Nickelodeon has inked a partnership with media content company Chorion and publisher Frederick Warne & Co. to develop and produce a new animated preschool series based on the characters in Beatrix Potter’s The Tales of Peter Rabbit.

The series, which is slated to air in 2012 on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr., marks the third partnership between Nickelodeon and Chorion.

Under the terms of the deal, Frederick Warne and Chorion have appointed Nickelodeon as the agent to represent the licensing and merchandising rights for The World of Beatrix Potter brand and the new animation rights in the US, Canada, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Nickelodeon will also represent the licensing and merchandise rights for the new animated series in India.

Chorion will have licensing and merchandise rights in the rest of the world plus the new animation. Frederick Warne retains underlying ownership of The World of Beatrix Potter and will continue to publish globally The Classic Tales and all publishing based on the new animation series.

Beatrix Potter’s first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, based on a picture letter she wrote to an ill child, was first published by Frederick Warne in 1902. An additional 22 books have since been published and translated into more than 35 languages.