Preschool channels CBeebies (UK) and Treehouse (Canada) have banded together to greenlight a new critter-centric series from Spin Master. 

Vida the Vet (52 x 11 minutes) is a 2D-animated show about a 10-year-old who takes care of the animals living near her home. It will premiere in fall 2023 on the BBC’s CBeebies feed and iPlayer streaming platform in the UK, as well as on Corus’s Treehouse net and STACKTV streamer in Canada.

Spin Master’s Jennifer Dodge, Ronnen Harary, Laura Clunie, Toni Stevens and writer Jennifer Oxley (Peg+Cat) are executive producers on the series, with Oxley also serving as showrunner. Writer Dustin Ferrer (Esme & Roy) created the series, and Toronto’s Jam Filled Entertainment is providing animation services.

Spin Master is planning a global consumer products rollout for Vida, with the first toys scheduled to hit shelves in 2024. Corus’s Nelvana has been named as the IP’s exclusive licensing representative in Canada and France.

The preschool market is a major revenue driver for Spin Master, with hit brand PAW Patrol leading the way. The company’s Q1 2022 revenue was up 34% (to US$424.2 million) compared to the same quarter in 2021, with the biggest bump coming from the preschool, dolls and interactive segment at +56%. Spin Master has been busy building its team and signing new deals recently. So far this year, it has hired former LEGO exec Michael Butcher as GM of North America, and former Mattel GM Doug Wadleigh as its first head of global toy brands.