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 Logo used since 1 June 2000 | |
| Formerly | Ragdoll Productions (U.K.) Limited (1984; 1985–2000) Ragdoll Video Limited (1991–2000)[1][2] Ragdoll Limited (2000–2013)[3] |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Television production |
| Founded | 26 July 1984; 41 years ago (1984-07-26) |
| Founder | Anne Wood |
| Headquarters | , England |
Key people | Christopher Wood |
| Owner | Ragdoll Ltd. |
| Subsidiaries | The Ragdoll Foundation |
| Website | ragdoll |
| Footnotes / references [1] | |
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1968 | FilmFair London is founded |
| 1971 | DIC Audiovisuel is founded |
| 1972 | Strawberry Shortcake brand is first developed |
| 1974 | CPLG is founded |
| 1976 | CINAR andColossal Pictures are founded |
| 1982 | DIC Enterprises is founded |
| 1984–1985 | Ragdoll Productions is founded |
| 1986–1987 | Andy Heyward takes over DIC Enterprises and renames it DIC Animation City with help from bothBear Stearns & Co andPrudential Insurance Co Jean Chalopin retains DIC Audiovisuel and establishesCréativité et Développement |
| 1988 | Studio B Productions is founded |
| 1992 | Epitome Pictures is founded |
| 1993 | Capital Cities/ABC purchases DIC Animation City, renaming itDIC Entertainment |
| 1994 | BothWild Brain and Red Rover Studios were founded |
| 1995 | Platinum Disc Corporation is founded |
| 1996 | The Walt Disney Company purchases Capital Cities/ABC, which included DIC Entertainment as well CINAR buys FilmFair's library |
| 1997 | Decode Entertainment is founded |
| 1999 | Wild Brain acquires Colossal Pictures' employee base |
| 2000 | Andy Heyward re-acquires DIC Entertainment from The Walt Disney Company with help this time around from bothBain Capital andChase Capital Partners |
| 2001–2002 | Nerd Corps Entertainment and Kidrobot are founded FilmFair London closes DIC Entertainment rebrands themselves onscreen as The Incredible World of DIC |
| 2004 | Halifax Film Company is founded Michael Hirsh takes over CINAR and renames it asCookie Jar Group |
| 2005 | Platinum Disc Corporation merge asEcho Bridge Home Entertainment |
| 2006 | Decode and Halifax Film merge as DHX Media DIC Entertainment acquires CPLG Ragdoll Productions forms a joint-venture withBBC Worldwide called Ragdoll Worldwide Wild Brain acquires stake inKidrobot |
| 2007 | DHX Media buys Studio B Productions Wild Brain becomesWildbrain Entertainment |
| 2008 | Cookie Jar Group purchases and folds DIC Entertainment House of Cool absorbs Red Rover Studios |
| 2010 | DHX Media buys Wildbrain Entertainment Peanuts Worldwide is founded Decode Entertainment rebrands as DHX Media Toronto Hailfax Film becomes DHX Media Hailfax |
| 2011 | DHX Media Toronto, Studio B Productions and Red Rover Studios close |
| 2012 | DHX Media buys Cookie Jar Group Wildbrain Entertainment acquires Kidrobot as a whole |
| 2013 | DHX Media acquires Ragdoll Worldwide from Ragdoll Productions and BBC Worldwide; despite that though, Ragdoll Productions themselves remain independent |
| 2014 | DHX Media buys Epitome Pictures, Nerd Corps, and Echo Bridge Home Entertainment's family content library, as well asFamily, the CanadianEnglish andFrench Disney Junior channels, andthe Canadian version of Disney XD Cookie Jar Group shuts down National Entertainment Collectibles Association acquires Kidrobot from Wildbrain Entertainment |
| 2016 | The WildBrain multi-channel network launches Studio B and Nerd Corps merge asDHX Studios Wildbrain Entertainment closes |
| 2017 | DHX Media buysPeanuts Worldwide and Strawberry Shortcake |
| 2018 | DHX Media Hailfax becomesIsland of Misfits |
| 2019 | DHX Media rebrands asWildBrain Epitome Pictures closes the WildBrain MCN becomesWildBrain Spark |
| 2020 | CPLG becomes WildBrain CPLG |
| 2021 | Echo Bridge folds into SP Distribution |
| 2023 | WildBrain acquires House of Cool |
| 2024 | WildBrain Spark merged into its parent company asWildBrain London |
| 2025 | WildBrain announces closures of its television channels WildBrain sells Peanuts Worldwide (47% stake, with 41% controlled stake atSony Pictures) |
Ragdoll Productions Limited, or simplyRagdoll, is a British television production company founded in 1984 byAnne Wood, who had previously worked forYorkshire Television andTV-am. It is located inBloxham,Oxfordshire, and has produced a number ofchildren's programmes, most notablyTeletubbies,Pob's Programme,Rosie and Jim,Brum,Boohbah,Tots TV, andIn the Night Garden..., most of which are now owned byWildBrain.
