The acquisition comes in time for the film sequel, Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, which will see a global theatrical release from late September, hitting U.K. cinemas in October.

Sweet Cherry will publish four Shaun the Sheep titles, including a 2020 annual, a search-and-find Where’s Shaun? book as well as both a junior novel and a non-fiction guide to space to honor the anniversary of the moon landing in late 2019.

Sweet Cherry’s Aardman list will grow in 2020 with new titles focusing on sports to celebrate the Olympic Games.

“We continue to invest heavily in the Shaun the Sheep brand with the launch of the Farmageddon movie followed by a new season and many ongoing brand initiatives,” says Rob Goodchild, head of licensing, Aardman. “We are looking forward to working with Sweet Cherry to develop the Shaun the Sheep publishing program to its full potential.”

“We are very excited to embark on this partnership with Aardman, and I believe Shaun the Sheep is going to have a great home at Sweet Cherry,” says Abdul Thadha, managing director, Sweet Cherry. “Our team is very passionate about the Aardman products, and our publishing model will allow us to give Shaun the Sheep a lot of attention. This is the perfect time to explore different formats for Shaun the Sheep.”