Bing (TV series) explained

Bing is an animated children's television series based on the books by Ted Dewan and produced by Acamar Films. The series follows a preschool bunny boy named Bing as he experiences everyday issues.

Bing airs on CBeebies in the United Kingdom and Ireland and S4C in the Welsh language. In January 2024, Acamar Films announced that Bing had been requested over one billion times on BBC iPlayer.^[1] RAI in Italy premiered the series in 2018 on its RAI YoYo platform.^[2] In The United States, the series started airing on the Cartoonito block in September 2021 on Cartoon Network,^{[3] [4]} with an American voice cast, replacing their original British voices.^[5] Bing premiered in France on the France 5 channel in January 2023.^[6] Bing airs in 130 countries^[7] and is available on YouTube across a network of 25 localized channels.^{[8] [9]}

Bing has won numerous awards including an International Emmy Kids Award and a Writers' Guild Award.^[10] The Peek-a-Boo Bing soft toy has won a 2023 Made For Mums Gold Award.^[11]

Plot

Every episode starts off with Flop saying "Round the corner not far away". Whatever Bing is doing at the start of the episode. At the end, Bing summarizes what he has learnt in the episode, with Flop intoning "It's a Bing thing".^[12]

Characters

• Bing (voiced by Elliot Kerley in series 1 and Rafferty Railton in series 2 of the British version, Santino Barnard in the American English version) is the titular protagonist of the programme. Bing is a 3-year-old black anthropomorphic bunny. His favourite toy is Hoppity Voosh, a rabbit superhero. Bing wears a green shirt, red and black chequered dungarees and black and white shoes and Bing loves to hum, whistle, pretend and do untroubling childlike things.
• Flop (voiced by Mark Rylance in series 1^[13] and David Threlfall in series 2) is Bing's carer, guiding Bing through his toddler life, entertaining him and soothing him when Bing faces a problem. Flop is a short orange-skinned creature and is presumably a stuffed peanut toy.^[14]
• Sula (voiced by Eve Bentley in the British version, Annabelle Chow in the American English version) is a brown, female anthropomorphic elephant and one of Bing's best friends. Sula wears a pink and yellow dress with trousers, hot pink socks and golden sparkly shoes. Her favourite toy is Fairy Hippo (as revealed in 'Hearts'), a hippo dressed up as a fairy.^[14]
• Amma (voiced by Akiya Henry) is Sula's guardian. Amma runs the creche and park café. The programme's child characters sometimes visit. Amma is a short blue-skinned elephant-like creature and is also presumed to be a stuffed elephant toy.
• Pando (voiced by Shai Portnoy in series 1 and Noah Hicks in series 2 of the British version, Micah Gursoy in the American English version) is an anthropomorphic male panda who is also Bing's second best friend,^[14] and lives next door to him. Pando shares his catchphrase, "Hoppity-voosh!" with Bing. Pando wears a white shirt, belly black shoes and white briefs. He is often seen wearing yellow shorts, before taking them off at the earliest possible opportunity, remaining in his underwear.^[15]
• Padget (voiced by Bryony Hannah in the British version, Molly Wurwand in the American English version) is Pando's guardian. Padget runs the corner shop near to where Bing lives. Padget can sometimes be spotted out jogging or else driving her yellow tuk-tuk. Padget is a short green-skinned creature, also presumed to be a stuffed animal.
• Coco (voiced by Jocelyn Macnab in the British version, Alivia Clark in the American English version) is a white anthropomorphic bunny who is Bing's cousin and Charlie's older sister and a bit of a control freak.^[14] Coco is the oldest of the child characters at age 10.
• Charlie (voiced by Poppy Hendley) is a white anthropomorphic bunny who is Coco's 1-year-old baby brother and Bing's cousin who cannot talk. Charlie puts everything in his mouth and the others say, "Don't chew it, Charlie!"
• Molly (voiced by Tamsin Greig) is Coco and Charlie's carer. Molly also works as a doctor. Molly is a small red-skinned creature often seen wearing glasses and a white lab coat.^[16]
• Nicky (voiced by Xavi Nixon) is a small anthropomorphic brown elephant who is Sula's younger cousin. Nicky wears glasses, an orange t-shirt, blue & white sneakers and blue dungarees. Nicky makes his first appearance in series 2.^[16] Nicky is often the source of disagreement between Bing and Sula.

