Pikkukala
Pikkukala is a Helsinki- and Barcelona-based animation studio, founded in 2012, that creates original animated series and transmedia games for children, co-produces projects with European public broadcasters, and provides animation production services for brand owners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersHelsinki, Finland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Pikkukala does
Pikkukala is a European animation and digital entertainment studio headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, with a second studio in Barcelona, Spain. Founded in 2012 by animation veterans Veronica Lassenius and Pablo Jordi, the studio creates original animated content for children and families and operates three business lines: original animation series (Taste Buddies, Royals Next Door, Samuel, Saari, Fungi, A Long Story Short), co-productions with international partners (Froggie, Who Will Comfort Toffle?, Hur gick det sen?, Stinky Dog, Angry Birds Toons Season 2), and games and apps (Saari Pairs mobile game, Saari TV app, Fungihouse Roblox experience). The studio's underlying technology is 2D minimalist animation produced with traditional and digital techniques, distributed across broadcast, streaming, mobile, and UGC platforms (Roblox, TikTok).
Pikkukala's business model is B2B and project-based, generating revenue through (1) co-production fees and licensing of original IPs to broadcasters and streamers, (2) animation production services for external clients (e.g., Rovio's Angry Birds Toons Season 2), and (3) direct-to-consumer distribution of games and apps through app stores and platforms such as Roblox. The company is a legal entity in Finland (Pikkukala Oy) and operates as an independent, founder-controlled private limited company with no disclosed external institutional investment, parent, or controlling entity. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, consistent with custom co-production economics.
The studio's go-to-market is partnership-led and event-driven: Pikkukala attends international co-production forums and animation festivals (Quirino, Animation Production Days in Stuttgart, Annecy, Pocket Gamer Connects) to secure co-production partners and financing. It leverages three stacked European financing mechanisms, namely the Spanish Tax Shelter, the Finnish AV cash rebate (Business Finland), and the Creative Europe MEDIA programme, which materially de-risk co-production budgets. The customer base includes Netflix, YLE, RTVE, Arte, 3Cat, RTÉjr, SVT, DR, RTP, Czech TV, Gulli, Rovio, and others, spanning public broadcasters, streamers, and IP rights holders (notably Moomin Characters for the Tove Jansson adaptations).
Pikkukala firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pikkukala
- Legal name
- Pikkukala Oy
- Website
- https://pikkukala.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Pikkukala is a Helsinki- and Barcelona-based animation studio, founded in 2012, that creates original animated series and transmedia games for children, co-produces projects with European public broadcasters, and provides animation production services for brand owners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pikkukala industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Animation Production Services
- NAICS
- Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)
- SIC
- Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Animated Series Production (TV/Streaming) (MPADACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- 3D Character Animation (MPAHACAB), 2D Character Animation (MPAHACAA)
Keywords
Where Pikkukala is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Helsinki
- HQ country
- Finland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Pikkukala business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Original Animation Production: Pikkukala creates and owns original animated content that they develop, produce, and distribute globally. Revenue comes from production fees, licensing, and distribution deals.
- Co-productions: The company partners with broadcasters, production companies, and investors to co-produce animation projects. Pikkukala provides creative and production expertise while partners contribute financing and distribution.
- Games and Apps: Mobile games and apps based on animation IPs (Saari Pairs, Royals Next Door games, Fungihouse Roblox game). Direct-to-consumer distribution through app stores.
- Animation Production Services: Pikkukala provides animation production services for other companies, such as their work on Angry Birds Toons Season 2 for Rovio Entertainment.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels7 records
Pikkukala product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pikkukala is a European animation and digital entertainment studio that creates original animated series and films for children and families, develops transmedia games and apps extending its animation IPs, and provides animation production services and international co-productions with European broadcasters and studios. The studio operates from Helsinki and Barcelona, and produces content like Royals Next Door, Samuel, Taste Buddies, Saari, Fungi, Stinky Dog, and Who Will Comfort Toffle?.
Product overview
Pikkukala is an animation and digital entertainment studio with studios in Helsinki (founded 2012) and Barcelona (established 2018). The company operates three core business lines: Original Animation series (Taste Buddies, Royals Next Door, Samuel, Saari, Fungi, A Long Story Short), Co-productions with international partners (Froggie, Hur gick det sen?, Who Will Comfort Toffle?, Stinky Dog, Angry Birds Toons Season 2), and Games & Apps (Saari Pairs mobile memory game, Saari TV app, Fungihouse Roblox experience). The company creates original animated content for kids and families with emphasis on values of respect, diversity, and curiosity. Their transmedia approach extends animation brands into interactive entertainment experiences on mobile and UGC platforms like Roblox.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Royals Next Door: Animation series about a royal family that moves to a normal house, featuring Crown Princess Stella.
