The Finnish children's animation Pikkuli is to be screened on channels of Al Jazeera Media Network after the world’s largest Arabic-language television channel secured broadcast rights.
The Pikkuli animated series was created by Turku-based duo Metsämarja and Antti Aittokoski, and is based on Metsämarja’s children’s book Fly, Pikkuli, Fly! The book was published in 2011 with illustrations by Elli Vuorinen.
The show's characters don't speak any language in particular but rather communicate by chirping, and abstract ideas and feelings are shown through picture bubbles. The series centres around its main character, a little bird named Pikkuli who lives in the woods with his parents, older brother and sister.
The animated programme is already shown in over 25 channels around the world. In Finland the series is part of Yle’s Finnish and Swedish language children’s programmes Pikku Kakkonen and Buu-klubben.
Al Jazeera's broadcasts reach over 310 million households in more than 100 countries.