dog may soon be coming to television. The strip was optioned by producer Radical Sheep Productions in May 2007, and recently announced a deal with TVO to develop an animated series based on the strip. The series is planned to be 26 11-minute episodes aimed at the six to 12-year-old audience. Script writing and animation design is already underway.
The strip tells the story of a ten-year-old boy who wanted a dog and got Bleeker: a canine-shaped walking cell phone/mp3 player/camera/printer/smoke detector/GPS that isn’t actually very good at being a dog. As Skip struggles to enjoy dog ownership, he is hampered by Bleeker’s quirky operating system, low battery life and frequent calls to technical support.
Pat Ellingson, Creative Head of Children’s Media, Content and Programming for TVO says of Bleeker, “What we love about Bleeker is that it’s a show that makes you laugh but has a lot of heart. Amongst all the comedy and the antics, Bleeker teaches us life lessons about the importance of friendship, community and family. It’s both educational and fun. We think it’s a great fit for TVO.”
Bleeker the Rechargeable Dog was launched in July 2006 on Comic Sherpa. In February 2007 it was picked up by GoComics.com for online syndication, where it can be seen daily. Mahood has a Cafepress storefront with the usual assortment of branded clothing, and the first collect of Bleeker stripsis available from Lulu.com.
