What Fourth Wall does

Fourth Wall Entertainment Limited is an independent creator of children's entertainment IP based in Liverpool, UK, founded in 2019. The company develops and owns a portfolio of original animated television series and picture books aimed at children aged 3-8, with flagship properties including Milo (52 x 11' episodes on Channel 5 Milkshake!), The Three Little Superpigs (26 x 22' episodes), Ruby Rotten, Marcel, Flora Buxton & Bear, and a 90-minute CG feature film (The Boy Who Switched Off The Sun), alongside approximately 20 in-house picture books. Production relies on CG animation using ToonBoom Harmony with a cloud-based infrastructure enabling a near-60-strong animation team to collaborate remotely across UK cities.

The business operates a multi-revenue-stream IP licensing model. Revenue is generated through (1) broadcast television commissioning deals (Channel 5 Milkshake! for Milo), (2) international book publishing rights (Scholastic USA for North American territories, generating $2.5M+ in Q4 2018 retail sales), and (3) global licensing and merchandising agreements (Grupo Planeta for The Three Little Superpigs, Plataforma Junior for Milo). Pricing is project-by-project and not publicly disclosed. The company serves three primary customer segments: children and families (end audience), broadcasters and TV networks (commissioning buyers), and publishers and media groups (rights and licensing acquirers).

As of 2024, Fourth Wall continues to operate as a privately-held creative studio (company number 11940539) with 101-250 employees, having secured approximately $2.2M in disclosed funding across rounds led by Creative UK, Crowdcube, and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, alongside over £2M in private investment supporting production of Milo Season 2. No venture capital, private equity, or acquisition activity has been disclosed.

Name

Fourth Wall

Legal name

Fourth Wall Entertainment Limited

Website

https://fourth-wall.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Fourth Wall is an independent Liverpool-based creator and producer of children's animated TV series and picture books, owning original IP including Milo (Channel 5) and The Three Little Superpigs, monetized via broadcast commissioning, international publishing rights, and global licensing partnerships with Scholastic USA and Grupo Planeta.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. TV Production and Broadcasting: Producing animated entertainment for broadcast television, including commissioned series like Milo (Channel 5 Milkshake!) and The Three Little Superpigs. Revenue generated through production deals and broadcasting rights.
2. Book Publishing and Sales: Multi-award-winning independent publisher producing all content in-house. Globally evergreen characters and compelling stories across picture books, sold through catalogues and retailers.
3. Rights Sales and Licensing: Selling foreign rights, UK and international sales, and IP licensing for their owned brands including Milo, The Three Little Superpigs, Ruby Rotten, and other properties. For licensing enquiries on Milo, they direct to Planeta Junior.
4. IP Licensing and Merchandising: In 2019, Fourth Wall signed a license and merchandising deal for The Three Little Superpigs with Grupo Planeta (whose clients include Dreamworks), enabling global merchandise exploitation of the IP.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Fourth Wall is an independent entertainment IP creator that develops, produces, and licenses original children's animated TV series and picture books. The studio owns all characters and stories in-house and monetizes them through broadcast commissions (e.g., Milo on Channel 5), international publishing rights (e.g., Scholastic USA), and global licensing/merchandising deals (e.g., Grupo Planeta for The Three Little Superpigs).

Product overview

Fourth Wall is an independent entertainment IP company creating award-winning animated series and children's picture books. The product portfolio includes six animated TV series (Milo, The Three Little Superpigs, Ruby Rotten, Marcel, Flora Buxton & Bear, The Boy Who Switched Off The Sun feature film) and approximately 18 picture books. The company operates across two main verticals: TV & Film production and Books/Publishing. Their animated content is primarily distributed through UK broadcasters like Channel 5's Milkshake! block, while their books are published in-house and distributed through partnerships such as Scholastic for US territories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Milo: Award-winning animated series featuring Milo, an adventurous 5-year-old cat who explores jobs and vocations through role-play with friends Lofty and Lark. 52 x 11' episodes airing on Channel 5 Milkshake!
• The Three Little Superpigs
• Ruby Rotten
• Marcel
• Flora, Buxton & Bear
• The Boy Who Switched Off The Sun

