Turkish cartoon series reaches audience in Russia, Arab countries

Turkish cartoon series like Pepee, a Turkish 3D animation TV series that is on air in Russia, are attracting a larger audience abroad and will soon be airing in Arab countries.

Produced by Düşyeri, an Istanbul-based cartoon and animation studio, Pepee, which aired its first episode in 2008, has become the second most popular cartoon character among Russian viewers, according to Ayşe Şule Bilgiç, the CEO of Düşyeri.

"Turkey has successfully introduced a cartoon character that draws the attention of an international audience. Following the dubbing of Pepee in Russian, Russian children are now watching the Turkish cartoon character and love it," she continued.

Bilgiç said more labor force is necessary to improve the Turkish cartoon industry. In January this year, Pepee was produced as a 3-D movie for Turkish theaters. Bilgiç's daughter, "Iraz," was the biggest inspiration behind creating the characters for Pepee.

Pepee has been on air on public broadcaster TRT's Çocuk (Child) Channel. For the film, the production team's budget was limited but they adapted the TV series for the big screen.