Lancashire Cricket launches 'Lanky & Friends' animated series to captivate younger audiences

Lancashire Cricket has recently introduced a new animated series called 'Lanky & Friends'. This series has been designed to appeal to younger viewers and audiences who love cricket. The primary aim is to captivate and engage the younger generation through this exciting series.

MC2 Helps Lancashire Cricket Launch Animated Series For Young Fans

The club's mascot, the tall and slender Lanky the Giraffe, stars in the entertaining short series called Lanky & Friends alongside his buddies Willow, Zippy, and Stumps. The three-part series provides an enjoyable way for the main characters to discover many interesting facts, such as the Roses rivalry, the history of Lancashire Cricket, the regulations of T20 cricket, as well as information about renowned current players.

The set of videos, which are thought to be the initial ones from a skilled cricket team, include some recognizable individuals, namely David 'Bumble' Lloyd, who is renowned for his career as a player and coach for Lancashire before he became a well-known commentator, and Ben Cajee, who has been one of the main faces of CBeebies since 2015, providing the voice-over.

The Lancashire men and women's teams have kicked off their T20 campaigns and these games usually attract a younger audience to Emirates Old Trafford. To engage the interest of young people and spark their love for the sport, the county has introduced animated shows that feature characters they can easily relate to. The goal is to teach them the basics of the game and hopefully inspire them to become fans of cricket.

MC2, a strategic marketing communications agency, has created Lanky & Friends as one of the main components of Lancashire Cricket's Red Rose Together campaign. The campaign was introduced earlier this year to commemorate the club's 160-year anniversary, and to promote activities that foster a passion for cricket and make the sport more accessible, inclusive, and enjoyable for all.

Lancashire Cricket CEO, Daniel Gidney, expressed how significant the project is for the club. It has a clear objective of getting young players, participants, and supporters to connect with the sport. Lanky & Friends offers a delightful and interesting first experience of cricket, aspiring to create an enduring bond between the club and children from various backgrounds and age groups.

David Lloyd shared his thoughts on the latest show, stating that Lanky & Friends is a fantastic method for children to grow their interest in cricket and ultimately become fans of the sport. He expressed pride in his county for commissioning this animated series and felt privileged to be involved in its creation.

For almost ten years, I have been working in children's television, and as someone who is passionate about cricket, this project has been an absolute joy to be involved in. During my childhood, I don't recall anything similar to Lanky & Friends, but by producing this unique animated show, Lancashire Cricket is pioneering the way to captivate a whole new generation of fans with the sport. These are the words of Ben Cajee, who works for both CBeebies and BBC Sport.

Starting from planning and creating a storyboard, writing a script, sketching and animating characters, to finally editing the final project, MC2 took care of the production of Lanky & Friends.

According to Director Ellie Matthews from MC2, it has been a great privilege to work together with our local club to bring this innovative cricket series to life. Lanky & Friends blends together entertainment, learning, and heartfelt moments that are sure to attract kids of all ages. We're enthusiastic to see how youngsters in Lancashire and beyond will respond to Lanky and his friends as they embark on their exciting adventures.

You can view every installment of Lanky & Friends right away on the Lancashire Cricket website as well as on LancsTV's YouTube channel.