Michael Towner, Commissioning Editor at CBeebies, said it was “vital” for children to experience quality UK-originated pre-school programming.

BBC iPlayer - Moon and Me

Cheryl Taylor, Head of Content for BBC Children’s, says: “Andrew Davenport is blessed with an uncanny and proven ability to tap into the imaginations of children the world over and commissioning Moon and Me was simply too good an opportunity to miss. The magical world of play and discovery created by Andrew is both timeless and captivating, and embodies CBeebies’ mission to light up little learners. We are so proud to have this programme on our platforms and feel certain that our audience will treasure it as much as we do.” The magical world of play and discovery created by Andrew is both timeless and captivating, and embodies CBeebies’ mission to light up little learners. — Cheryl Taylor A Hollywood entertainment company, Bento Box Entertainment, partnered with Davenport’s Foundling Bird business to bring to produce Moon and Me, which is designed to relax toddlers and prepare them for sleepy-time. Magical Toy House With friendship at its heart, and inspired by pre-school children’s toy-house play, Moon and Me explores the special bonds between the characters, and how they demonstrate kindness, empathy and consideration to each other - and to their newest friend, Moon Baby. Andrew Davenport is renowned for creating premium quality television for young children, built on a special regard for play. Moon and Me’s narrative and structure has, in part, developed out of Foundling Bird’s own Toy House Play Observation Project, conducted in partnership with the University of Sheffield, which looked at the way children engage with toy houses in contemporary play.

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The show breaks new ground in its technical, visual and conceptual ambition and combines the latest production methods, using a combination of sophisticated puppetry and stop-motion to bring the colourful Moon and Me world to life. The Toy House alone features over 500 incredibly detailed, individually designed, hand-built and hand-painted miniature props and furnishings, with hidden messages for children to discover in many of the patterns and decorations.

Moon and Me - Pepi Nana and Moon Baby - Rainbow Productions Moon and Me - Pepi Nana and Moon Baby - Rainbow Productions

Pepi Nana is the favourite doll of the child we see putting her to bed in the Toy House at the beginning of every episode. The 22-minute tales each feature Nana writing a magical letter to her friend Moon Baby, who visits the Toy House for tea and a story.Moon and Me is a classic series of gentle and emotive tales about a magical toy, Pepi Nana, who lives in a Toy House with a “family” of comical toy friends. Together they welcome a special visitor from the Moon, Moon Baby, who opens a magical way into Storyland, where they share the wonderful stories waiting for them. The series eschews CGI. “We use puppetry to make the toys come alive and stop motion animation for Moon Baby. We’re trying to make a different world that doesn’t look like anything else out there. It’s a handcrafted with 500 individually-designed props and furnishings. The viewer is at eye level and sees the whole toy house.” In The Night Garden was another billion-pound hit for Davenport (BBC) Davenport, 53, who has a BSc in speech sciences, conducted his own academic research before embarking on the project. “I was interested in the literary storm of ‘toy house’ stories in the middle of the nineteenth century which are still in print today,” Davenport told i.

Meet the new Teletubbies - Moon and Me arrives on CBeebies

Ninky Nonk, Pontipines, Igglepiggle made their first appearance in 2007 and are still shown on CBeebies every evening. Davenport emerged with “a show that wears its emotional heart on its sleeve. Pepi Nana and her friends share books, write letters to each other, draw pictures, make things, invent things and go in search of adventure together.” ‘Tiddle-toddle’ We went to Sheffield University and set up an observational project. We had children playing in toy houses and set up a microphone inside. It was like a Big Brother house for toys.”Debuted in 1997 and has now seen by an estimated billion children in 120 countries. Controversy followed the four creatures with televisions on their abdomens who played each day in Teletubbyland. One read of the original pitch was all it took to convince us that Andrew had, once again, come up with an idea so beautifully simple yet rich and ambitious in scope that we couldn’t not have it,” he said. Pepi Nana says “tiddle toddle” because those kinds of sounds are how children learn to play with language, says Davenport, who has no children of his own but plenty of godchildren. Moon Baby, Lambkin, Mr Onion, Sleepy Dibillo, Colly Wobble, Pepi Nana, Little Nana (BBC) The series “taps into children’s innate curiosity and desire to create through their play routines, forming their own imaginary worlds and relationships through their toys.” Davenport already has plans for fifty more Moon and Me episodes although his shows appear about as regularly as new Kate Bush albums. “I’d love to make the next one in less than ten years time,” he admitted. “This is just the time it takes to develop a show like this. Moon and Me just felt like the right thing to do next.”