Blue Ant Studios announced Monday it has secured the Canadian rights to the long-running Japanese unscripted format Old Enough! from Nippon TV.
The studio has started production on the first North American version of the show, which is set to air in September 2024 on Ontario public broadcaster TVO, according to a press release.
The announcement was made Monday at the 2024 Realscreen Summit by Blue Ant Studios co-president Matthew Hornburg, TVO head of programming Natasha Negrea, and Nippon TV global format licensing representative Akane Alex Inoue.
Canadian comedian and actor Colin Mochrie has been signed to narrate the unscripted series, which follows toddlers as they independently run errands for the first time, under the watchful eye of the show’s safety team.
“While each episode focuses on the child’s task, the series will also explore each parent’s approach to raising their kids,” the release says.
The Old Enough! format “has been a ratings juggernaut and cultural phenomenon in Japan for over 30 years,” the release explains. “Its popularity skyrocketed in English-speaking territories when Netflix streamed Nippon TV’s original series in 2022 in over 190 countries, and even Saturday Night Live tapped into the cultural zeitgeist with a skit that parodied the show.”
“Old Enough! typifies the vision of our studio moving forward — entertaining and enlightening franchises — and we’re thrilled to be bringing the first North American version to audiences,” Blue Ant Studios’ Hornburg said in the release. “This series is going to be an engaging, co-viewing experience for families, and children will definitely enjoy watching their peers find their independence when given the freedom to do so. It also explores themes of what parenting means from different cultural perspectives and in the modern age.”
TVO’s Negrea said: “Independence is a key part of healthy childhood development. It begins with taking our first steps and flourishes through our appetites to learn and explore. This exciting new version of Old Enough! showcases young kids discovering their delightful first moments of being independent.”
“It is such a joy to announce the Canadian adaptation of Old Enough!, our heart-warming factual entertainment format and global phenomenon,” Nippon TV’s Inoue said. “I am very proud that the passionate team at Blue Ant Studios has created a truly enjoyable version using the unique, new camera style we developed together. We are delighted to show the world that children’s big adventures can be delivered in different cultures and hope for more international versions to follow.”
Hornburg, Mark Bishop and Donna Luke from Blue Ant are executive producers for the series. Stefanie Haist is the supervising producer, and Mitch Burman (Undercover High, Extreme Babysitting) serves as the series producer and showrunner. For Nippon TV, Inoue and Naoko Yano are executive producers. For TVO, Negrea is the head of programming, Kirsten Hurd is the commissioning editor for TVOkids, and Alexandra Roberts is the commissioning editor for TVO Docs.
The Canadian version of Old Enough! is being produced with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and in association with Rogers Sports and Media.
Photo of Old Enough! courtesy of Blue Ant Studios.
