Best Furry Friends

The global rollout for Headstart International‘s Best Furry Friends continues.

The Australian toymaker inked a new deal with YouKu via Playology International and Senyu International to bring the CGI-animated series to audiences across the region. Best Furry Friends support’s Headstart’s global toy brand that includes dolls, plush, and collectibles. The series debuted in China in February and immediately rose to become the 12th most popular animated series and the third most popular foreign animated property on the YouKu platform.

“The opportunity to put the Best Furry Friends series on the YouKu platform has really allowed us to reach more kids globally,” says Andrew Hendy, CEO of Headstart International. “We were thrilled to see how engaged kids are with the Best Furry Friends characters in such a short period of time and hope the momentum continues!”

Produced in collaboration with Turner Asia Pacific, a WarnerMedia company, the 3D CGI animated series follows the six core Best Furry Friends characters, the Besties, and their unique BFFs. The pilot episode, “Zara’s Birthday Blues,” is available on the Best Furry Friends YouTube channel globally.

Beijing-based YouKu will host versions of Best Furry Friends dubbed in Mandarin for viewing instream and via download through its online and mobile platforms.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.

archivearrow-chevron-downarrow-chevron-left-greyarrow-chevron-leftarrow-chevron-rightarrow-fatarrow-left-blackarrow-left-whitearrow-right-blackarrow-rightarrow-roundedbookscalendarcaret-downclose-whiteclosedocumenteditorial-archiveeyefacebook-squarefacebookfilesgifthamburgerheadinghearthomeinstagram-squareinstagramlatestlinkedin-squarelinkedinmailmedia-inquiresmessagenewsopen-boxpagination-leftpagination-rightpauseplayprintproduct-archiverecent-productssearchsharesort-filterspotifysunteamtiktoktime_purpletimetrendingtvtwitter-squaretwitteryoutube