- Taste Buddies
- Samuel
- Who Will Comfort Toffle?
- Saari
- Fungi
- A Long Story Short
- Stinky Dog
- Froggie
- Hur gick det sen?
Products and services
- Taste Buddies A preschool animated series following Leo and his five taste buddies (Bitter Betty, Salty Sam, Sour Sarah, Sweet Suzy, Umami Umi) who discover new ingredients while learning preschool lessons in a kind environment full of humor and music.
- Royals Next Door Animated series about Crown Princess Stella and the royal family who move to a normal house in an ordinary suburb after water damage at the castle, exploring adapting to change without losing identity, targeting children ages 8-12.
- Samuel Animated series following the life of 10-year-old Samuel told in first person through his diary in minimalist 2D animation with musical tracks, available as 21 short TV episodes and 20 one-minute TikTok episodes, distributed on Netflix in 2025.
- Froggie Animated series about an 11-year-old city girl named Froggie who moves to the country, with 52 episodes of 11 minutes planned, created by Cécile Sady and Eric Noto, currently in pre-production.
- Hur gick det sen? (The Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My) A 12-minute animated short film based on Tove Jansson's 1952 picture book, featuring Moomin's colorful journey through Moominvalley in search of Little My, directed by Veronica Lassenius.
- Who Will Comfort Toffle? A 17-minute animated film based on Tove Jansson's 1960 picture book, in which the lonely Toffle overcomes his fears to rescue the Miffle from the Groke, winner of Best Animation Award at the Macau International Children Film Festival 2025.
- Stinky Dog Animated series adapted from children's books by Colas Gutman and Marc Boutavant, featuring a maverick mutt and a flattened cat, with 52 episodes of 13 minutes; Pikkukala animated 11 episodes.
- Saari Animated preschool series about creative friends living on a beautiful island called Saari, featuring Pulpo the octopus, Buu the lady owl, Pii, and Rikitiki the bohemian bird, with 39 episodes of 3 minutes and themes of friendship, respect, and harmony with nature.
- Fungi Animated series following Frida, Max and their neighbors in an apartment block called Fungihouse, featuring everyday grannies, temperamental cooks, and other colorful characters, with 26 episodes of 7 minutes targeting children ages 6-8.
- A Long Story Short A 7-minute animated short film about a girl and her favorite t-shirt exploring the origins of clothing from cotton plantations through factories to wardrobes, designed to open conversations about consuming habits, winner of the MIA Toon Boom Award 2023.
- Angry Birds Toons Season 2 Animation production services provided to Rovio Entertainment for the second season of Angry Birds Toons, a high-end quality animated series featuring one of the world's most popular brands.
- Saari Pairs Mobile memory game app inspired by the Saari universe featuring characters Buu, Pulpo, Pii and Rikitiki, with over 20 different figures that change each game to improve memory and attention.
- Fungihouse Roblox Experience Roblox game experience exploring the underground world of Fungihouse, currently in closed beta testing.
Quantifiable outcome
- Samuel achieved more than 40 million views
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Pikkukala
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Pikkukala technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Pikkukala partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Les ValseurscoreFrench production company, co-producer of 'Samuel' series with Emilie Tronche as creator/director. Pikkukala produces in partnership with Les Valseurs.
- ArtecoreFrench-German public broadcaster and co-producer for 'Samuel'. Major European public media partner providing financing and broadcast rights.
- RTVEcoreSpanish public broadcaster (Radiodifusión Española), co-producer for 'Samuel', 'Royals Next Door', and other projects. Key Spanish broadcast and financing partner.
- 3Cat (Televisió de Catalunya)coreCatalan public broadcaster, co-producer for 'Samuel', 'Fungi', 'Saari', and 'Taste Buddies'. Long-term creative and financial partner.
- FolivarimajorBelgian animation studio, lead producer for 'Stinky Dog' (Chien Pourri) co-production with Dandelooo and Pikkukala.
- DandelooomajorFrench animation studio, co-producer for 'Stinky Dog' (Chien Pourri) adaptation of books by Colas Gutman and Marc Boutavant.
- Panique!majorBelgian studio, co-producer for 'Stinky Dog' (Chien Pourri) multi-territory production.
- Moomin CharacterscoreRightholders for Tove Jansson's Moomin works. Pikkukala produced 'Who Will Comfort Toffle?' (2023) and 'Hur gick det sen?' (2024) based on Jansson's books.
- MonellomajorProduction company for 'Froggie', a new series starting production in 2025 with Pikkukala as co-producer.
- GullimajorFrench youth TV channel, co-producer for 'Froggie' alongside Monello, RTVE, and Pikkukala.