Ragdoll Productions was founded on 26 July 1984 byAnne Wood, who produced shows for theITV network. It was incorporated asRagdoll Productions (U.K.) Limited in April 1985 and was originally based inBirmingham.[3] The company's first show,Pob's Programme, debuted onChannel 4 later that year. The company was later commissioned byCentral Independent Television to producePlaybox, which demonstrated the ability for the company to produce their own characters. In 1989,The Magic Mirror andBOOM! marked the company's debut in live-action and animation markets.[4] The company at first produced puppet-based programmes, and their mascot was originally a femalerag doll that was based on one that belonged to Wood's daughter. The rag doll wore a chequered shirt with matching trousers, and black flats.
In 1992, the company moved their operations toStratford-upon-Avon,Warwickshire and opened up The Ragdoll Shop.
In the mid-1990s, Ragdoll expanded operations to theUnited States, and signed a deal with The Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Company to sell all their programmes in the market.
In June 2000, Ragdoll dropped their rag doll mascot for a more simplistic logo designed byLambie-Nairn, with the company also adopting a new name ofRagdoll Limited by that point. During that time, the company started to move away from puppet-based shows (which started withTeletubbies in 1997), by making costume-based programmes and animated cartoons.
In October 2001, Ragdoll parted ways with Itsy Bitsy following a failure to reach an agreement with the company's majority owner, the Handleman Group. Ragdoll then started to sell their programmes on their own from then-on, renaming Ragdoll USA.[5]
In January 2002,Teletubbies: Everywhere, a spin-off ofTeletubbies, was announced to air onCBeebies within its launch debut.[6] On 14 June, a new series titledBoohbah was announced and was pre-sold toCITV andGMTV for a 2003 delivery.[7] The show later saw an international roll-out.
At MIPTV 2005, Ragdoll announced a new series titledBlurrfect and that CITV had acquired broadcasting rights for an autumn 2005 delivery.[8] By September 2005, the series was renamedBlips, and soon premiered on 29 September 2005 as part of the CITV's autumn schedule.[9][10] On 13 October, Ragdoll unrevealed two new series that were pre-sold to the BBC:In the Night Garden... andTronji, for a 2007 delivery.[11] In October 2005, Ragdoll subsidiary The Ragdoll Foundation announced thatFive'sMilkshake! block had commissioned a series of six short films titledWhat Makes Me Happy?, which would air daily from 19 December.[12]
In September 2006, Ragdoll formed a collaborative venture withBBC Worldwide called Ragdoll Worldwide, to sell and license the company's programmes outside of the UK and North America.In the Night Garden... andTronji would be the first two programmes created as part of the venture, while existing programmes were handled by BBC Worldwide, which managed the international broadcast sales and the UK and international licensing of all Ragdoll properties (includingBlips,Boohbah,Brum,Tots TV,Rosie and Jim, andOpen a Door), with Ragdoll retaining all British broadcast rights. A new subsidiary, Ragdoll USA Inc., part of the new joint venture, would manage Ragdoll's distribution in North America.[13]
In January 2013, Ragdoll opted to end their agreement with BBC Worldwide and put up Ragdoll Worldwide for sale.[14] On 16 September 2013, Canadian studio DHX Media (currently namedWildBrain) purchased the venture from both companies for £17.4 million (or USD$24 million)[15] The deal included the rights to most of Ragdoll's programming produced from 1990 to 2012. The company also changed to its current name ofRagdoll Productions (UK) Limited, with "Productions" added back to the name after 13 years.
