Aardman Animations and Digital Outlook Studios are collaborating to co-create a set of music-loving characters for teens dubbed the JellyBeats for UK social networking hotspot Bebo.

The JellyBeats are a collection of jellyfish, each one representing a different musical genre. They dance, talk and swim in the style of their musical preference.

The characters were created by Peter Peake for Aardman, and brought to life with the help of UK-based Digital Outlook Studios.

Alongside the planned launch on Bebo, the JellyBeats also have their own website at www.JellyBeats.com. This site will feature JellyBeats film shorts, free downloads, including icons for MSN messenger, an iTunes live feed to the top-five songs in each JellyBeats genre and a gadget which can be placed into most online social environments.

The Bebo launch includes a JellyBeats application called ‘What’s Your Beat?’ whereby users can choose their favorite character and feature it on their Bebo page. There will also be a dedicated interactive JellyBeats profile (www.bebo.com/JellyBeats), with discussion boards, polls, photo gallery and colorful skins, enabling word of the JellyBeats to move virally across the Bebo network.