Little Airplane Productions
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Animation, Television production |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founder | Josh Selig, Lori Shaer |
| Defunct | June 2023 |
| Fate | Acquired by Studio 100 in 2017; closed in 2023 |
| Successor | Terribly Terrific Productions (studio space taken over) |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | International |
Key people | Josh Selig (founder, departed 2020) |
| Products | Animated television series, short films |
| Owner | Studio 100 (since 2017) |
| Parent | Studio 100 |
Little Airplane Productions was a U.S.-based animation studio and television production company established in 1999 by Josh Selig and Lori Shaer. The firm is recognized for creating prominent series including Oobi for Noggin, Wonder Pets! for Nickelodeon, and 3rd & Bird for the BBC. Additionally, it produced independent short films. In 2017, the Belgian company Studio 100 acquired Little Airplane and entered into a co-production partnership to develop the comedy series Doctor Space.
The primary studio operated out of New York City's South Street Seaport, featuring facilities for filming, animation, design, storyboarding, as well as a recording studio dedicated to voice-over and music production. In 2007, the company expanded by opening studios in both London and Abu Dhabi, coinciding with the debut of 3rd & Bird.
Although Lori Shaer left in 2002, she continued to receive credits on subsequent seasons of Oobi. Josh Selig departed in 2020. In June 2023, Studio 100 announced Little Airplane's closure, with its studio space being taken over by Terribly Terrific Productions, a company founded by former art directors from Little Airplane.
History
During the mid-1990s, Josh Selig and Lori Shaer (previously known as Lori Sherman) were employed by Sesame Workshop. After their layoffs, they collaborated to launch a studio in New York City, initially operating from a modest office in Tribeca with limited financial resources. Their compensation structure divided production profits equally into thirds among Shaer, Selig, and Little Airplane Productions.
The name "Little Airplane" was inspired by a 1994 short film titled "I'm a Little Airplane," which Selig produced for Sesame Street. The company initially specialized in live-action projects such as Oobi and The Time-Out Chair, before expanding into animation following the addition of creative director Jennifer Oxley. Oxley pioneered the "photo-puppetry" animation technique employed in acclaimed series like Wonder Pets! and 3rd & Bird.
In October 2016, Little Airplane collaborated with German media rights firm M4E to produce Rock! Taco! Balloon!, marking its inaugural German animated series.
By December 2017, the Belgian production group Studio 100 acquired Little Airplane Productions to strengthen its presence in the U.S. market. This acquisition positioned Little Airplane as Studio 100's North American animation division, working alongside Studio 100 Animation and utilizing Studio 100 Media's worldwide distribution network. Founder Josh Selig remained at the helm of the New York-based studio within Studio 100's organizational framework.
Television series
- Oobi represented the studio's debut series, featuring bare-hand puppetry centered on a boy named Oobi. It premiered on Noggin in 2000. The initial season consisted of two-minute shorts; subsequent seasons expanded episodes to durations between 10 and 13 minutes.
- Go, Baby! aired as brief interstitial shorts on Playhouse Disney, originally conceived as a longer format series utilizing photo puppetry akin to that used in Wonder Pets!.
- Wonder Pets!, the studio’s second major series, depicted three classroom pets assisting animals in distress. It spanned three seasons, initially broadcast on Nickelodeon before transitioning to Nick Jr. Channel. The intellectual property rights are currently held by Paramount Skydance Corporation.
- 3rd & Bird, co-produced with CBeebies, premiered on CBeebies in July 2008 and was distributed across 18 international markets.
- Small Potatoes is an animated musical show featuring singing potatoes. Its feature-length film adaptation, Meet the Small Potatoes, aired in 2013.
- The Adventures of Napkin Man!, blending live-action with animation, was created by Selig and Tone Thyne and debuted in 2013.
- Little Airplane contributed English voice acting and scripts for the first three seasons of Super Wings, an animated airplane series co-produced with South Korea’s FunnyFlux Entertainment and China’s Alpha Group.
- P. King Duckling, co-produced alongside Chinese firm Uyoung Animation, premiered on Disney Junior on November 7, 2016.
- The Dog & Pony Show is an animated series created by Josh Selig and co-produced with RedKnot—a joint venture between Nelvana and Discovery.
- is an animated comedy pilot developed by Selig and Billy Lopez in partnership with Studio 100 and Fantawild Animation. The pilot was under consideration for full-series development prior to Little Airplane’s closure.
Additional Projects
- The Time-Out Chair is a short film from 2002 created by the studio, shot on location in East Village, Manhattan, and showcased at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival.
- The two-part short series Linny the Guinea Pig, which aired on Nickelodeon in 2003, follows the escapades of a guinea pig and served as the inspiration for the Wonder Pets! television show.
- Little Airplane contributed animation to the musical number "Son of Man" featured in the 2006 Broadway rendition of Tarzan.
- In 2010, Little Airplane developed public service announcements for the YMCA of Greater New York.
- The series Tobi!, consisting of four-minute visual poems, was broadcast on Canada's Treehouse TV.
- The Olive Branch was a multimedia initiative combining a book with one-minute silent animations that explored themes of conflict resolution.
- In 2012, Little Airplane Productions handled recording and mixing duties for A Laurie Berkner Christmas, an album by Laurie Berkner.
Abandoned Projects
The Wonder Pets! episode titled "Kalamazoo!" was intended to act as a backdoor pilot for a spin-off centered on Ming-Ming and her brother Marvin. Following the conclusion of Wonder Pets!, Selig pitched this concept to Nickelodeon; however, the network chose not to move forward with the spin-off or produce further episodes.
In 2008, Sesame Workshop commissioned Little Airplane to create a series bible for a new show concept, which ultimately was not developed further.
The Little Light Foundation
Founded in 2009 by Little Airplane Productions, "The Little Light Foundation" is a charitable organization. Its first major project was The Olive Branch, a multimedia campaign designed to encourage tolerance, peaceful conflict resolution, and mutual understanding.
The Little Airplane Café
Also established in 2009, Little Airplane Productions launched the Little Airplane Café. Laurie Berkner inaugurated the venue in July with a live performance that was broadcast on SiriusXM. The event featured appearances by Jon Scieszka, Milkshake, and Suzi Shelton.
The Little Airplane Academy
Operating from its South Street Seaport studios, Little Airplane Academy offered biannual workshops lasting three days each. These sessions covered topics such as pitching ideas, scriptwriting, character development, directing, and producing content aimed at preschool audiences. In 2009, it hosted a one-day writing workshop led by Susan Kim and has also conducted international workshops in Qatar, England, and Norway.