HIT Entertainment, the company behind children's TV favourite Bob the Builder, has unveiled a relaunch designed to revive the character's popularity.
After a period of sustained growth which has seen Bob become a mainstay of pre-school television and a leading consumer products brand, Hit said sales had slipped as the character reached maturity in the UK and US.
Reporting results for the year to July 31, Hit said Bob the Builder represented 30 per cent of sales, but worldwide revenues from the character dipped 12.6 per cent.
Pre-tax profits before one-off items rose 45 per cent to £39.7m compared with £27.3m last year as Hit integrated newly acquired Gullane and its Thomas the Tank Engine character.
Hit said the success of other brands in its stable during the past year had helped it offset Bob's weaker performance in the UK and US.
The relaunch will see ten series of animated programmes recorded - 130 shows in all - featuring new adventures in which the builder will construct an entire town with help from his zoologist twin brother Tom and other new characters.
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