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Defunct American television production company From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Little Airplane Productions was an American television production company co-founded by Josh Selig and Lori Shaer (née Sherman)[1] in 1999. The company produced Oobi for Noggin, Wonder Pets! for Nickelodeon, and 3rd & Bird for the BBC. It also released independent short films. In 2017, the company was bought by the Belgian-based Studio 100, which entered a co-production agreement to create the comedy series Doctor Space with Little Airplane.[2][3]
The final logo, introduced in 2021 | |
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television production Animation |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founders |
|
| Defunct | June 2023 |
| Fate | Folded into Studio 100 |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York |
Key people | Josh Selig (former CEO) Lori Shaer Jennifer Oxley Jeffrey Lesser Sharon Gomes (former COO) |
| Products | Oobi Wonder Pets! 3rd & Bird Small Potatoes Doctor Space Super Wings |
| Parent | Studio 100 (2017–2023) |
The company's main studio was located in New York City's South Street Seaport.[4] Filming, animation, design, and storyboarding work were completed in a 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2) building. The studio also had a recording facility for voice-over and music. In mid-2007, the company opened new studios in London and Abu Dhabi, following the announcement of 3rd & Bird.
Lori Shaer left Little Airplane in 2002, but she continued to be given a "special thanks" credit on the second and third seasons of Oobi. Josh Selig left the company in 2020.[5]
In June 2023, Studio 100 announced that Little Airplane would be "closing shop" and that its studio space would be replaced by a new company called Terribly Terrific Productions.[6]
Both Josh Selig and Lori Shaer (named Lori Sherman until her marriage) worked for Sesame Workshop in the mid-1990s.[7] After being laid off, Selig partnered with Shaer to open a studio in New York City. For the first year, they both worked out of a "one-room office in Tribeca" and did not make much money.
Selig explained that they called their payment formula "a third, a third and a third, meaning every time we finished a small production job, we would split whatever profit was left in the budget three ways. Lori got a third. I got a third. And Little Airplane got a third. That first year we both earned less than the guy washing our windows."[8]
The name "Little Airplane" was derived from a 1994 short film that Selig had produced for Sesame Street called "I'm a Little Airplane."[9] At first, Little Airplane only produced similar live-action content, including Oobi and a film called The Time-Out Chair. The studio did not create its own animation until creative director Jennifer Oxley joined the staff. She developed a style of animation called "photo-puppetry" that was used in many of the studio's later works, including Wonder Pets! and 3rd & Bird.[10]
The Wonder Pets! episode "Kalamazoo!" was intended to be a backdoor pilot for a spin-off series, centering on the character Ming-Ming and her brother Marvin. Selig pitched the spin-off to Nickelodeon after the final season of Wonder Pets! wrapped, but Nickelodeon did not pick up the spin-off or any additional episodes of the series.[24]
In 2008, Sesame Workshop hired Little Airplane to "produce a bible for a series in development," but the project did not materialize.[24]
In 2009, Little Airplane Productions created a non-profit initiative called "The Little Light Foundation". The Foundation's first project was The Olive Branch, a multimedia project about conflict resolution, tolerance and mutual respect.[25]
In the summer of 2009, Little Airplane Productions launched the Little Airplane Café. Laurie Berkner opened the restaurant in July 2009. Her performance was broadcast live on SiriusXM.[26] Guests included Jon Scieszka, Milkshake, and Suzi Shelton.
Little Airplane Academy offered a three-day workshop twice a year at the company's South Street Seaport studios. Participants learned the fundamentals of creating a preschool series including pitching, writing, character design, directing and producing live action and animated shows. In 2009, the Academy ran a one-day writing workshop with Susan Kim. Little Airplane has also hosted workshops in Qatar, England, and Norway.
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