Hyperbottz Nation News

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Just one month after Chaiyo Productions' robot cartoon series Hyperbottz had its television premiere, it is going global. The series and its related merchandise are expected to hit Chinese and Japanese markets next year. Unlike other Thai cultural products - ones that concentrate purely on Thai elements - Hyperbottz does not have a Thai look. Hyperbottz is a cartoon sensation on Channel 7. It is a story about five funny robots on a mission to explore a distant planet. The first season of Hyperbottz has 27 15-minute episodes. The series itself is only one part of the development strategy of Chaiyo Productions' young managing director, Tanin Tiranasawadi. "Basically, we are a company which creates copyright works for both domestic and international markets," Tanin said. Instead of deploying their cartoon characters on television alone, the company collaborates with other companies to promote merchandise - robot toys, colouring books and convenience store premiums. Hyperbottz merchandise will be on shelves in the next two months. Selling cartoon character merchandise is not a new business in Thailand. But there are only a few characters that are original Thai products. The "Chaiyo" name is not new to the industry. For almost 30 years, it has been associated with cartoon characters in the Ultraman family. A long-fought legal battle over Ultraman copyright between the founder of the Chaiyo group, Sompote Saengduenchai, and Tsuburaya Productions of Japan continues. The Hyperbottz series will be a showcase for bigger projects to be launched later next year. Tanin said Chaiyo Productions planned to introduce to television and cinema screens Ultraman Millennium and "Ling Daeng" (red monkey), a sci-fi saga of battle in the middle-earth. The Bt15-million showcase has a bright future. By the end of this year, a Guangzhou, China company will sign a deal with Chaiyo Productions for the right to broadcast Hyperbottz and sell merchandise. Keeping the details close to his chest, Tanin revealed the deal was in line with his company's strategy to transcend the cultural limits of cartoons so Hyperbottz and its related merchandise can reach international markets. A similar deal between Chaiyo Productions and a Japanese company will be sewn up in the near future. Although Hyperbottz characters are Japanese-styled robots with a human touch, the series uses American presentation techniques. Tanin is convinced this combination, in association with state-of-the-art production, could make Hyperbottz a Thailand representative in the global cultural arena. "We want Hyperbottz characters to become national mascots, just like Ultraman characters, which became social icons of youthful vigour among current Thai 20-somethings and young adults." Phermsak Lilakul THE NATION