Radical Sheep Productions, leading producer of children's programming, has recently optioned the rights to produce a new animated series for kids aged 6-12, based on Bleeker: The Rechargeable Dog, the hilarious online comic strip by Jonathan Mahood about a hapless and loveable robotic toy dog named Bleeker and his owner, Skip.

Picking up on the nuances of the online strip, Bleeker will explore Skip Smalls' sibling-like relationship with his robotic toy dog Bleeker as they navigate their friendship, co-dependence and the many crises Bleeker inadvertently causes as a result of trying so eagerly to earn the love of a hyperactive 10-year old.

"We're very excited about Bleeker. Bleeker the Rechargeable Dog is such a unique and fresh character - the first of his kind," says John Leitch, President of Radical Sheep Productions. "We feel the series will really speak to today's younger generation and their high comfort level with technology. Technology is a complex, evolving and somewhat confusing entity, and Bleeker is too. Only Bleeker's much funnier than an iPod."

"I'm very excited about seeing this little robotic dog fetch, print, download and malfunction his way across the small screen," says Jonathan Mahood, creator and illustrator of the popular online comic. "Radical Sheep's enthusiasm and strong relationship with its creators made them an excellent choice for Bleeker adaptation to television."

Radical Sheep is looking to produce 26 x 11-minute episodes of Bleeker: the Rechargeable Dog for the 6-12 audience, with broad appeal to both girls and boys.

The property is currently being presented to Canadian broadcasters.

Labels: comic strips, comics on tv, Ontario, Toronto, webcomics