Target Entertainment secure global rights to sell Monster Animations’ groundbreaking animated series ‘Punky’, and will give half of royalties to charity. The 20x7 minute series, which was shown on RTÉ Two this summer, is the first ever animated cartoon featuring a lead character with Down Syndrome.
Target will launch the cartoon at MIPCOM Junior this October and have promised to donate half their sales commissions to Down Syndrome Education International.
Created by Lindsay Jane Sedgwick (David) and developed with and produced by Gerard O’Rourke (Ballybraddan) for Irish company Monster Animation & Design Ltd., ‘Punky’ tells the story of a fun-loving six year old girl who has Down Syndrome, and her life with her mum, big bother Con, grandmother Cranky and pet dog Rufus.
The series is written by Andrew Brenner (Humf) and Punky is voiced by Aimee Richardson, a Dublin woman with Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome Ireland provided production and development support to the series.
CEO of Target Alison Rayson, revealed why the series is so special to her saying “When I first saw Punky I felt an immediate connection to her because of my own son Jack who also has Down Syndrome and is three and a half. I have been thinking for some time about how Target could become involved in an animated show with a lead character that had Down Syndrome and it seems like fate that a colleague one day last year asked me if I had heard about Monster’s new show Punky.”
‘Punky’ was originally commissioned by RTÉ Young People’s programmes and was funded by RTÉ, the IFB, the BAI Sound and Vision Fund and Section 481.
