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WildBrain

WildBrain Ltd. (formerly known as CINAR Corporation, Cookie Jar Group, and DHX Media Ltd. until 2019) is a Canadian media production and distribution company founded in 2006 by Michael Donovan, and is headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.


History[]

CINAR/Cookie Jar era[]

Along founded by Micheline Charest and Ronald A. Weinberg, the company started out in New York City, New York, U.S. as a distribution company at June 1976, but later moved operations to Montreal, Quebec, Canada in the mid-1980s, where they also became a media production company.

CINAR produced several children's series from the late 1980s until the early 2000s. Some of their most notable works include The Busy World of Richard Scarry, Wimzie's House, Caillou, Zoboomafoo, and seasons 1-8 of Arthur.

On March 15, 2004, following a tax scandal five years later, CINAR was bought by Birch Hill Equity Partners and industry veteran Michael Hirsh. The company rebranded as Cookie Jar Entertainment, Inc. two weeks later on March 29, 2004 and relocated operations to Toronto, Ontario, Canada shortly thereafter. [1]

As Cookie Jar Entertainment, the company continued to make several children's series, including Caillou, Johnny Test, The Doodlebops, Will and Dewitt, Hurray for Huckle!, season 1 of Postcards From Buster, and seasons 9-15 of Arthur.

In September 2011, it was announced that 9 Story Media Group would take over co-producing, animating, and distributing new seasons of Arthur starting with season 16, with Cookie Jar Group continuing to distribute the previous 15 seasons.[2]


In December 25, 2014, DHX Cookie Jar was folded to DHX Media at the final episode for Johnny Test.

DHX/Current WildBrain[]

In 2006, the company was formed following the merger of two Canadian production companies, Decode Entertainment and Halifax Film Company and became DHX Media.

In late 2012, DHX Media acquired rival Canadian production company Cookie Jar Entertainment [3][4], which co-produced and animated Arthur from 1996 to 2011, as well as Postcards from Buster from 2004 to 2005. As a result, distribution rights to the first 15 seasons of Arthur, the specials Arthur's Perfect Christmas and Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll, and the first season of Postcards from Buster were transferred from Cookie Jar to DHX.

In 2019, DHX rebranded as WildBrain, which was the name of an L.A.-based studio that the company acquired in 2010. WildBrain is the world's largest independent owner of children's and family programming, with more than 13,000 half-hours in its library, including titles such as Peanuts, Teletubbies, Caillou, Johnny Test, Inspector Gadget, and the first 15 seasons of Arthur.


Trivia[]

  • In addition to airing the first 15 seasons of Arthur and the first season of Postcards from Buster, PBS has aired many of WildBrain's programs, such as Tots TV, Wimzie's House, Teletubbies, Caillou, Zoboomafoo, Liberty's Kids, Boohbah, Franny's Feet, Super Why!, Martha Speaks, and the Peanuts specials A Charlie Brown Christmas, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

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