MUMBAI: Kids are the most dynamic and versatile audience and entertaining them is no mean feat. Nickelodeon, India’s leading kids’ entertainment franchise, has been at the forefront of engaging kids through bringing to life iconic characters like Motu Patlu, Shiva and Rudra among others. Post the resounding success of seven IPs, the franchise is all set to launch the 8th Indigenous IP “Golmaal Jr. on SONIC.”  Bolstering the brand’s content portfolio, Golmaal Jr.  on-boards kids on a journey of endless fun, laughter and Golmaal. Produced by Nickelodeon and created by Reliance Animation and Rohit Shetty Picturez, the 8th IP of the franchise will recreate the magic of the iconic movies through a fun animated series that will entertain kids starting  13 May at 1:30 PM on SONIC.

Based on one of the most popular movie franchises of Hindi Cinema – Golmaal, this show brings to life a heady mix of slice-of-life friendship, relatable characters, humour and loads fun – all rolled into an enthralling joyride. Golmaal Junior follows the fun face-off between two groups helmed by Gopal and Madhav respectively. Together, they are fun, chaotic, mischievous and are sure to entertain and engage kids.

Nickelodeon has always identified white spaces and launched characters that are groundbreaking. Each of the local home-grown Nicktoons from Pakdam Pakdai, India’s first chase comedy, Motu Patlu - the only adult protagonist in the kids’ animation category, Shiva, India’s whiz kid,  Gattu Battu, India’s first animated detective series, Rudra Boom Chik Chik Boom” – India’s first Magictoon have all introduced kids to new genres of entertainment. With the launch of Golmaal Jr, the Nickelodeon franchise will set into motion the aggressive content strategy for the year.  With over 500 hours of content the franchise today has the largest, immersive and the most versatile local content library in the category. The coming year will see the further scaling of the content library with over 200 + hours of content, expected to be added through shows as well as made for television movies.

Speaking about the success of the home-grown characters, Viacom18 Head – Hindi Mass Entertainment and the Kids TV Network Nina Elavia Jaipuria, said, “Understanding of kids, their choices and their diverse entertainment needs has been central to Nickelodeon. We have hence always introduced characters that are relatable, engaging and clutter breaking. The new show Golmaal Jr. is set to bring further diversity and scale to the wide content library of Nickelodeon.”

She further added that “Going forward, we will continue to enthral kids with great stories and characters and maximize ROI so that we can introduce kids to more such immersive and engaging content experiences.”

Speaking about the 8th IP launch of the Nickelodeon franchise Viacom18 Head – Content, Kids Entertainment Cluster Anu Sikka said, “Bollywood is an important part of every Indian kids’ life and they have always loved films and always adored these characters. Golmaal has been a very successful franchise, much loved by kids and the animated series Golmaal Jr. with its unique take on fun, friendship and humour is sure to get the same patronage and love from our young fans. The addition of Golmaal Jr. will bring further depth and repertoire to our squad of indigenous Nicktoons.”

Speaking about the Golmaal franchise Rohit Shetty said, “Golmaal franchise is very close to my heart. The film has already been popular amongst the family audience and new PRANK GANG- Gopal, Madhav, Laxman and Lucky are all set to entertain children on Sonic. The concept of Golmaal Jr. had been in place for a while and I’m very excited about the partnership with Nickelodeon, to bring this high decibel concept and show to life. Each character and their traits are so carefully crafted that I’m confident kids will love the Golmaal Jr Prank Gang.”

Commenting on the Golmaal series, Shibasish Sarkar, Group CEO, Reliance Entertainment said, “Golmaal is extremely popular with kids and extending the franchise through a special animated series for kids was a great idea to increase affinity for brand Golmaal. Nickelodeon franchise being the category leader enjoying a lot of love from children was hence the ideal partner to bring this iconic brand to life for kids.”

The show’s launch will be supported by a dynamic 360 marketing and communication plan which will include an aggressive TV plan, within the Viacom18 network and outside the network. A high decibel outdoor plan along with mall visibility is sure to capture eyeballs across the country. Fun photo opportunities with the iconic Golmaal bike and audio standees at multiplexes playing the catchy Golmaal title track is sure to break the clutter.

There are various innovations lined up on the digital front, starting with the innovative YouTube unskippable ad that is a category first. There would be a large influencer campaign reaching out to the digital audience. Keeping in mind the sensibility of the social media natives, a whacky challenge has been devised, #GolmaalJrChallenge where kids would be asked to replicate the popular Golmaal dance step!