Televisa chews Taffy's tyke shows

Broadcaster nabs 'Fantastic Four,' 'Creepie'

By JAMES YOUNG

MEXICO CITY -- Multinational shingle Taffy Entertainment announced Tuesday that Mexico's top broadcaster Televisa has purchased free TV rights on two of its children's programs, "Growing Up Creepie" and superhero series "The Fantastic Four."

Winner of the toon kudo Pulcinella award, "Creepy" looks at adolescence through the eyes of Creepie Creecher, a girl raised by a family of bugs, including a vampire mosquito dad.

The show launched last fall on pay TV on Nickelodeon Latin America and it airs in the U.S. on the Discovery Kids Channel. The series is produced by Mike Young Prods. and Discovery Kids in association with DAG Entertainment, Sunwoo Entertainment/Peach Blossom and Telegael Teoranta.

The "Fantastic Four" action-comedy series is based on the classic Marvel comic book series featuring Mr. Fantastic, The Thing, The Invisible Girl and The Human Torch battling various baddies.

The series is co-produced by MoonScoop and Marvel, with the participation of Cartoon Network Europe and Gallic TV broadcaster M6.

Taffy Entertainment has distribution rights outside the U.S., with Marvel handling U.S. TV and subsequent DVD distribution rights and worldwide merchandising.

The show can also be found on pay TV on Cartoon Network Latin America.

The agreement includes 52 and episodes of "Creepy" and 26 of "Fantastic," running in quarter-hour and half-hour formats respectively.