CBC Kids announced Thursday it has greenlit a new preschool series, Go Togo, from award-winning Toronto-based production company Gazelle Automations.
Comprised of 27 five-minute episodes, the series will introduce preschoolers aged three to five to early math concepts “through the fun and excitement of big public transit vehicles (in miniature scale),” says a press release.
Production wrapped last month and the series is scheduled to premiere this fall.
“Produced using real animatronic characters and handmade sets, the series follows Togo the subway car and his friends Stella the streetcar and Wheeler the bus, as they make stops, pick up passengers, and explore the big city of Transitville,” the release explains.
In each episode, Togo, Stella or Wheeler are given a transit-related task by Hub, “the benevolent control tower that runs the transit network”, and they must use basic math concepts and logic to solve a problem they encounter along the way.
Additional characters include Sparks, “the grumpy yet lovable rail grinder with a heart of gold”, voiced by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Kim’s Convenience, Star Wars: The Mandalorian), and the friendly and helpful repair car Dr. Repairo.
Go Togo mixes live-action animatronics and elements of stop motion and 2D animation. “All the vehicle characters are 3D-printed animatronic puppets operated by remote control that have swappable face panels for different expressions,” the release says.
The series is co-created and executive produced by Justin T. Lee and Lindsay Lee of Gazelle Automations, the team behind the Kidscreen Award-winning digital preschool series Miikshi.
Go Togo is a CBC Kids Original production, produced with the financial participation of the Canada Media Fund and the Shaw Rocket Fund, and with film and television tax credit assistance from the Ontario government and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit.
Photo of (l-r) Togo and Sparks courtesy of Gazelle Automations
