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Bing (TV series)

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Bing
Logo used since 2014
Based onBing Bunny by Ted Dewan
Developed byAcamar Films
ComposerJulian Nott
Country of origin
  • United Kingdom
  • Ireland
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes105 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Lucy Murphy
  • Philip Bergkvist
  • Howard Litton
ProducerMichael Shields
Running time7 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkCBeebies (UK)
S4C (in Welsh language only)
Release9 June 2014 (2014-06-09) –
12 December 2019 (2019-12-12)

Bing is an animated children's television series based on the books by Ted Dewan and produced by Acamar Films. The series follows a preschool bunny boy named Bing as he experiences everyday issues.

Bing airs on CBeebies in the United Kingdom and Ireland and S4C in the Welsh language. In January 2024, Acamar Films announced that Bing had been requested over one billion times on BBC iPlayer.[1] RAI in Italy premiered the series in 2018 on its RAI YoYo platform.[2] In The United States, the series started airing on the Cartoonito block in September 2021 on Cartoon Network,[3][4] with an American voice cast, replacing their original British voices.[5] Bing premiered in France on the France 5 channel in January 2023.[6] Bing airs in 130 countries[7] and is available on YouTube across a network of 25 localized channels.[8][9]

Bing has won numerous awards including an International Emmy Kids Award and a Writers' Guild Award.[10] The Peek-a-Boo Bing soft toy has won a 2023 Made For Mums Gold Award.[11]

Plot

[edit]

Every episode starts off with Flop saying "Round the corner not far away". Whatever Bing is doing at the start of the episode. At the end, Bing summarizes what he has learnt in the episode, with Flop intoning "It's a Bing thing".[12]

Characters

[edit]
  • Bing (voiced by Elliot Kerley in series 1 and Rafferty Railton in series 2 of the British version, Santino Barnard in the American English version) is the titular protagonist of the programme. Bing is a 3-year-old black anthropomorphic bunny. His favourite toy is Hoppity Voosh, a rabbit superhero. Bing wears a green shirt, red and black chequered dungarees and black and white shoes and Bing loves to hum, whistle, pretend and do untroubling childlike things.
  • Flop (voiced by Mark Rylance in series 1[13] and David Threlfall in series 2) is Bing's carer, guiding Bing through his toddler life, entertaining him and soothing him when Bing faces a problem. Flop is a short orange-skinned creature and is presumably a stuffed peanut toy.[14]
  • Sula (voiced by Eve Bentley in the British version, Annabelle Chow in the American English version) is a brown, female anthropomorphic elephant and one of Bing's best friends. Sula wears a pink and yellow dress with trousers, hot pink socks and golden sparkly shoes. Her favourite toy is Fairy Hippo (as revealed in 'Hearts'), a hippo dressed up as a fairy.[14]
  • Amma (voiced by Akiya Henry) is Sula's guardian. Amma runs the creche and park café. The programme's child characters sometimes visit. Amma is a short blue-skinned elephant-like creature and is also presumed to be a stuffed elephant toy.
  • Pando (voiced by Shai Portnoy in series 1 and Noah Hicks in series 2 of the British version, Micah Gursoy in the American English version) is an anthropomorphic male panda who is also Bing's second best friend,[14] and lives next door to him. Pando shares his catchphrase, "Hoppity-voosh!" with Bing. Pando wears a white shirt, belly black shoes and white briefs. He is often seen wearing yellow shorts, before taking them off at the earliest possible opportunity, remaining in his underwear.[15]
  • Padget (voiced by Bryony Hannah in the British version, Molly Wurwand in the American English version) is Pando's guardian. Padget runs the corner shop near to where Bing lives. Padget can sometimes be spotted out jogging or else driving her yellow tuk-tuk. Padget is a short green-skinned creature, also presumed to be a stuffed animal.
  • Coco (voiced by Jocelyn Macnab in the British version, Alivia Clark in the American English version) is a white anthropomorphic bunny who is Bing's cousin and Charlie's older sister and a bit of a control freak.[14] Coco is the oldest of the child characters at age 10.
  • Charlie (voiced by Poppy Hendley) is a white anthropomorphic bunny who is Coco's 1-year-old baby brother and Bing's cousin who cannot talk. Charlie puts everything in his mouth and the others say, "Don't chew it, Charlie!"
  • Molly (voiced by Tamsin Greig) is Coco and Charlie's carer. Molly also works as a doctor. Molly is a small red-skinned creature often seen wearing glasses and a white lab coat.[16]
  • Nicky (voiced by Xavi Nixon) is a small anthropomorphic brown elephant who is Sula's younger cousin. Nicky wears glasses, an orange t-shirt, blue & white sneakers and blue dungarees. Nicky makes his first appearance in series 2.[16] Nicky is often the source of disagreement between Bing and Sula.

