Mediawan Kids & Family’s Somewhere Animation has partnered with TF1 to develop a new 2D-animated series called Artefacts, Thieves of Thieves that’s destined to air in the French broadcaster’s TFOU morning block for four- to 10-year-olds. 

Totally Spies! director Stéphane Berry and Cryil Deydier (Mille Bornes Challenge) created this action-adventure series about two middle-graders on a mission to locate and safeguard magical treasures that are also being hunted by an evil organization. 

Aimed at the six to 10 set, the 26 x 22-minute toon already has writing duo Jess Kedward and Kirsty Peart (Kiya and the Kimoja Heroes) on board as head writers and executive producers. And Mediawan Kids & Family will distribute it internationally. 

Somewhere pitched the concept at Cartoon Forum last year, and discussions with TF1 about developing the project together kicked off shortly after that, says the studio’s founder and producer Arthur Colignon. Artefacts stands out in the market with its Oceans 11 vibe and episode plots in which plans often go wrong and the characters have to adapt—an important skill for kids to learn, he adds. 

This deal with TF1 is a feather in the cap of three-year-old Somewhere, which is heading back to Cartoon Forum this September to pitch two series—graphic novel adaptation Chococat & Me and Temtem, a co-pro with Kiss A Frog. 

For TF1, Artefacts is reminiscent of another TFOU hit, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir. Like Miraculous, Artefacts has a strong premise, interesting characters and franchise potential, says Yann Labasque, the channel’s head of youth programming. He sees potential for TF1’s subsidiaries to expand the property into music and books. 

Getting on board Artefacts is also a matter of necessity and timing, Labasque adds. TF1 has three slots for kids content it needs to fill after nearly doubling its children’s programming volume in 2024. In fact, TFOU has grown to offer nearly 1,500 hours of content since January 2024. 

Labasque says Artefacts is a strong addition to this lineup because it checks a lot of boxes genre-wise, and there’s also an element of wonder since the kids are exploring ancient civilizations. “It was a no-brainer,” sums up Labasque.”This mix of adventure and comedy is at the heart of TF1.”