As hashed out in my previous post, I am quite a fan of Zinkia’s refreshingly unique toon Pocoyo. Unfortunately, with only DVD distribution in the United States, this show hasn’t really found a proper following here. However, not too long after my plea for a TV deal, it was announced that my favorite CGI fella was making his way to US airwaves. ITV Studios Global Entertainment and Zinkia announced a deal with Univision for Spanish-language broadcast and WGBH Boston for English-language broadcast. Finally, this Stephen Fry-narrated, BAFTA award-winning show has a shot at an audience beyond the few who have discovered it on YouTube, Netflix or Redbox. Of course, with it may come some licensed products that I am likely to scoop up. (Maia already sleeps with her Pocoyo doll every night, but I had to ask my UK-based aunt to ship it over.)

Other news coming out of the Pocoyo camp is the launch of Pocoyo World, a themed virtual world for toddlers and younger children. Following the same theme as the TV show (“learning through laughter”), visitors to the site will be able to interact with lead characters Pocoyo, Pato the duck, Elly the Elephant and Sleepy Bird. Like most virtual worlds, users create an avatar and then visit different locations including a zoo, amusement park, cinema, and playground. Each area has different activities for kids, including educational games, puzzles, virtual pet adoptions, streaming media, printables and music. Unlike some of the older-skewing virtual worlds, kids are not allowed to chat with each other but basic interaction is allowed. Maia got a kick out of the playground area where she was able to share a see-saw with another live player. Many of the activities require a membership fee, but for 3.90 Euros a month (that’s about $5.75 USD), it a cheap price to pay for some substantial content. Apparently the world was built for $3 million, and it shows with the breadth of content and detail put into the site.

A promo image for Pocoyo World

Map of virtual world environment