Production

[edit]

Bing was based on the Bing Bunny book series, written and illustrated by Ted Dewan.[17][18] Acamar Films acquired the rights to Bing Bunny[19] and produced the programme in conjunction with Brown Bag Films and Tandem Films.[14][17] Acamar Films CEO, Mikael Shields selected Bing for development because he believed that the stories within Bing had potential to support young-children and help them to develop life-long resilience.[20] The series was developed for CBeebies though initial episodes were viewable at MIPTV.[21]

Acamar Films CEO, Mikael Shields was voice director for the series[22][23] and served as a writer on the programme.[24]

23 external writers, 5 internal writers, 3 Montessori teachers, American educators, and English language development experts were involved in the production of each series.[25]

Episodes

[edit]
Main article: List of Bing episodes
SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1789 June 2014 (2014-06-09)20 May 2015 (2015-05-20)
22730 October 2019 (2019-10-30)12 December 2019 (2019-12-12) [26]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Award Category Nominee Result Refs
2014 British Academy Children's Awards Pre-School Animation Bing Nominated [27]
2015 Annecy International Animated Film Festival TV series For episode "Bye Bye" Nominated [28]
2015 Pulcinella Awards TV series for PreSchool Bing Nominated [29][30]
2015 Writers Guild Award Best Children's TV Episode Denise Cassar & the Bing Writing Team
(for episode "Bye Bye") 		Won
2016 International Emmy Kids Award Kids: Pre-School Bing Won
2020 BANFF Rockies World Media Festival Children & Youth: Pre-School Category Bing Nominated [31]
2020 Palm Springs International Animation Festival 3D Kids Animated Shorts Bing Nominated [32]
2020 PRIX ROYAL Paris Animation Awards Best Animation (Short) Bing Won [33]
2021 Findecoin - Independent International Short Film Festival Animated Short Film Bing Nominated [34]
2021 Animation Celebration Fest Animated TV or Web-series Episode Bing Won
2021 ANIMAFILM International Film Festival Short Animated Film for Children Bing Nominated
2021 San Diego International Film Festival Short Film Bing Nominated

Other media

[edit]

Home media

[edit]

DVDs of the series are released by StudioCanal in the UK.[35][36] The first DVD "Swing... and other episodes" was released on 31 March 2015 and features 10 episodes - Bye Bye, Swing, Blocks, Ducks, Smoothie, Frog, Car Park, Shadow, Musical Statues, and Voo Voo. A second DVD was released on 15 June of the same year and is titled "Storytime... and other episodes", featuring a further 10 episodes - Storytime, Growing, Atchoo, Hide & Seek, Bake, Train, Say Goodbye, Lost, Picnic, and Balloon.

Apps

[edit]

The Bing app, "Bing: Watch, Play, Learn" was first released in September 2014. Available on iOS, Android, and Amazon platforms, the app features full episodes as well as games, audio and activities. Certain features may be restricted due to location and existing distribution rights. The app has been downloaded 2.8 million times since launch.[37]

Publishing

[edit]

HarperCollins Children's Books signed a deal with Acamar and The Licensing Company to re-publish the stories to link with the TV programme.[38][39][40] The books were re-issued in 2013–14.[21] Approximately 5.2 million Bing books have been sold worldwide with over 70 Bing books published in the UK.[41] HarperCollins and Acamar Films renewed their publishing agreement in 2023.[42]

Toys

[edit]

Fisher Price initially developed a range of Bing toys, which were released in July 2015, including "play sets, figurines, role play items, ride-ons, musical toys, wooden toys, and soft toys".[43] At some point Fisher Price lost the license and now toys are currently manufactured by Golden Bear Toys who produce a variety of Bing toys including soft toys as well as plastic play sets.[44]

Live events

[edit]

Costume characters of Bing and Flop have been present in CBeebies Land at the Alton Towers theme park since 2018.[45] Specially-decorated Bing rooms were launched in the CBeebies Hotel at Alton Towers in 2022.[46] Bing and Flop costume characters also appear regularly at the Gulliver's Land theme park in Milton Keynes[47] and Rotherham[48] and take part in various limited-time appearances at venues across the UK including Chester Zoo,[49] London Zoo,[50] and Woburn Safari Park.[51] Bing has also appeared at the UK's Gloworm[52] and CarFest[53] summer festivals. In Italy, Bing and Flop form part of the entertainment at the Leolandia theme park since 2019.[54]

