Indie media producer and IP owner Komixx Media Group has secured worldwide rights to the popular kids book series Stanley by British author/illustrator Ian Bilbey, who goes by the pseudonym William Bee.

The books, which follow the adventures of a hamster named Stanley and his array of furry friends, are published by Peachtree Publishers in the US and will now be turned into an animated preschool series by Komixx’s Manchester-based M&S Digital Studios, with Bilbey on-board as art director.

The series is expected to go into production next year.

Beyond his work as an author, Bee has designed for renowned fashion houses like Issay Miyake and Paul Smith, and his work has exhibited in museums including the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Mitsukoshi Museum of Art in Japan.

Komixx is the studio behind international children’s series Toby’s Travelling Circus and Wanda and the Alien, and the company has access to one of the largest libraries of original family and children’s published material through its ongoing partnership with Random House Children’s Screen Entertainment (RHCSE).

Komixx is currently developing Dog Loves Books exclusively for CBeebies.