- YLEmajorFinnish public broadcaster, broadcast partner for 'Royals Next Door', 'Who Will Comfort Toffle?', and 'Taste Buddies'.
- Rovio EntertainmentminorFinnish gaming company and creator of Angry Birds. Pikkukala provided animation production services for Angry Birds Toons Season 2 over two years.
- Walking The DogmajorBelgian animation studio, co-producer for 'Royals Next Door' alongside Pikkukala, RTVE, Ink&Light, and Belga Productions.
- Ink&LightmajorCo-producer for 'Royals Next Door' series.
- Belga ProductionsmajorBelgian production company, co-producer for 'Royals Next Door'.
- RTÉjrmajorIrish public broadcasting service for children, broadcast partner for 'Taste Buddies' and 'Royals Next Door'.
- SVTmajorSwedish public broadcaster, broadcast partner for 'Who Will Comfort Toffle?'.
- DRmajorDanish public broadcaster, broadcast partner for 'Royals Next Door'.
- RTPmajorPortuguese public broadcaster, broadcast partner for 'Royals Next Door'.
- Czech TVminorCzech public broadcaster, broadcast partner for 'Royals Next Door'.
- Veronica LasseniuscoreCo-founder of Pikkukala, creator and director of multiple Pikkukala originals including 'Royals Next Door', 'Taste Buddies', 'Fungi', 'Saari', 'Who Will Comfort Toffle?', and 'A Long Story Short'.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Pikkukala competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Folivari: Belgian animation studio producing high-quality 2D animated features and series for kids; direct co-production partner on Stinky Dog with Pikkukala and a comparable indie European animation studio in scale and style.
- Dandelooo: French animation production company known for premium kids' series and adaptations (e.g., Stinky Dog); Pikkukala's co-producer on multiple projects and a like-sized European indie studio operating in the same commissioning ecosystem.
- Cartoon Saloon: Irish independent animation studio (Wolfwalkers, Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner) focused on premium 2D hand-drawn content for kids and family audiences; a closely comparable European indie animation studio in craft, IP focus, and festival positioning.
- Walking The Dog: Belgian animation studio co-producing Royals Next Door with Pikkukala; comparable scale and produces premium 2D kids' series for European broadcasters, making it a like-for-like peer in the European co-production ecosystem.
- Les Valseurs: French animation production company co-producing Samuel with Pikkukala and other European partners; closely comparable French/European animation production studio serving broadcasters and streaming platforms.
- TeamTO: French independent animation studio producing premium kids' CGI and 2D series (Miraculous Ladybug co-producer); similar role in the European premium kids' animation ecosystem, though typically larger in scale.
- Xilam Animation: French independent animation studio producing well-known kids' series (Oggy and the Cockroaches, UglyDucks); comparable European independent animation studio with a deep kids' IP catalog and similar broadcaster relationships.
- Panique!: Belgian animation studio co-producing Stinky Dog with Pikkukala; comparable small European indie animation studio operating in the same co-production ecosystem with similar 2D style and kids' programming focus.
Broad incumbents
- Aardman Animations: UK-based animation powerhouse (Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep) operating in premium kids' animation with global brand and licensing; substantially larger than Pikkukala but in the same British/European premium animation space.
- Mondo TV: Italian-listed kids' animation and licensing group with a large IP portfolio and European broadcaster relationships; a broader incumbent competing with Pikkukala for co-production and distribution deals in the European kids' space.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Pikkukala social profiles
Digital presencePikkukala financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pikkukala leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Pikkukala funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pikkukala M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pikkukala
What does Pikkukala do?
Pikkukala is a European animation and digital entertainment studio that creates original animated series and films for children and families, develops transmedia games and apps extending its animation IPs, and provides animation production services and international co-productions with European broadcasters and studios. The studio operates from Helsinki and Barcelona, and produces content like Royals Next Door, Samuel, Taste Buddies, Saari, Fungi, Stinky Dog, and Who Will Comfort Toffle?.
Is Pikkukala a public or private company?
Pikkukala is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Pikkukala founded?
Pikkukala was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Pikkukala based?
Pikkukala is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, in the Europe region.
How does Pikkukala make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Original Animation Production is the primary driver. The others are co-productions, games and Apps and animation Production Services.
Who are Pikkukala's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Folivari, Dandelooo, Cartoon Saloon, Walking The Dog, Les Valseurs, TeamTO, Xilam Animation and Panique!. Broad incumbents are Aardman Animations and Mondo TV.
Does Pikkukala have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pikkukala.
What industry is Pikkukala in?
Pikkukala's product category is Animation Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADACAG, Animated Series Production (TV/Streaming), with a secondary code of MPAHACAB, 3D Character Animation. Its NAICS code is 516 and its SIC code is 7819.