Production

Bing was based on the Bing Bunny book series, written and illustrated by Ted Dewan.^{[17] [18]} Acamar Films acquired the rights to Bing Bunny^[19] and produced the programme in conjunction with Brown Bag Films and Tandem Films.^[14] Acamar Films CEO, Mikael Shields selected Bing for development because he believed that the stories within Bing had potential to support young-children and help them to develop life-long resilience.^[20] The series was developed for CBeebies though initial episodes were viewable at MIPTV.^[21]

Acamar Films CEO, Mikael Shields was voice director for the series^{[22] [23]} and served as a writer on the programme.^[24]

23 external writers, 5 internal writers, 3 Montessori teachers, American educators, and English language development experts were involved in the production of each series.^[25]

Episodes

See main article: List of Bing episodes.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result	Refs
2014	British Academy Children's Awards	Pre-School Animation	Bing		[26]
2015	Annecy International Animated Film Festival	TV series	For episode "Bye Bye"		[27]
2015	Pulcinella Awards	TV series for PreSchool	Bing		[28] [29]
2015	Writers Guild Award	Best Children's TV Episode	Denise Cassar & the Bing Writing Team (for episode "Bye Bye")
2016	International Emmy Kids Award	Kids: Pre-School	Bing
2020	BANFF Rockies World Media Festival	Children & Youth: Pre-School Category	Bing		[30]
2020	Palm Springs International Animation Festival	3D Kids Animated Shorts	Bing		[31]
2020	PRIX ROYAL Paris Animation Awards	Best Animation (Short)	Bing		[32]
2021	Findecoin - Independent International Short Film Festival	Animated Short Film	Bing		[33]
2021	Animation Celebration Fest	Animated TV or Web-series Episode	Bing
2021	ANIMAFILM International Film Festival	Short Animated Film for Children	Bing
2021	San Diego International Film Festival	Short Film	Bing

Other media

Home media

DVDs of the series are released by StudioCanal in the UK.^{[34] [35]} The first DVD "Swing... and other episodes" was released on 31 March 2015 and features 10 episodes - Bye Bye, Swing, Blocks, Ducks, Smoothie, Frog, Car Park, Shadow, Musical Statues, and Voo Voo. A second DVD was released on 15 June of the same year and is titled "Storytime... and other episodes", featuring a further 10 episodes - Storytime, Growing, Atchoo, Hide & Seek, Bake, Train, Say Goodbye, Lost, Picnic, and Balloon.

Apps

The Bing app, "Bing: Watch, Play, Learn" was first released in September 2014. Available on iOS, Android, and Amazon platforms, the app features full episodes as well as games, audio and activities. Certain features may be restricted due to location and existing distribution rights. The app has been downloaded 2.8 million times since launch.^[36]

Publishing

HarperCollins Children's Books signed a deal with Acamar and The Licensing Company to re-publish the stories to link with the TV programme.^{[37] [38] [39]} The books were re-issued in 2013–14.^[21] Approximately 5.2 million Bing books have been sold worldwide with over 70 Bing books published in the UK.^[40] HarperCollins and Acamar Films renewed their publishing agreement in 2023.^[41]

Toys

Fisher Price initially developed a range of Bing toys, which were released in July 2015, including "play sets, figurines, role play items, ride-ons, musical toys, wooden toys, and soft toys".^[42] At some point Fisher Price lost the license and now toys are currently manufactured by Golden Bear Toys who produce a variety of Bing toys including soft toys as well as plastic play sets.^[43]

Live events

Costume characters of Bing and Flop have been present in CBeebies Land at the Alton Towers theme park since 2018.^[44] Specially-decorated Bing rooms were launched in the CBeebies Hotel at Alton Towers in 2022.^[45] Bing and Flop costume characters also appear regularly at the Gulliver's Land theme park in Milton Keynes^[46] and Rotherham^[47] and take part in various limited-time appearances at venues across the UK including Chester Zoo,^[48] London Zoo,^[49] and Woburn Safari Park.^[50] Bing has also appeared at the UK's Gloworm^[51] and CarFest^[52] summer festivals. In Italy, Bing and Flop form part of the entertainment at the Leolandia theme park since 2019.^[53]

An English-language theatre show, 'Bing Live' toured across 50 locations in the UK in 2018.^[54] In the Netherlands, a Dutch-language touring theatre show, 'Bing is jarig' ('Bing's Birthday') premiered in October 2021 with many performances selling out.^[55] A Polish-language version of the show began touring Poland in November 2023.^[56]

In November 2022, a limited-time Bing store was opened in the Glasgow Fort shopping centre. The Bing Store Pop-Up sold a range of Bing products while also offering free storytelling sessions, craft activities and meet and greets with the Bing and Flop costume characters.^[57]

Cinema

Acamar Films has produced four Bing cinema packages. The first, 'Bing at the Cinema' debuted across 83 cinemas in the United Kingdom in 2019.^[58] In 2023, 'Bing's Christmas and Other Stories' was distributed across 118 UK cinemas.^[59] Bing cinema packages have premiered in local languages in UK, the Netherlands, Poland and Italy.^[58]

