Gumby is officially returning. Fox’s Bento Box Entertainment is confirmed to be developing two new Gumby shows, including a kid-friendly Gumby Kids as well as an adult animated version.
Based on the classic character first introduced in the 1950s, Deeki Deke (The Cuphead Show!) will head the writer’s team for Gumby Kids, which will be taken out to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, per Deadline.
This comes after Bento Box Entertainment — an animation studio known for producing Krapopolis, Grimsburg, Wolfboy and the Everything Factory, Moon and Me, and Future-Worm! — has acquired the rights to the iconic character in 2022.
Other details about the adult animated iteration of Gumby are still being kept close to the vest, but the kids version is now being set up as a 52-part series consisting of 11-minute episodes. Gumby Kids will be catered to minors aged eight to 12.
In addition to writing, Deke will also executive produce Gumby Kids alongside Hasbro’s Chief Content Officer Stephen Davis and Still Entertainment’s Will Davis.
What will Gumby Kids be about?
Gumby Kids will center on Gumbtasia’s city planner and friendly architect Gumby. However, the majority of the land’s residents are outcasts and misfits, making the city unsuitable for everyone. But Gumby, whose goal is to create an environment suitable for everybody, is a shapeshifter that can adapt amidst chaos.
According to the outlet, Gumby will be joined by “Pokey, Prickle, a cranky half dragon, half dinosaur, Goo, an open-minded and free-spirited flying blue mermaid and The Blockheads, Gumby’s incompetent, annoying, yet harmless, foes who encroach on Gumby’s role as City Planner of Gumbtasia.”
“We want to bring the character to kids, a lot of kids don’t know Gumby but the parents are the ones that are really going to vibe with Gumby Kids [initially]. Deeki Deke, who is our showrunner, is amazing and we feel that he’s got a really strong idea for the series that we’re really excited about,” Bento Box Head of Production Dana Cameron told Deadline.
