Yoko (TV series)

The story follows the adventures of Mai, Oto and Vik and a magical creature named Yoko. Yoko has been developed as a truly international property focused on outdoor play patterns with a social curriculum that mixes friendship, nature, and imagination. The main characters simply love to play outside. The enthusiasm and energy with which they throw themselves headlong into their games arouses the curiosity of a magical being called Yoko who takes ordinary children's games and turns them into extraordinary adventures. Yoko is a magical forest creature who only appears to those children who play with no holds barred. Thanks to Yoko's magic, games such as “tag”, for example, can suddenly become an exciting rocket race in outer space. Adventures are featured in various settings that cross different continents.

Yoko - Yoko is the most friendly magical creature. He is a yellow giant with bunny ears. These creatures once occupied the parkland before buildings and people closed it in. Yoko has a unique way of communication. He emotes, gestures, and uses the word “Yoko” a thousand different ways. But somehow Oto, Vik, and Mai understand everything. Yoko is quite old by human years, but young in Yoko years. He has emotional and social maturity of a child. Yoko is all about good time but he is unpredictable, emotional and contrary. Most of the time Yoko simply acts and plays like one of gang. He uses his magic to maximize or minimize existing conditions and objects. He also can make a cloud rain in one spot, freeze a lake, or make the sun shine.

Vik - Vik, 6 years-old, is the most reasonable of the bunch. The smartest and most erudite boy among the friends he has a clearer idea of the rules of a game, although he has trouble catching on when things change. But, once Vik gets the gist he is a skilled role player who really gets into details. He has brown hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. Dependable Vik is everyone's best friend. He seeks peace and equanimity for others and for his own sanity. But, the powerful personalities around him make him nervous. He is prone to overreact to loud noises and big changes. Vik is the one to say “time out!”

Mai - 4 years-old Mai is very sweet at heart. Mai is the only female in the company of kids. She loves everything about natural world of the park: flowers, trees. She has pink hair, green eyes and fair skin. Mai is very verbal. She considers herself to be an expert about a lot of things. Mai likes to be prepared and is never far from her four-wheeled pull cart.

Oto - Oto is an impulsive 5-year-old. The most perky, naughty, and active among the friends; Oto likes everything connected with sports, rivalry, and active rest. He has blue hair, blue eyes, and fair-reddish skin. Physical Oto was made for outdoor play. He loves digging, climbing, skidding and earth foraging. But nothing dampens his enthusiasm for long. When the play begins, his creative ideas form exiting roles for everybody and scenarios that keep on giving. Oto's the last one to say “It’s time to go home”.

Ranger Loops - Ranger Loops is a park ranger who is the main woman in the park. She keeps the peace and order in City Park. She is enthusiastic and loves leading the kids in flower-sniffing exercises and wild animal calls. She is also a banjo player who sings short musical ditties about park rules and obscure nature facts. She looks after the park, and enjoys chatting with children. Working out of the park recreation house, Ranger Loops dispenses sports gear, costumes, and art materials to the kids.

Wizart TV Series of Wizart Animation joined with Spanish animation companies Somuga and Dibulitoon to create the first Russian-Spanish series in the history of animated co-production.[1][2][3] The idea of the project belongs to the Spaniards, but the script was developed by a collective mind from all the studios. In terms of animation, Alexey Medvedev stated one of the unique parts of the characters is how unusually organized their limbs are because they were designed around square geometrical framework. In order to feature a bending motion to the characters, a special animated muscular curve was made over fitted on their polygonal grid animated framework.[4]

Around July 2015, Wizart revealed the studios were working on a 52 x 12 minute, 3D animated series which is targeted for children aged 4–7 years that follows the adventures of Yoko, Mai, Oto, and Vik as their playtime in the park turn into magical adventures.[5][6] All the characters have their own distinct characteristics and do not resemble each other.[7]

Director Rishat Gilmetdinov says, "There will be an interactive part for each episode — a minute-long thematic game will be told, and there will be a cultural exchange: our games, Spanish games. And children, after watching this part, will be able to go to the Park and play with friends in these games. This is intended to break away from tablets and computers."[4]