In 2015, Ragdoll produced the live-action/stop-motion seriesTwirlywoos with DHX, making it the first and only co-production between the companies.
In 2018, the company co-produced a short film withDisney UK for the Hope Works initiative, titledWhat Shall We Do With The Angry Monster?.[16]
In 2021, Ragdoll formed a deal with British distribution companyCake Entertainment for them to distribute their new series,B.O.T. and the Beasties, forCBeebies. On 29 March 2021, the company was relocated toShenington, with Anne Wood resigning as a person with significant control of the company on 10 December, and leaving her son Christopher Wood to take over as director.
On 13 June 2024, Ragdoll would once again move their operations, this time toBloxham, another small town inOxfordshire.
The following are some of productions made by Anne Wood before Ragdoll was founded, accompanied by a brief description and vital statistics:
Ragdoll's programmes produced between 1990 and 2017 (excludingPob's Programme,Playbox,BOOM! andStorytime) are currently owned byWildBrain (formerly known as DHX Media), the company no longer owns the rights of any of their shows.
| Title | Year(s) | Network | Notes/Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pob's Programme | 1985–1990 | Channel 4 | Currently owned byChannel Four Television Corporation |
| Playbox | 1987–1992 | ITV (Central) | Currently owned byITV Studios |
| The Magic Mirror | 1989 | ITV | Co-production forThe Kellogg Company Ragdoll's first animated production |
| BOOM! | 1990–1991 | Channel 4 | Ragdoll's first non-puppet live-action production Currently owned by Channel Four Television Corporation |
| Rosie and Jim | 1990-2000 | ITV (Central) | . |
| Brum | 1991, 1994 2001–2002 | BBC One (Children's BBC/CBBC) CBeebies | . |
| Tots TV | 1993–1998 | ITV (Central) | Co-produced withCarlton Television in later seasons Rights co-owned withITV Studios |
| Open a Door | 1994–2003 | BBC Two (Children's BBC/CBBC) CBeebies | An international short film series co-produced with other companies. |
| Storytime | 1995–1997 | BBC Two | Series 5-6 only |
| Teletubbies | 1997–2001 | BBC Two (Children's BBC/CBBC) | . |
| Badjelly the Witch | 2000 | BBC One | Television special/movie Co-produced with Norma Farnes Management |
| Teletubbies Everywhere | 2002 | CBeebies | Short form series |
| Boohbah | 2003–2006 | ITV (CITV andGMTV) | Co-produced with GMTV |
| Blips | 2005–2006 | ITV (CITV) | Co-produced with CITV |
| What Makes Me Happy | 2005 | Five (Milkshake!) | Co-produced with The Ragdoll Foundation Series of six short films |
| Twirlywoos | 2015–2017 | CBeebies | Co-produced withDHX Media |
| What Shall We Do With The Angry Monster? | 2018 | YouTube | Short film Co-produced forDisney UK |
| B.O.T. and the Beasties | 2021 | CBeebies | Short form series Distributed byCake Entertainment |
| Title | Year(s) | Network | Notes/Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the Night Garden... | 2007–2009 | CBeebies/BBC Two | |
| Tronji | 2009–2010 | CBBC | |
| Dipdap | 2011 | CBeebies | Short form series |
| The Adventures of Abney & Teal | 2011–2012 | CBeebies |
The Ragdoll Shop inStratford-upon-Avon,Warwickshire, was a shop that consisted of themed play areas based on Ragdoll properties and an area where merchandise was sold. The shop first opened in 1992, and traded until 2005, because of expansion limits and failure to find a new larger venue.[17]
The building that formerly housed the shop is now a optometrist's practice named Dr. C.P. Grey's. The picture of Rosie and Jim waving can still be seen in the black window at the top of the building.
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