While CharacterShop are best known for creating animation and effects, we like to think we can handle the real world too, so we organised and directed the live action shoot in one very long day on location with a fantastic crew and cast, then added the extra effects and background bits to really bring the shots to life back in our studio.

Working for our clever friends at the wonderful Kids Industries agency, CharacterShop created four exciting play scenarios to show off the Matchbox range of vehicles at its best – a jungle, a construction site, a mega-city and a daring rescue. We think we did a pretty good job but judge for yourself on our portfolio or YouTube pages.

What adventure will you have?!?

Golden Bear estimate that the first Woolly toys will be available in UK stores by May or June 2013. Apologies to everybody who wanted a Woolly for this Christmas but it is important to ensure that the toys are well designed and produced to the highest standard, meeting all safety criteria.

We are also pleased to announce that Abbey Home Media will be producing Woolly & Tig DVDs, which will be available from April  (but they can be pre-ordered now on Amazon), and Random House Children’s Publishing will be producing Woolly & Tig books and e-books. Watch this space for more Woolly news.

Thanks for your patience so far and we wish you a very Woolly 2013!

It wasn’t surprising though – Share-A-Story is one of the most original ideas around – kids TV where the kids make the TV! And the team at CITV do a superb job ensuring that every one of the winners’ ideas get faithfully translated into top quality animations.

We animated one of the 8 winners stories in 2011 and for 2012 we’ve been lucky enough to contribute two more stories to this unique success story. Find out more about Share-A-Story here.

It really is one of the most fun commissions in all of childrens TV and we’re very proud to have been allowed to work on such a fantastic award-winning programme. Well done, CITV – you rock!!

Of course, for such a zany & funny show, it was never going to be a normal job but even we were challenged when asked to include a zebra piloting a jelly hot air balloon, sheep driving bumper cars and a giant rubber duck towing a sofa fully loaded with excited kids!

Of course, we managed to pull it off in the end and created a great fun sequence which we hope matches the quality of the show itself – and that’s some achievement when you consider Justin’s House has just scooped the 2012 Children’s BAFTA for Best Live Action Show!! Congratulations to all our friends at CBeebies!

Recently I needed to use the train to get to work for a few weeks and was very pleasantly surprised to see how much the experience had changed for the better since I last commuted, over 20 years ago.

The trains no longer go ‘clickety-clack’ and sway from side to side while moving, no cloud of dust appears when you pat the seat and there is not a single cigarette butt in sight. The trains even arrive when they are supposed to (well, most of the time!).

So when London Midland (our local train operator) needed someone to animate their first ever TV commercial to publicise their 50% Rail Sale, CharacterShop were delighted to be selected as their animation studio of choice.

The resulting commercial features some awfully good-looking passengers illustrating just a few of the thousands of journeys that can now be made at up to half price on London Midlands lovely clean trains and shows off a few local landmarks in the background. And some sheep too. We never forget the sheep.

And not a blob of used chewing gum in sight – brilliant!