Products and services

• Milo (animated TV series) Animated children's series featuring Milo, an adventurous 5-year-old cat who explores jobs and vocations through roleplay with friends Lofty and Lark in his parents' dry cleaning shop called Scrubby's. Commissioned by Channel 5 Milkshake! and aimed at children aged 3-8.
• The Three Little Superpigs (animated TV series) A 26-episode animated TV series where three superhero pigs battle to outwit the Big Bad Wolf and his henchmen in Fairyland, operating from their FBI base. Based on Claire Evans' award-winning picture book.
• Ruby Rotten (animated TV series) A comedic animated series following the adventures of Ruby, a rebellious tooth fairy in training at The Academy, and her pet dragon Spike.
• Marcel (animated TV series) An animated series about an inquisitive boy named Marcel and his dog Whippy, who discover that the world is controlled by hidden mechanical mechanisms.
• Flora, Buxton & Bear (animated TV series) An animated series following three best friends — Flora Fox, Buxton Badger and Bear — as they tackle developmental stages and growth milestones through adventures.
• The Boy Who Switched Off The Sun (animated feature film) A 90-minute animated CG family feature film about 8-year-old Marcel who accidentally switches off the sun while trying to enjoy ice cream, facing devastating consequences.
• The Three Little Superpigs (picture book) Original picture book about three little pigs given superhero status after capturing the Big Bad Wolf. Source IP for the TV series and global merchandise exploitation.
• Olive (picture book) A 32-page picture book about a small character named Olive who learns to be proud of herself after being overlooked due to her size.
• The Spider And The Whale (picture book) A picture book about a friendship between a little spider saved by a whale after being flushed down a toilet, exploring themes of ingenuity over strength.
• The Chicken That Hatched A Cow (picture book)

Quantifiable outcome

• The Three Little Superpigs included in UK's Summer Reading Challenge 2017, a nationwide initiative, with 761,758 children participating

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Scholastic USAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018Fourth Wall entered a working partnership with Scholastic USA, the world's biggest children's publisher, who acquired rights for The Three Little Superpigs in US and North American territories. The book achieved over $2.5 million in sales revenue for Scholastic in Q4 2018.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Karrot Entertainment: UK independent animation studio that created Peppa Pig — a globally successful preschool IP and the most directly comparable peer in terms of business model (independent animation studio with original IP) and target demographic (children aged 3–8).
• Aardman Animations: UK animation studio behind Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, and Morph. Operates the same fundamental model as Fourth Wall — in-house IP creation with cross-format exploitation — and is the canonical reference independent UK animation studio.
• Blue Zoo Animation Studio: UK children's animation studio producing Q Pootle 5, Digby Dragon, and Miffy — comparable as an independent UK animation studio creating original preschool IP for global broadcasters and licensing partners.
• Lupus Films: UK animation studio behind The Snowman and the Snowdog and Ethel & Ernest. A premium UK animation studio with the same in-house IP creation approach and family-friendly storytelling tone as Fourth Wall.
• Factory Create: UK animation studio producing preschool and children's content including Tinga Tinga Tales, Kiri and Lou, and Bottersnikes and Gumbles — comparable as an independent UK children's animation studio targeting the same age demographic.
• Cloth Cat Animation: Welsh-based children's animation studio producing preschool and family content. Directly comparable independent UK animation studio serving the same preschool/family broadcasting and licensing markets as Fourth Wall.

Broad incumbents

• Tiger Aspect Productions: UK production company within Endemol Shine producing children's content including Charlie and Lola. Larger incumbent with overlapping children's animation work as part of a broader portfolio across genres.
• WildBrain: Canadian children's entertainment company managing Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, and a large kids IP catalogue. Larger incumbent active across animation, licensing, and content production — same end-customer and product categories as Fourth Wall at substantially larger scale.
• Studio 100: International children's entertainment company (Maya the Bee, Heidi, Blinky Bill) operating across animation, licensing, and merchandise globally. Larger incumbent competing in the same end customer and product categories as Fourth Wall but at significantly larger scale.
• HIT Entertainment (Mattel): Children's IP owner behind Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder, and Fireman Sam — now part of Mattel. Larger incumbent operating as a creator-owner of premium preschool IP franchises, directly comparable in business model but at much greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC5gKu9JMvYhWGTDtL3VBKLQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/WeAre4thWall
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/weare4thwall
• Instagraminstagram.com/WeAre4thWall

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fourth Wall