In a deal brokered by distributor Serious Kids, WarnerMedia EMEA has picked up animated preschool series Spookies from German prodco Wolkenlenker to air on its Cartoonito linear channel and HBO Max streaming platform in the region.

The CG-animated series will be delivered in 2023/2024. Set in Castle Ravenrock, Spookies (78 x seven minutes) stars three wee ghosts who discover something new behind every cobwebbed corner and dusty stairwell.

The concept was created by Daniel Acht, with Jen Upton serving as head writer. It was originally pitched at Cartoon Forum in 2019 at a time when there was an noticeable uptick in eerie projects for younger viewers. And that trend continued to grow; according to Parrot Analytics, demand for kid-appropriate scary content was up by 13% in October in 2020, compared to the previous year.

This is the latest deal for Serious Kids, which recently rebranded from its former Serious Lunch moniker. The UK-based distributor has been focusing on new strategies lately, including an expansion into preschool music IPs and direct-to-consumer distribution.