MUMBAI: It has been nearly eight years since Motu Patlu started entertaining children and the programme continues to remain in the top slot among kids’ animated shows on TV and digital platforms. At the annual Asian Academy Creative Awards held in Singapore, the immensely popular kids’ show by Cosmos-Maya has been declared the national winner from India in the best animated programme or series (2D or 3D) category.

Cosmos-Maya CEO Anish Mehta shared, “We are absolutely elated to witness the manner in which our Motu and Patlu have slowly gained pop icon status in India, from comic book characters to one of the top-viewed cartoons by Indians globally. This recognition by AACA goes to show how the world is our oyster and how our industry is gearing up for a global culture-agnostic media market.”

Motu Patlu recently celebrated its 1000-episode milestone, a record it’s managed to set in the short span of eight years since the show’s launch in 2012, and the show has commanded a viewership of 7 billion globally by nearly 55 million subscribers on Cosmos-Maya’s YouTube multichannel network WowKidz.

Cosmos-Maya CCO and Motu Patlu director Suhas Kadav said, “Watching our creations grow from familiar characters to one of the most viewed and loved shows is a journey few content creators get to undertake. Motu, Patlu, Dr Jhatka, Ghasitaram and the townspeople of Furfuri Nagar have been nurtured by our team like family and will always hold a special place in my heart. There’s no better feeling than seeing our beloved characters win such huge laurels at such prestigious events.”

Motu Patlu will compete with national winners from ten other countries for the final round of the AACA, which will be held virtually from Singapore in December this year.

One of the prime viewership drivers for kids’ channel Nickelodeon, Motu Patlu has consistently commanded the top four slot in viewership, watch time and ratings as per BARC statistics, and it’s been declared the most popular animation show in the world by Google, two years in a row. Moreover, Motu and Patlu are the only animated characters from India to have their wax statues at the famous Madame Tussaud’s Museum. The success of the series has resulted in 21 telemovies, a full-length 3D stereoscopic feature film and a spin-off show with one of its characters, Inspector Chingum, is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.