Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc (CVE:TBRD) (OTCMKTS:THBRF) announced that the firm's animated series 'Molly of Denali' was a Peabody award winner this year in the children's and youth category.
The series is co-produced by WGBH Boston and the company's kids and family division Atomic Cartoons, for PBS KIDS and CBC Kids. The series follows inquisitive 10-year-old Molly Mabray, who has cultural heritage from three Athabascan groups (the Gwich'in, Koyukon and Dena'ina), as she and her friends explore the epic surroundings and rich Native culture that is home. The series is designed to help kids ages 4-8 develop informational text skills through video content, interactive games, and real-world activities.
All Alaska Native characters portrayed on the ground-breaking series are voiced by Indigenous actors, and more than 60 Alaska Natives contributed to the series as writers, producers, actors, musicians, and language and cultural advisors.
"We are deeply honoured to be included amongst such a high calibre of award recipients, all of whom are telling stories that celebrate and champion diversity. Nothing is more important at this time, and I could not be prouder of everyone involved in the creation and production of Molly of Denali," said Jennifer Twiner McCarron, CEO of Thunderbird and Atomic Cartoons.
The firm said 60 nominees were announced earlier this year from around 1,300 entries across news, entertainment, documentary, children's, public service, and web/interactive programming.
From those, Molly of Denali is one of just 30 productions chosen to receive a prestigious Peabody award.
Since its premiere in July 2019, Molly of Denali has been widely acknowledged as the first nationally distributed children's series in the US to feature an Indigenous lead character.
In Canada, Molly of Denali airs Wednesday and Saturday mornings on CBC, and is available on the free CBC Gem streaming service.