An English-language theatre show, 'Bing Live' toured across 50 locations in the UK in 2018.[55] In the Netherlands, a Dutch-language touring theatre show, 'Bing is jarig' ('Bing's Birthday') premiered in October 2021 with many performances selling out.[56] A Polish-language version of the show began touring Poland in November 2023.[57]

In November 2022, a limited-time Bing store was opened in the Glasgow Fort shopping centre. The Bing Store Pop-Up sold a range of Bing products while also offering free storytelling sessions, craft activities and meet and greets with the Bing and Flop costume characters.[58]

Cinema

[edit]

Acamar Films has produced four Bing cinema packages. The first, 'Bing at the Cinema' debuted across 83 cinemas in the United Kingdom in 2019.[59] In 2023, 'Bing's Christmas and Other Stories' was distributed across 118 UK cinemas.[60] Bing cinema packages have premiered in local languages in UK, the Netherlands, Poland and Italy.[59]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Bing "vooshes" past one billion streams on BBC iPlayer as Acamar Films announces leading global broadcaster renewals". Animation UK. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  2. ^ "BING ITALIAN YOUTUBE CHANNEL REACHES 1 Million Subscribers". Total Licensing. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Cartoonito Greenlights 'Dylan's Playtime Adventures', Adds 'Bing', 'Odo' & 'Pocoyo' to Lineup". 27 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Cartoonito Pre-K Block Debuts Sept. 13 on HBO Max & Cartoon Network". 16 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Cartoonito on Instagram: "It's a Bing thing! 🐰🖤 Join @bingbunny and his friends Flop, Sula, Pando, and the rest of the crew as they explore their town! 📺 THIS FALL! Watch Bing Bunny during @Cartoonito on @cartoonnetworkofficial #Cartoonito #CartoonNetwork #bingbunny"".
  6. ^ "Acamar Films Appoints France Télévisions Distribution as French Licensing Agent for Bing as the series debuts on France 5". Acamar Films. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  7. ^ Quetteville, Harry de (26 October 2022). "Why children's TV is a force to be reckoned with". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  8. ^ "Bing Goes Gold in Poland Reaching One Million YouTube Subscribers". Acamar Films. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  9. ^ Shields, Mikael (16 October 2023). "'Bing' producer Michael Shields on why pre-school content is as valuable as prime-time drama". Television Business International.
  10. ^ "Awards". Acamar Films. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  11. ^ "MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023: Winners announced". MadeForMums. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  12. ^ Brown, Maggie (27 May 2014). "Mark Rylance voices CBeebies cartoon Bing". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  13. ^ Fletcher, Harry (27 May 2014). "Mark Rylance to star in new CBeebies show Bing". Digital Spy. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  14. ^ a b c d e "Life - it's a Bing Thing! Bing comes to CBeebies with voice talent from Mark Rylance". BBC News. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  15. ^ Haigh, Phil (9 February 2018). "Why does Pando remove his pants on Bing? Some parents really hate this guy". Metro. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  16. ^ a b "Acamar & CBeebies Get Hopping on New Series of 'Bing'". Animation Magazine. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  17. ^ a b "Mark Rylance joins CBeebies show Bing". BBC - Ariel. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  18. ^ "About Bing | Bing Bunny". uk.bingbunny.com. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  19. ^ "Acamar Films Develops Animated 'Bing Bunny' Series". Animation Magazine. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  20. ^ Shields, Mikael (16 October 2023). "'Bing' producer Mikael Shields on why pre-school content is as valuable as prime-time drama". TBI International.
  21. ^ a b Wolfe, Jennifer (6 February 2013). "Acamar Partners with Brown Bag Films and Tandem Films on 'Bing Bunny'". Animation World Network (AWN). Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  22. ^ "Authentic Performance | %event% | Sessions". The Children's Media Conference (CMC). Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  23. ^ "ACAMAR APPOINTS new CHIEF CONTENT & AUDIENCES OFFICER with 'BING' set FOR GLOBAL EXPANSION". Animation UK. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  24. ^ Skwigly (22 January 2015). "Acamar Films scoops coveted Writer's Guild of Great Britain Award". Skwigly Animation Magazine. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  25. ^ "Un giorno a casa di Bing eroe del pianeta Under 5". ilGiornale.it (in Italian). 25 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  26. ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m0009tgy/bing
