(ATR) Children across Brazil will enjoy Vinicius and Tom on their television sets starting August.
Rio 2016 organizers tell Around the Rings that the creation of the mascots was done for a "multiplatform environment," and with the idea for an animated series in mind.
"Rio 2016 wants to involve children and what better way than to dive into their world," Sylmara Multini, Rio 2016's Director of Licensing and Retail, told ATR.
"The animated series will be an important tool of engagement, and we know it will end up conquering the adults as well."
As part of the one year to go celebrations for the 2016 Olympics, mascots Vinicius and Tom will have their own television series on Cartoon Network. Thirty-two episodes will be produced over the course of one year in the run-up to the Games.
It will be the first animated program aired in the Americas for Olympic mascots.
The title for the series will be "Vinicius and Tom – Natural Entertainers," and the first episode will air on Aug. 5, exactly one year until the 2016 Olympics start. According to Multini, the series will see airtime exclusively in Brazil with "the possibility to expand to other countries."
Cartoon Network is based in Atlanta, a sister city of Rio de Janeiro. According to a release, Cartoon Network paid $750,000 for the rights to create the show. Rio 2016 estimates this will cover around 25 percent of sales for the mascot product license.
The plot for the series will revolve around Vinicius and Tom living in both the cities and forests of Brazil learning about Brazilian culture and the values of the Olympics and Paralympics.
"Through their stories and superpowers, the mascots will inspire everyone with the Olympic and Paralympic values and although they live in the Tijuca Forest, they will visit other Brazilian cities during the series, highlighting the cultural diversity of our country," Multini added.
"The series thus reaffirms the Rio 2016 Games as Brazil Games."
Written byAaron Bauer
Homepage photo: Getty Images
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