DeAPlaneta Entertainment has signed a deal with Belgian production company Haptic for its acclaimed young adult animated series Hamsters. Thanks to this agreement, DeAPlaneta Entertainment will manage international Media and Digital rights for the series and is committed to make the brand even bigger in the immediate future.
Hamsters is a comedic young adult animation series created by popular Instagram cartoonist Laura Janssens, based on her webcomics of the same name. The series, whose first season has already been released (13×5), follows two mischievous hamsters who comment the world from inside their cage: Giovanni aims to be the perfect hamster for the outside world, while Philippe only wants to live his own life. The series, full of humour and poignant commentary, represents the lives of many young adults in the social media era. Co-produced by Haptic, 20STM and Streamz, with the support of the Flemish Audiovisual Fund (VAF), the Belgian Federal Taxshelter via Flanders Taxshelter and Wallimage, Hamsters is the creation of Laura Janssens, who, apart of illustrating books and merchandise, is the mind behind some of the world’s most popular animated gifs.
The first series of Hamsters was released in Belgium on Streamz on 2023, receiving critical acclaim from the Belgian press: “beastly good”, “a charming series” (Het Nieuwsblad), “with captivating humor, Hamsters advocates to embrace imperfections” (De Morgen). The series has also been nominated for the Ensor Award, the most important Flemish award, in the category of Best Flemish animation series of 2023.
Carlos Biern, Content and Distribution Director at DeAPlaneta Kids & Family has stated: “Hamsters humor is wildly funny. Working with unique brands like this, DeAPlaneta Entertainment’s portfolio continues its expansion of shows aimed specifically at young adult audiences, featuring edgy characters and situations. Hamsters is, for us, the first of many future additions of IPs we are starting work on with fresh digital artists that write and direct the way our new audiences demand”.
Stef Wouters, Creative Producer at Haptic has declared: “We are delighted to take this step to distribution with DeAPlaneta Entertainment. We know that we speak the same language and together we will take care of this sweet love brand and are certain that our two Hamsters: Giovanni and Philippe, will seduce the world with their disarming humor. We are sure the world today needs a bit of humoristic sweetness more than ever.”