In the 2014 MIPCOM the new animated series Yoko aroused great interest among buyers from Indonesia, Turkey, and the Middle East.[8] At the Asia TV Forum & Market In October 2015 held in Singapore, the series was presented to the potential buyers in Asia.[9] At the Shanghai Film Market held in June 2015, Wizart presented the animated series.[10] In 2015 Cannes at MIPJunior, the series was presented to one of the largest international exhibition of content for children and youth.[1] In Russia, the first season, consisting of 52 episodes, premiered on Russian national channels CTC and Carousel during late 2016.[11] Additionally, in Spain the series broadcast on RTVE kids channel CLAN TV.[11] On 14 May 2016, a special premiere of the TV series in the Russian theaters occurred that featured the episode 23 Маленькое Сафари(Small Safari), where the characters will go on a journey through the wildlife, and witness giraffes and hippos. The event was organized by the special cinema event known as МУЛЬТ в кино(CARTOON in the cinema).[4]

Following a number of agreements, the series broadcast in Russian educational channel O!(Pay TV Worldwide), as well as on Mult, Tlum, Ani(Pay TV), VTV in Belarus and on ETV in Estonia.[12][11] In March 2017, Jetpack Distributions, a global distributor of entertainment distributed the preschool series to Canada, Portugal, India, and Sri Lanka. Canada's BBC Knowledge, Portugal's Canal Panda, India and Sri Lanka's Sun TV, and Nick Jr. in Italy agreed to broadcast the show.[11] Promotional toy campaign was launched by Bauer, Russia's DUM and Alliance, as well as Spain's Bizak. A Master Toy agreement was signed featuring wooden toys; action figures of the four cartoon characters: Yoko, Mitya, Vic and Maya; and construction sets.[13] In Spain, the TV series debuted in March 2017 in the Basque language on EITB.[14]

In February 2018, Jetpack Distributor bought Netflix on a deal to broadcast the series for new countries like U.S. and United Kingdom. Dominic Gardiner, the CEO of Jetpack Distribution says, "Yoko has proved to have mass global appeal. It contains elements that pre-school kids really love, including magic and adventure. It also highlights the value of play and delivers positive messages." New countries to broadcast the series included China released by distributor Huashi TV on Tencent. Nat Geo Kids Latin America picked up the show for Latin American and the Caribbean countries.[15][16] A movie based on the TV series was launched in 2018 titled Yoko and Friends(Yoko y Sus Amigos) that was released along with the TV broadcast.[6]

Around July 2018, the animation studios revealed they will be presenting a second season for Yoko due for delivery on Autumn 2018.[17][18] In Russia the second season debuted in October 2019 on the channel O![19] In April 2020, Wizart presented Майя знает! (Maya Knows), an educational TV series spin-off of the project Yoko. In each episode, the heroine Maya, along with her magical friend Yoko, will explain to children an interesting fact about the world around them.[20]

Currently Yoko the TV series airs in international channels across 60 countries.[18] In Spain, the series broadcast in ETB 3.[21] Since its premiere in 2016, Yoko has achieved an average share of 24% viewership in the target of 4-8 age group as indicated by RTVE in Spain.[22] On 12 April 2019, Yoko series channel received the Silver Button from YouTube. Today it has garnered more than 56 million views.[23]

Kanal-o applauded the movie's message is right for children by stating, "Yoko not only entertains, but also develops. All good children are a little restless and tomboyish. And, sometimes, the spirit of competition leads to quarrels. But Yoko also comes to the rescue. Unobtrusively, in the form of a game, it leads kids to the idea that friendship is more important than victory, and really fun happens only when everyone has fun. With Yoko, any game turns from entertainment to an instructive parable, living through which the characters of the series, and with them the small audience, become a little more adult. Perhaps that is why the cartoon is so popular not only for children, but also for parents."[28]

On 22 March 2015 at Suzdalfest, Yoko was awarded the prize with the category, "Animated Series with the Greatest International Potential."[1] The distinction was tabulated by Reed MIDEM, the organizing body behind global content markets MIPTV, MIPCOM, MIPJunior, and MIPFormats who has previously given Yoko the same award.[29] The international festival known as El Festival El Chupete (El Pacuete Festival) of children's media and communications in Spain awarded the Special Award to the feature film Yoko y Sus Amigos (Yoko and Friends).[30]

In Spain, it was noted that one of the top-performing shows in RTVE's Clan kids channel was Yoko and Friends.[31] At the Seville European Film Festival 2015, the children and youth audience of the Europa Junior section of the SEFF awarded the Giraldillo Junior award to Yoko and Friends.[32] Yoko and Friends was also a nominee for animation at the 2016 Goya Awards.[33]

• Television show
• Animated series
• Children's television series
• Educational entertainment
• List of children's television series by country
• Lists of animated television series

• Official website
• Yoko at IMDb
• Yoko at YokoPlay, an official site