Bath-based Highlight PR has been appointed to manage the public relations and social media for the UK launch of the award-winning children’s TV series Bottersnikes & Gumbles.
The 3D animation series, made up of 52 episodes of 11 minutes each, is aimed at six to nine year olds and starts on CBBC this July.
Based on the much-loved Australian storybooks written in the 1970s, Bottersnikes & Gumbles follows the adventures of three Gumble heroes Tink, Bounce and Willi who can squash and stretch into any imaginable shape without being hurt.
They love nothing better than to ‘gumble’ all day long, which means crazy, stretchy capers around their junk valley while carefully avoiding getting tin-canned by their stinky, grumpy, lazy neighbours the Bottersnikes.
Highlight, which handles PR for a number of popular children’s brands including Miffy, Sylvanian Families and Aquabeads, has been appointed by leading kids’ entertainment specialist CAKE and Australian production outfits Cheeky Little Media and Mighty Nice.
Its role will be to promote the show using consumer press coverage and social media, as well as securing media and blogger attendance at an exclusive screening event in London.
Bottersnikes & Gumbles is co-produced by CBBC in the UK and Seven Network in Australia and is also a NETFLIX global original title.
Highlight director Alison Vellacott said: “Bottersnikes & Gumbles is a brilliant show based on a classic storybook, full of energy and laughs. We’re relishing working with CAKE and their partners to maximise every PR opportunity around the launch of this fast-moving show.”
CAKE managing director Edward Galton added: “We were hugely impressed with Highlight’s proposal for Bottersnikes & Gumbles and are really looking forward to working with them on what promises to be an exciting launch in the UK.”
The series won this year’s coveted Pulcinella Award for Best Kids TV Series at the prestigious international animation festival Cartoons on the Bay in Venice. The series was also nominated for a Logie Award in Australia for Most Outstanding Children’s Programme.
Highlight PR was founded in 1999 by co-directors Nick and Alison Vellacott. Last year it was shortlisted for three national PR and social media awards, and won Gold for Best Use of Social Media in the 2015 South of England & Channel Islands CIPR PRide Awards.
The agency provides public relations, social media and content marketing expertise to kids, family and lifestyle brands; education and training colleges; and creative and pioneering companies.
