Dr. Seuss’ beloved youngsters books — for the primary time — are getting podcast diversifications below a partnership with Amazon’s Wondery podcast studio and community.
Wondery Kids & Family inked an expansive cope with Dr. Seuss Enterprises for a slate of podcasts. The first title below the pact is “The Cat in the Hat Cast,” described as a “fantastical variety show-style podcast series hosted by everyone’s favorite red and white hat-wearing Cat.” The weekly sequence, set to premiere Sept. 18, might be accessible solely on the Wondery+ subscription service by the Wondery app and Wondery Kids+ on Apple Podcasts.
“The Cat in the Hat Cast” will transport listeners to “a world full of delightful mix-ups and exhilarating mayhem,” during which the mischievous Cat takes the reins and enlightens the ever-cautious Fish on the artwork of internet hosting a wonderfully poised podcast, the businesses stated. The podcast will characteristic alphabet sing-a-longs, tongue-twisters and wordplay. The Cat within the Hat is voiced by Andrew Barbato, a singer, author, artist and comic primarily based in New York City, and the Fish is voiced by Brandon Zelman, an actor, improviser, filmmaker and author from Brooklyn.
The firms count on to announce extra sequence within the coming weeks, with various distribution fashions for every relying on the title.
Susan Brandt, president and CEO of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, stated the corporate noticed a leap in listening of kids’s podcast content material in the course of the pandemic and realized it had a chance to enter the area. “We looked at all the big names in podcasting, and I was really struck with the creativity that Wondery brings to their projects,” she stated.
“Wondery Kids & Family has an incredible vision for how to bring to life our characters and stories in podcasting form,” Brandt stated. “We believe this collaboration not only builds upon Dr. Seuss’ incredible legacy but also plays a key part of our bigger entertainment strategy for the Dr. Seuss franchise.”
Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ different main leisure companions embody Warner Animation Group, Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video. Founded in 1993, Dr. Seuss Enterprises donates all earnings to charitable organizations that concentrate on causes akin to schooling, well being, animal conservation and the humanities. Dr. Seuss, the pen identify of Theodor Geisel, died in 1991 on the age of 87.
Wondery had made a brief listing of potential companions with which to develop youngsters’s podcasts and Dr. Seuss Enterprises was on the prime, stated Nicole Blake, GM of Wondery Kids & Family and Wondery’s head of franchise growth. Then, earlier than Wondery even reached out, “they called us,” she stated. “The stars aligned.”
“This deal with Dr. Seuss Enterprises is a milestone moment in establishing Wondery Kids & Family as the premiere destination for engaging family content,” stated Blake. “Both Wondery Kids & Family and Dr. Seuss are all about unlocking kids’ curiosity, imagination and wonder. This is truly a natural fit and we are looking forward to creating an array of programming that entertains and inspires the minds of tomorrow.”
Aimed at households with youngsters 3-12, Wondery’s lineup of youngsters and household reveals consists of science podcast “Wow in the World” hosted by Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas; weekly story-time podcast “Little Stories Everywhere”; and “Whose Amazing Life,” a puzzle-format podcast that presents information a couple of famend determine and invitations listeners to guess the topic on the conclusion of every episode.
