Nickelodeon has announced a partnership with Chorion and the publisher, Frederick Warne & Co., owners of the Beatrix Potter property, to develop and produce a new animated preschool series based on the characters created by Beatrix Potter in the series "The Tales of Peter Rabbit."

Slated to air in 2012 on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr., the series will feature many of the Beatrix Potter characters, including Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny. This arrangement is the third of its kind between Nickelodeon and Chorion, who previously partnered on the animated preschool series "Olivia" and "Max & Ruby," which currently air on Nick Jr.

Frederick Warne and Chorion have appointed Nickelodeon as the agent to represent the licensing and merchandising rights for The World of Beatrix Potter brand and the new animation rights in the U.S., Canada, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Nickelodeon will also represent the licensing and merchandise rights for the new animation series in India. Chorion will have licensing and merchandise rights in the rest of the world for The World of Beatrix Potter plus the new animation. Frederick Warne retains underlying ownership of The World of Beatrix Potter and will continue to publish globally The Classic Tales and all publishing based on the new animation series.

"The World of Beatrix Potter is a celebrated brand with treasured characters that we're introducing to a new generation of kids," says Cyma Zarghami, president of Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. "Beatrix Potter's timeless books have been cherished by millions of children, and Nickelodeon is thrilled to be involved in developing these classic characters into new television adventures the whole family can enjoy."