Ragdoll Productions

Ragdoll Productions was founded in 26 July 1984 by Anne Wood, who produced shows for the ITV network. Their first show Pob's Programme, premiered on Channel 4 the next year. The company at first produced puppet-based programmes, and their mascot was originally a female rag doll that was based on one that belonged to Wood's daughter.

In 2000, Ragdoll dropped their rag doll mascot for a more simplistic logo, which is still used as of 2023, with the company also adopting its current name by that point. During that year, the company started to move away from puppet-based shows (which started with Teletubbies in 1997), by making animated cartoons. Ragdoll still produced live-action shows, but would use costumes and animatronics instead of puppets.

Ragdoll sold their programmes through The Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Company in the United States, but in October 2001, Ragdoll parted ways with the company following a failure to reach an agreement with Itsy Bitsy's majority owner, the Handleman Group. Ragdoll then started to sell their programmes on their own from then-on.[3]

In January 2002, Teletubbies: Everywhere, a spin-off of Teletubbies, was announced to air on CBeebies within its launch window.[4] On 14 June, a new series titled Boohbah was announced and was pre-sold to CITV and GMTV for a 2003 delivery.[5] The show later saw an international roll-out.

At MIPTV 2005, Ragdoll announced a new series titled Blurrfect and that CITV had acquired broadcasting rights. The series would premiere in autumn 2005.[6] By September 2005, the series was renamed Blips, and soon premiered on 29 September 2005 as part of the CITV's autumn schedule.[7][8] On 13 October, Ragdoll unrevealed two new series that were pre-sold to the BBC: In the Night Garden... and Tronji, for a 2007 delivery.[9] In October 2005, Ragdoll subsidiary The Ragdoll Foundation announced that Five's Milkshake! block had commissioned a series of six short films titled What Makes Me Happy?, which would air daily from 19 December.[10]

In September 2006, Ragdoll formed a joint venture with BBC Worldwide called Ragdoll Worldwide, to sell and license the company's programmes outside of the UK and North America. In the Night Garden... and Tronji would be the first two programmes created as part of the venture, while existing programmes were handled by BBC Worldwide, which managed the international broadcast sales and the UK and international licensing of all Ragdoll properties (including Blips, Boohbah, Brum, Tots TV, Rosie and Jim, and Open a Door), with Ragdoll retaining all British broadcast rights. A new subsidiary, Ragdoll USA Inc., part of the new joint venture, would manage Ragdoll's distribution in North America.[11]

In January 2013, Ragdoll opted to end their agreement with BBC Worldwide and put up Ragdoll Worldwide for sale.[12] On 16 September, Canadian studio DHX Media (now as "WildBrain") purchased the venture from both companies for £17.4 million (or USD$24 million)[13] The deal included the rights to Ragdoll's programming, but did not include the rights to Pob's Programme and Playbox, which were kept by Ragdoll Ltd., the owners of the Ragdoll Productions company itself.

In 2018, the company co-produced a short film with Disney UK for the Hope Works initiative, titled What Shall We Do With The Angry Monster?.[14]

In 2021, Ragdoll formed a deal with British distribution company Cake Entertainment for them to distribute their new series, B.O.T. and the Beasties, for CBeebies.

The following are some of Ragdoll's productions before the company was founded, accompanied by a brief description and vital statistics:

• Puzzle Party - first broadcast in 1977. Hosted by Gyles Brandreth and featuring characters Gnigel and Gnu, the show was one of Anne Wood's earliest TV shows for BBC.
• The Book Tower - first broadcast in 1979, hosted by Tom Baker and Stephen Moore.
• Ragdolly Anna - first broadcast in 1982, based on the children's books by Jean Kenward.
• Roland Rat - first broadcast in 1983.

All of the following shows (except Pob's Programme, Playbox, Storytime, and B.O.T. and the Beasties) are now owned by WildBrain (formerly known as "DHX Media").

The Ragdoll Shop in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire was a store that consisted of themed play areas based on Ragdoll properties and an area where merchandise was sold. The store first opened in 1992, and traded until 2005, because of expansion limits and failure to find a new larger venue.[15]

The building that formerly housed the shop is now a optometrist's practice named Dr. CP Grey's. The picture of Rosie and Jim waving can still be seen in the black window at the top of the building.

• Ragdoll's Website
• History of Ragdoll