  27. ^ "Children's Pre-School Animation in 2014". BAFTA. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  28. ^ "TV films in competition". Annecy. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  29. ^ "Nominations". Cartoons Bay. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  30. ^ Wolfe, Jennifer (14 April 2015). "Cartoons on the Bay Unveils 2015 Pulcinella Award Nominees". Animation World Network. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  31. ^ "2020 Nominees". Rockie Awards. Brunico Communications Ltd. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  32. ^ "PSIAF 2020 Official Selections". Palm Springs International Animation. Palm Springs International Animation Festival & Expo. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  33. ^ Tabarsi, Anahita. "Bing Wins PRIX ROYAL Paris Animation Award for Best Animation!". Brown Bag Films. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  34. ^ "Findecoin International Short and Feature Film Festival". Findecoin. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  35. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (26 March 2015). "StudioCanal Bringing Acamar's 'Bing' to DVD". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  36. ^ "BOUNDS OUT ON DVD WITH STUDIOCANAL". Show me the animation. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  37. ^ Casal, Marianna (30 May 2023). "Acamar releases new version of Bing app". Toy World Magazine | The business magazine with a passion for toys. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  38. ^ "Bing Bunny Books Head to TV". License. 9 November 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  39. ^ Farrington, Joshua (8 November 2012). "HC to publish Bing Bunny TV tie-ins". The Book Seller. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  40. ^ Maybury, David (7 February 2014). "Bing Bunny is in Production #NewShow". Brown Bag Films. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  41. ^ @AcamarFilms (2 March 2023). "Happy #WorldBookDay! To date, 5.2 million Bing books have been sold worldwide with over 70 Bing titles published in the UK. Bingsters love books and we are so proud to be working with our master publishing partner @HarperCollinsCh" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  42. ^ "Acamar Films and HarperCollins Renew Partnership". www.licenseglobal.com. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  43. ^ "Fisher-Price to Develop 'Bing' Toys". LicenseMag. 28 March 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  44. ^ "Acamar Films Launches Colourful Campaign to Support New Bing Rainybow Toy". Acamar Films. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  45. ^ Gill, Emma (22 May 2018). "Bing and Flop live show comes to CBeebies Land at Alton Towers". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  46. ^ Delahaye, Julie (24 February 2022). "Alton Towers gives first look at CBeebies hotel's brand new Bing themed rooms". mirror. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  47. ^ Milton Keynes Development Corporat (24 July 2013). The Plan for Milton Keynes. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781315889573. ISBN 978-1-134-51795-4.
  48. ^ "Bing and Flop set to extend stay at Gulliver's theme parks following extension of Acmar Films partnership | Planet Attractions". www.planetattractions.com. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  49. ^ Gill, Emma (10 May 2023). "Kids can meet Bing and Flop at Chester Zoo for storytime, a trail and more". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  50. ^ "Bing and Flop at London Zoo | London Zoo". www.londonzoo.org. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  51. ^ "Come and meet Bing and Flop at Woburn Safari Park! - Experience Bedfordshire". www.experiencebedfordshire.co.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  52. ^ Anita (4 April 2023). "Smoby Play Zone returns to Gloworm Festival". Toy World Magazine | The business magazine with a passion for toys. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  53. ^ "KidsFest – An area perfect for kids at cinch presents CarFest". CarFest. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  54. ^ "Acamar Films builds on Bing's success in Italy with long-term Leolandia partnership". Acamar Films. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  55. ^ Belfast, Love (7 June 2018). "THE FIRST UK TOUR OF BING LIVE ON STAGE IN DERRY OR BELFAST IN JULY 2018". LoveBelfast. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  56. ^ Anita (6 April 2023). "Bing features in Dutch pancake campaign". Licensing.biz. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  57. ^ Anita (1 August 2023). "Bing live theatre show expands tour across Europe". Licensing.biz. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  58. ^ Glasgow, What's On. "The Bing Store Pop-Up at Glasgow Fort, Glasgow East End". What's On Glasgow. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  59. ^ a b "FEATURE: Exploring fringe distribution opportunities". Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  60. ^ Tonks, Caroline (27 November 2023). "Bing's Christmas special set for widest-ever nationwide cinema release". Toy World Magazine | The business magazine with a passion for toys. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
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