External links

• Bing on Cbeebies
• Bing Bunny
  • The Bing Store
• Bing: Watch, PLay, Learn app
• Production website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Bing "vooshes" past one billion streams on BBC iPlayer as Acamar Films announces leading global broadcaster renewals . 2024-01-25 . Animation UK . en-GB.
2. Web site: 2022-01-17 . BING ITALIAN YOUTUBE CHANNEL REACHES 1 Million Subscribers . 2023-04-28 . Total Licensing . en-GB.
3. Web site: Cartoonito Greenlights 'Dylan's Playtime Adventures', Adds 'Bing', 'Odo' & 'Pocoyo' to Lineup. 27 July 2021.
4. Web site: Cartoonito Pre-K Block Debuts Sept. 13 on HBO Max & Cartoon Network. 16 August 2021.
5. Web site: Cartoonito on Instagram: "It's a Bing thing! Join @bingbunny and his friends Flop, Sula, Pando, and the rest of the crew as they explore their town! THIS FALL! Watch Bing Bunny during @Cartoonito on @cartoonnetworkofficial #Cartoonito #CartoonNetwork #bingbunny".
6. Web site: 2023-01-30 . Acamar Films Appoints France Télévisions Distribution as French Licensing Agent for Bing as the series debuts on France 5 . 2023-04-28 . Acamar Films . en-GB.
7. News: Quetteville . Harry de . 2022-10-26 . Why children's TV is a force to be reckoned with . en-GB . The Telegraph . 2023-04-28 . 0307-1235.
8. Web site: 2022-12-16 . Bing Goes Gold in Poland Reaching One Million YouTube Subscribers . 2023-04-28 . Acamar Films . en-GB.
9. Web site: Shields . Mikael . 16 October 2023 . 'Bing' producer Michael Shields on why pre-school content is as valuable as prime-time drama . Television Business International.
10. Web site: Awards . 2023-04-28 . Acamar Films . en-GB.
11. Web site: MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023: Winners announced . 2023-10-17 . MadeForMums . en.
12. News: Brown . Maggie . 27 May 2014 . Mark Rylance voices CBeebies cartoon Bing . 14 December 2015 . The Guardian.
13. News: Fletcher. Harry. Mark Rylance to star in new CBeebies show Bing. 14 December 2015. Digital Spy. 27 May 2014.
14. News: Life - it's a Bing Thing! Bing comes to CBeebies with voice talent from Mark Rylance. 27 May 2014. 14 December 2015. BBC News.
15. Web site: Haigh. Phil. 2018-02-09. Why does Pando remove his pants on Bing? Some parents really hate this guy. 2022-01-28. Metro. en.
16. News: Acamar & CBeebies Get Hopping on New Series of 'Bing'. 13 September 2019. 20 June 2020. Animation Magazine.
17. News: Mark Rylance joins CBeebies show Bing. 14 December 2015. BBC - Ariel. 27 May 2014.
18. Web site: About Bing Bing Bunny . 2023-08-15 . uk.bingbunny.com . en-GB.
19. News: Acamar Films Develops Animated 'Bing Bunny' Series. 14 December 2015. Animation Magazine. 8 November 2012.
20. Web site: Shields . Mikael . 16 October 2023 . 'Bing' producer Mikael Shields on why pre-school content is as valuable as prime-time drama . TBI International.
21. News: Wolfe . Jennifer . 6 February 2013 . Acamar Partners with Brown Bag Films and Tandem Films on 'Bing Bunny' . 14 December 2015 . Animation World Network (AWN).
22. Web site: Authentic Performance %event% Sessions . 2023-08-15 . The Children's Media Conference (CMC) . en-GB.
23. Web site: ACAMAR APPOINTS new CHIEF CONTENT & AUDIENCES OFFICER with 'BING' set FOR GLOBAL EXPANSION . 2023-08-15 . Animation UK . en-GB.
24. Web site: Skwigly . 2015-01-22 . Acamar Films scoops coveted Writer's Guild of Great Britain Award . 2023-08-15 . Skwigly Animation Magazine.
25. Web site: 2023-04-25 . Un giorno a casa di Bing eroe del pianeta Under 5 . 2023-04-28 . ilGiornale.it . it.
26. News: Children's Pre-School Animation in 2014. 14 December 2015. BAFTA.
27. Web site: TV films in competition. Annecy. 14 December 2015.
28. News: Nominations. 14 December 2015. Cartoons Bay. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151222094116/http://www.cartoonsbay.com/en/festival_nomination/. 22 December 2015.
29. News: Wolfe. Jennifer. Cartoons on the Bay Unveils 2015 Pulcinella Award Nominees. 14 December 2015. Animation World Network. 14 April 2015.
