''Punky'' is an Irish

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

created by Lindsay J. Sedgwick and produced by

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

based Monster Animation and Design. The series features the lead character as having Down syndrome, with the intention of being the first animated series to do so.

Development

The show's creative director is

Jason Tammemagi Jason Tammemagi is the creator, writer and director of preschool show, '' Fluffy Gardens''. He also directed '' Roobarb & Custard Too'', '' Planet Cosmo'', and Irish animated drama, '' Ballybraddan''. Jason was Creative Director of Geronimo Produc ...

, who has been involved in a number of animated shows for pre-school children, including

Fluffy Gardens '' Fluffy Gardens'' is an Irish preschool animated television series created, written and directed by Jason Tammemagi and produced by Monster Animation & Design Ltd. Each seven-minute episode tells the story of a different character, and the ser ...

. The series is produced with the support of Down Syndrome Ireland, who also reviewed material during development and production of the series. The series is supported by investment incentives from the

Government of Ireland The Government of Ireland () is the executive (government), executive authority of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, headed by the , the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet (government), cabinet – is composed of Mini ...

(Section 481), in association with RTÉjr, with the participation of the

Irish Film Board Not to be confused with Northern Ireland Screen. Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland, formerly known as Bord Scannán na hÉireann or the Irish Film Board, is Republic of Ireland, Ireland's state development agency for the Irish film, television an ...

and the

Broadcasting Authority of Ireland The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI; ) is a former broadcasting authority which regulated both public and commercial broadcasting sector in Ireland. It was established in 2009, effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Irel ...

’s Sound & Vision Fund. A second series (also 20 x 7 mins) was launched in February 2014.

Characters

Punky relates tales from the everyday life of a six-year-old little girl who has Down syndrome. Punky is characterized as a happy little girl who, as explained in the introduction of the show, loves "music", "dancing" and "hugs". She is shown to like to play with her older brother, "Con", and her dog, "Rufus". She also tries to make her grandmother "Cranky", "just a little less cranky". The lead character is voiced by Aimée Richardson, a voice actress who has Down syndrome.

Broadcast

It aired in a number of TV networks in the UK, Australia, Germany and Sweden to screen the show. An

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

version of the show was produced, it aired on

TG4 TG4 (; , ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television channel. It launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on-demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was initially known as (TnaG), before bein ...

.
How my cousin Aimée, the first Down's TV star, made me smile through the tears. . . Retrieved: 2011-05-10

References

External links

*
Down Syndrome Ireland
* {{IMDb title, 1923777, Punky 2010s preschool education television series 2011 Irish television series debuts Animated preschool education television series Animated television series about children Down syndrome in television Irish animated television series Irish children's animated television series Irish flash animated television series Irish preschool education television series Television shows set in the Republic of Ireland