New show, based on popular Latin heritage brand, incorporates culture and values while teaching kindness and compassion.
Heritage brand Juana la Iguana has been a favorite in Latin America for over 20 years. The original Spanish-language character show was created by Tania Gilinski, along with partners Amanda Quijano and Anita Katz – the three Latin American mothers wanted to create a program for children that incorporated both culture and values. The Juana the Iguana series began as three home videos, one of which was second only to The Lion King in sales in Venezuela. It was then picked up by national TV and became a smash hit in home and neighboring Latin America territories.
Gilinski went on to become a tech entrepreneur and teamed up again with Quijano and Katz to relaunch Juana in 2015 as an educational app. The app and online platforms offer high-quality content that is fun, engaging, innovative and culturally relevant for children aged from 2-6. A bilingual musical theatre presentation of Juana la Iguana enjoyed a successful run at the Miami Children’s Museum in September 2017 and regularly plays at venues around Florida. A new partner, Ronit Shiro, came on board in 2018 as head of business development for the brand.
Helen Howells and Oliver Ellis, joint managing directors, Hoho Entertainment, commented, “We are thrilled to be working with JLI to bring their delightful creation to a whole new global audience. Juana is a unique and lovable character whose values of kindness and compassion are as important now as when she first appeared.”
Gilinski added, “We are so excited to be creating a new narrative for Juana la Iguana and to be able to share our vision of building a better world one child at a time with the good people at Hoho.”
Source: Hoho Entertainment
