Bing is a BritishCGI-animatedchildren's television series based on the books by Ted Dewan. It is broadcast on UK TV channel CBeebies; the series follows a pre-school bunny named Bing as he experiences the world around him. It uses small everyday occurrences to demonstrate how he learns new ways to manage situations with the help of his carer, Flop and friends. The programme's central phrase is "It's a Bing thing!" which Flop intones at the end of each episode when Bing has successfully conquered a troubling task or enjoyed a new childhood experience.
Episodes
The 1st series of 78, eight minute episodes show the "mishaps, mess, energy and wonder of being a relatively new human being". The programme focuses on real-life situations experienced by many toddlers and their parents. At the end, Bing summarizes what he has learnt in the episode, with Flop intoning "It's a Bing thing". The second season began airing on Cbeebies on 31 October 2019.
Main characters
Bing is the titular protagonist of the programme. He is a 3-year-old black anthropomorphic bunny. His favourite toy is Hoppity Voosh, a rabbit superhero. He wears a green shirt, red chequered dungarees and black and white shoes and he loves to hum, whistle, pretend and do untroubling childlike things.
Flop is Bing's carer, guiding Bing through his toddler life, entertaining him and soothing him when he faces a problem. He is a short orange-skinned creature.
Sula is a 4-year-old female brown anthropomorphic elephant and one of Bing's best friends.
Amma, is Sula's guardian. Amma runs the creche and park café which the programme's child characters sometimes visit. She is a short blue-skinned elephant-like creature.
Pando is a 3-year-old anthropomorphic panda who is also Bing's second best friend, and lives next door to him. He shares his catchphrase, "Hoppity-voosh! " with Bing. He wears a white shirt that doesn't completely cover his belly, black trainers and underwear and he hums, whistles, pretends and does untroubling childlike things just like Bing.
Padget is Pando's guardian. She runs the corner shop near to where Bing lives. Padget can sometimes be spotted out jogging or else driving her yellow tuk-tuk. She is a short green-skinned creature.
Coco is a white anthropomorphic bunny who is Bing's cousin and Charlie's older sister. Coco is the eldest of the child characters.
Charlie, is a white anthropomorphic bunny who is Coco's 1-year-old baby brother and Bing's cousin who cannot talk. He puts everything in his mouth and the others say, "Don't chew it, Charlie!"
Molly, is Coco and Charlie's carer. She also works as a doctor. She is a small red-skinned creature often seen wearing glasses and a white lab coat.
Nicky, is a small anthropomorphic brown elephant who is Sula's younger cousin. He wears glasses, an orange t-shirt and blue dungarees. He first appears in series 2.
Production
Bing was based on a series of books called "Bing Bunny" written and illustrated by Ted Dewan. Acamar Films acquired the rights to Bing Bunny and produced the program in conjunction with Brown Bag Films and Tandem Films. The series was developed for CBeebies though initial episodes were viewable at MIPTV. HarperCollins Children's Books signed a deal with Acamar and The Licensing Company to re-publish the stories to link with the TV programme. The books were re-issued in 2013–14. The 70-minute DVDs are released by Studio Canal. The first DVD "Swing... and other episodes" was released on 31 March 2015 and features 10 episodes - Bye Bye, Swing, Blocks, Ducks, Smoothie, Frog, Car Park, Shadow, Musical Statues, and Voo Voo. A second DVD was released on 15 June 2015 and is titled "Storytime... and other episodes", featuring a further 10 episodes - Storytime, Growing, Atchoo, Hide & Seek, Bake, Train, Say Goodbye, Lost, Picnic, and Balloon. Fisher Price have developed a range of Bing toys, which were released in July 2015, including "play sets, figurines, role play items, ride-ons, musical toys, wooden toys, and soft toys".
