90
Interview
CICABOOM
It’s time for a new group of mythical heroes...the Letrabots! The Letrabots are the stars of a brand-new mini animated TV series, broadcast on K2 – the Italian kids’ channel that is part of the Discovery Group. The creators of this property, Fulvio Fantino and Elisabetta Insile of Cicaboom, tell us about the Letrabots project – how it came about and where it is going next. this project. However, the sales of Letrabots and other related brands, such as Letranimals, have never stopped. That’s why we decided to continue our kiosk publishing programme, with the output of three lines of kiosk products: in April the Kartbots, in May the Numberbots and in June the Letrazoo. All three were incredibly successful. Hence the decision to go ahead with the TV series.
Fulvio Fantino and Elisabetta Insile How and when did the Letrabots project begin? The Letrabots project began with the Cicaboom company. At the end of 2016 the first kiosk collection came out on newsstands; it was an immediate success. After that, our creative team started looking more closely at the Letrabots world and defining all its characters. Despite the events that disrupted 2020 it was an important year for you… The year 2020 for us has been the year of TV series, just as 2019 was the year of comics. The TV series had been in the works for over a year. When it came the lockdown, we immediately took advantage of the delays to put some departments on standby, to focus on the development of
Can you tell us something more about the process of bringing the brand to the screen? We wanted to create a cartoon that could have a recognizable, colourful and bright style, as well as increasing the potential of our characters by adding a touch of comedy to the heroism that already played a strong part in the comics. In this TV series the heroes are the four Letrabots, their Letranimals and the big
robots they become. The four heroes evolved naturally: they represent the main character aspects that are in each of us. The dynamics are immediate and funny and the humour can be appreciated on a number of levels, so the show has an appeal to different age groups, from the very young to teenagers. We are very happy with the result and the work of our exceptional creative team, the production company MOBO srl. They have understood our world and brought it to the small screen in a way that’s both fresh and of very high quality. From newsstand product to television property: what’s next for the Letrabots? The second TV season is being written. The heroic saga continues for the newsstand channel, where the adventures are being collected into volumes. And of course we will be enriching the toy line: new releases are planned for Christmas.