30. Web site: 2020 Nominees . Rockie Awards . Brunico Communications Ltd. . 13 March 2021.
31. Web site: PSIAF 2020 Official Selections . Palm Springs International Animation . Palm Springs International Animation Festival & Expo . 13 March 2021.
32. Web site: Tabarsi . Anahita . Bing Wins PRIX ROYAL Paris Animation Award for Best Animation! . Brown Bag Films . 13 March 2021.
33. Web site: Findecoin International Short and Feature Film Festival . Findecoin . 13 March 2021.
34. News: Milligan. Mercedes. StudioCanal Bringing Acamar's 'Bing' to DVD. 14 December 2015. Animation Magazine. 26 March 2015.
35. News: BOUNDS OUT ON DVD WITH STUDIOCANAL. 14 December 2015. Show me the animation. 26 March 2015.
36. Web site: Casal . Marianna . 2023-05-30 . Acamar releases new version of Bing app . 2023-05-30 . Toy World Magazine The business magazine with a passion for toys . en-GB.
37. News: Bing Bunny Books Head to TV. 14 December 2015. License. 9 November 2012.
38. News: Farrington. Joshua. HC to publish Bing Bunny TV tie-ins. 14 December 2015. The Book Seller. 8 November 2012.
39. News: Maybury. David. Bing Bunny is in Production #NewShow. 14 December 2015. Brown Bag Films. 7 February 2014.
40. AcamarFilms . 1631245446013235201 . Happy #WorldBookDay! To date, 5.2 million Bing books have been sold worldwide with over 70 Bing titles published in the UK. Bingsters love books and we are so proud to be working with our master publishing partner @HarperCollinsCh.
41. Web site: Acamar Films and HarperCollins Renew Partnership . 2024-01-25 . www.licenseglobal.com . en.
42. News: Fisher-Price to Develop 'Bing' Toys. 14 December 2015. LicenseMag. 28 March 2014.
43. Web site: 2023-03-22 . Acamar Films Launches Colourful Campaign to Support New Bing Rainybow Toy . 2023-04-28 . Acamar Films . en-GB.
44. Web site: Gill . Emma . 2018-05-22 . Bing and Flop live show comes to CBeebies Land at Alton Towers . 2023-05-19 . Manchester Evening News . en.
45. Web site: Delahaye . Julie . 2022-02-24 . Alton Towers gives first look at CBeebies hotel's brand new Bing themed rooms . 2023-05-19 . mirror . en.
46. Book: Milton Keynes Development Corporat . The Plan for Milton Keynes . 2013-07-24 . Routledge . 10.4324/9781315889573 . 978-1-134-51795-4.
47. Web site: Bing and Flop set to extend stay at Gulliver's theme parks following extension of Acmar Films partnership Planet Attractions . 2023-10-17 . www.planetattractions.com.
48. Web site: Gill . Emma . 2023-05-10 . Kids can meet Bing and Flop at Chester Zoo for storytime, a trail and more . 2023-05-19 . Manchester Evening News . en.
49. Web site: Bing and Flop at London Zoo London Zoo . 2023-05-19 . www.londonzoo.org . en.
50. Web site: Come and meet Bing and Flop at Woburn Safari Park! - Experience Bedfordshire . 2023-05-19 . www.experiencebedfordshire.co.uk.
51. Web site: Anita . 2023-04-04 . Smoby Play Zone returns to Gloworm Festival . 2023-05-19 . Toy World Magazine The business magazine with a passion for toys . en-GB.
52. Web site: KidsFest – An area perfect for kids at cinch presents CarFest . 2023-05-19 . CarFest . en-US.
53. Web site: 2020-10-08 . Acamar Films builds on Bing's success in Italy with long-term Leolandia partnership . 2023-05-19 . Acamar Films . en-GB.
54. Web site: Belfast . Love . 2018-06-07 . THE FIRST UK TOUR OF BING LIVE ON STAGE IN DERRY OR BELFAST IN JULY 2018 . 2023-05-19 . LoveBelfast . en-GB.
55. Web site: Anita . 2023-04-06 . Bing features in Dutch pancake campaign . 2023-05-19 . Licensing.biz . en-GB.
56. Web site: Anita . 2023-08-01 . Bing live theatre show expands tour across Europe . 2024-01-25 . Licensing.biz . en-GB.
57. Web site: Glasgow . What's On . The Bing Store Pop-Up at Glasgow Fort, Glasgow East End . 2023-05-19 . What's On Glasgow . en.
58. Web site: FEATURE: Exploring fringe distribution opportunities . 2024-01-25.
59. Web site: Tonks . Caroline . 2023-11-27 . Bing's Christmas special set for widest-ever nationwide cinema release . 2024-01-25 . Toy World Magazine The business magazine with a passion for toys . en-GB.