In an effort to reach a new generation of kids, Zeptolab is spinning off a popular character from its Cut the Rope gaming IP to star in a new original series and podcast.

Introduced more than a decade ago in a series of physics-based puzzle games, Om Nom is heading back to the screen in a 2D-animated show for three- to six-year-olds called Eve and Om Nom: Delivery Duo (pictured).

Set on a magical island inhabited by friendly people and monsters, the 52 x 5.5-minute series finds Om Nom running a parcel delivery service with his new human best friend Eve. Each episode features a mix of humor and creative problem-solving activities, with a strong play pattern undercurrent running throughout. Diversity and teamwork themes are also explored.

Russia’s Rocket Fox is animating the series, with fellow Russian prodco Storytime (Bookaboo) handling the writing. Storytime CEO Julia Mindubaeva (Kid-E-Cats) and chief creative officer Vasiliy Kutsenko (The Last Warrior) are co-producing, with Kutsenko doing double duty as the project’s main scriptwriter.

Zeptolab will manage worldwide distribution and has already begun selling Delivery Duo. Russian SVOD platform START has acquired exclusive online rights for Russia and the CIS region, and will launch the series early next year.

This isn’t Om Nom’s first foray into television. Zeptolab previously worked with Rocket Fox to produce 19 seasons of animated non-dialogue series Om Nom Stories (190 x three minutes), which got its start on YouTube and has since generated more than 30 billion views across TV and VOD platforms including Nine Network (Australia), Tencent (China) and Turner (LatAm), according to Zeptolab.

Delivery Duo is the brand’s first preschool show, however, and it will feature the most dialogue in the Om Nom universe. Eve and all of the monsters except Om Nom have speaking roles, says Zeptolab producer and head of content distribution Anna Shchur.

“In previous content, Om Nom had very expressive body language and vivid emotions, which was enough to convey a lot,” Shchur says. “Eve & Om Nom: Delivery Duo is a step up for us in terms of depth of the characters, scripts and storylines. Having longer episodes and dialogue gives us more room for creativity, and might potentially open doors for new partnerships.”

Zeptolab has also partnered with kids audio platform Pinna to exclusively launch the IP’s first podcast, Om Nom Noms, later this month.

This 52 x three-minute audio series taps into Cut the Rope’s puzzle formula and charges kids with using their critical thinking skills to solve increasingly challenging riddles. Because Om Nom doesn’t talk, Pinna created a kid character for him to play against, and he communicates via squeaks and sounds, says Shchur. The podcast was developed with writer/producer Sharon Bilman from Monkey Bar Collective and Dagaz Media, which handled sound design on the project.

Rounding out the Om Nom brand expansion, LA-based licensing company Pleywell has signed on to launch a new licensing and merchandising program for the character in the US that will build on past efforts in books, toys and publishing.