Debuting on Knowledge Network on April 4, 2022
Knowledge Kids‘ Luna the Owl, Chip the Beaver and Inkie the Octopus are the members of Adventure Rangers Go! They are this network’s mascots and it’s terrific they have their own animated series. Ever since their debut in 2008, they haven’t appeared in other forms of media. Other than a handful of shorts and a half-hour special for the Festival of Wishes in 2019, there wasn’t much. Producers knew there was interest. In this new series, they learn and extol about what’s important in life–having friendships, finding creative ways to solve problems and being kind to one another.
Michele Paris, Senior Manager of Children’s Programming at Knowledge Network, and Pat Ellingson, retired head of TVO Kids leads the development of this show. Together, with Executive Story Editors Shelly Hoffman and Rob Pincombe (Ollie and Moon, Camp Lakebottom), Child Development Consultant Cheryl Gotthelf and Leo Award winning Musician Daniel Ingram (My Little Pony: The Movie), they have a great product for people of all ages to watch together. The latter’s contribution is important since each episode are nicely summed up with a song.
Usually, I’d be tuning into other works like Clifford the Big Red Dog and Wild Kratts when young relatives are visiting. I’m an uncle far too many times over, and there’s not too many programs distinctly West Coast (i.e. British Columbia). There’s the Beachcombers, but the content may not be fully understood when having to explain. This toon fits the bill with vividly bringing this world to vivid, colourful, life. The press release reveals this world is set in the forests, mountains, lakes, and ocean near the fictional town of Eagle Creek, which is inspired by the rugged, natural beauty of the Pacific West Coast.
The 11 minute format (minus credit sequences) is perfect to keep kids interested. To have it any longer is considered challenging. Even past mainstream kids programming like Transformers Rescue Bots Academy and LEGO Ninjago dropped the 24 minute format in favour of this new length.
The fourth episode, “Inkie’s Sick Day,” is notable. I like how it plays with the classic sitcom trope of testing patience. The squid is sick. Her friends could’ve left their pal in the cold because of her constant ringing of the bell when it’s not needed. The resolution reveals how this series is not just about learning, but also laughing along with.
Thankfully, Epic Story Media is handling the international distribution so these mascots can be known the world over.
NOTE: In April, five new episodes will be released each week for the first three weeks. Afterwards, it’ll drop to a different schedule for the remainder of the year.
