Noddy wins teaching job with China

NODDY'S little yellow car is about to start its longest journey with a mere 5,050-mile trip to China. Enid Blyton's favourite pre-school character is about to be exploited big time in the world's largest single market.

Chorion, owner of all the Enid Blyton rights, today awarded the mainland Chinese rights to its 100-part animated series to Beijing's Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, the academic publishing arm attached to Beijing's Foreign Studies University.

The deal will see a complete roll-out of Noddy books, toys, videos and DVDs, and educational and language products to China's 95m children under five years old.

The TV series of 100 10-minute episodes is already a hit in more than 30 countries, notably France where Noddy masquerades under the name Oui Oui.

In China, alongside the normal entertainment products and toys, FLTRP will also launch the multi-part Noddy Early Learning curriculum and Chorion's Learn English with Noddy programme.

Similar rights to these educational products have also been sold to publishers in Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Malaysia.

Nicholas James, chief executive of Chorion, said: 'Enid Blyton was herself a pre-school teacher and created Noddy in order to make the learning experience more fun for children, thereby increasing the character's educational value.

'We are confident that children in China will warmly welcome Noddy into their hearts just as they have right around the world.'