HarperCollins UK is set to launch The Hueys by renowned kids author and illustrator Oliver Jeffers. The publisher will release the collectible character series employing a global, multiplatform strategy.

HarperCollins has inked worldwide rights for the four-book deal, which includes TV, merchandising, licensing, film, eBook, eVersion and digital rights. The Hueys features a group of quirky creatures with irreverant humor and a witty, child-centered view on life. The Hueys will launch in 2012, supported by a multiplatform marketing campaign targeting parents and their children alongside a PR campaign that will include two visits per year by Oliver to his creative home in the UK from his current base in New York.

HarperCollins published Oliver Jeffers’ first picture book in 2004, and since then he has created five books, including The Great Paper Caper, The Incredible Book Eating Boy and Lost and Found, which has also been made into a BAFTA-winning animation.

Jeffers’ accolades include the Irish Book Awards, Blue Peter Book of the Year and the Nestle Children’s Book Prize, as well as many more short listings. His books have sold almost 1.6 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 19 languages. His latest title, The Heart and the Bottle is being published this month, and new book Up and Down, set for publication this fall, sees the return of two of his most popular characters, Boy and Penguin.