The company signed a licensing agreement for coloring books in April, and is working on a music deal. McBride hopes the Reppies' appearance at the licensing show in New York this month will generate a contract for plush toys, but there's nothing cooking right now. We want to take it slow and easy and judge the demand. They impart value-laden messages about the importance of recycling, respectful behavior and teamwork. The television series is built around original music, which the Reppies perform and mime as a chart-topping band.
Kids really light up to it.
This adds to the series' educational value, he says, because research shows that children learn more through repetitious melodies. The Reppie's costumes give them varying degrees of mobility, and each has its own look and personality. Bumba, the toddler, asks simple questions that allow adult characters to explain basic concepts. Each episode has a dramatic story line with a lesson to teach. To ensure that viewers get the moral, Miss Summerhayes, a prim, English-nanny type, appears at just the right time to reinforce it.