Agencies Mighty Little Bheem is being watched a lot in Colombia, Argentina and Chile, and the US.

MUMBAI: It’s rare for an Indian show or character to achieve global popularity, something that Marvel, DC Comics and Hollywood characters enjoy. However, ‘ Mighty Little Bheem ,’ Netflix ’s first Indian original animation show for kids, has become the first to break a geographical barrier in just over a month.As per the video streaming service, the spin-off of Indian studio Green Gold Animation ’s popular kids’ franchise ‘Chhota Bheem’ has become Netflix’s top preschool title globally. Even within the kids’ genre, ‘Mighty Little Bheem’ is the second most-watched original series globally, after ‘ Boss Baby: Back in Business ,’ a Netflix spokesperson said.Launched on April 12, the series has 21 short videos (5-6 minutes each) and its YouTube trailer has crossed 22 million views. This is arguably the first Indian animation show that has found global reach and success. “Outside India, the series is globally popular. It’s being watched a lot in Colombia, Argentina and Chile, and the US,” a Netflix spokesperson said.‘Chhota Bheem,’ which started in 2008, is India’s most successful animation franchise, with a TV show, films and merchandise. As per Showbiz 2.0, the latest report from GroupM’s ESP Properties, while being a household name in India, Chhota Bheem has also become the most talked about Indian character on the global stage.Although rooted in Indian culture, its storytelling has transcended boundaries and made the character popular in the 6-11-year age group across Asia, the Middle East and Northern America. The dhoti-clad child from Dholakpur also became the first Indian cartoon to sell merchandise worth almost Rs 250 crore.It was in 2016, just after the launch of Netflix in India, when Aram Yacoubian, director of kids and family content at the US streaming service, first met Rajiv Chilaka of Green Gold Animation. Netflix was keen to differentiate the ‘Chhota Bheem’ series for the 6-11-year segment. Netflix and Green Gold decided on a preschool spinoff for an underserved audience segment.The creators also decided to make ‘Mighty Little Bheem’ non-verbal as they saw wider potential in this format. “Making ‘Mighty Little Bheem’ non-verbal was to make it universal, while remaining authentic to the show’s settings and characterisation,” said the Netflix spokesperson.Creative work on the show started in July 2017 and it was in production for 18 months, led by Green Gold’s teams in Hyderabad and Mumbai. The success of the show made Netflix believe there was scope for tailoring shows locally while catering to a global audience. While storytelling for Indians was largely from books and their grandparents, the content on TV for children consisted mainly of western shows such as Dexter’s Laboratory, The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, and The Centurions. But in the age of internet TV, kids’ animation can no longer be western for the world, but local for the world.