Ragdoll Productions

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Ragdoll Productions (UK) Limited, commonly known as Ragdoll, is a British television production company founded in 1984 by Anne Wood. It is based in Bloxham, Oxfordshire, and has produced many popular children’s programmes, including Pob’s Programme, Rosie and Jim, Brum, Teletubbies, Boohbah, Tots TV, and In the Night Garden…, most of which are now owned by WildBrain.

History in brief
- The company began on 26 July 1984. Pob’s Programme aired on Channel 4 later that year.
- It was incorporated in 1985 as Ragdoll Productions (U.K.) Limited and originally based in Birmingham.
- In 1992, Ragdoll moved to Stratford-upon-Avon and opened The Ragdoll Shop.
- In the mid-1990s, the company expanded to the United States with The Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Company.
- In 2000, the company adopted a simpler logo and renamed itself Ragdoll Limited, moving away from the original rag-doll mascot.
- Around 2001–2002, Ragdoll stopped working through Itsy Bitsy and began selling programmes directly (Ragdoll USA). Teletubbies: Everywhere was announced for CBeebies in 2002.
- Boohbah was announced in 2003 for a 2003 delivery, and Blips (originally Blurrfect) followed in 2005.
- In 2005, new series In the Night Garden… and Tronji were pre-sold to networks, and a short series for Milkshake! was commissioned.
- In 2006, Ragdoll formed a joint venture with BBC Worldwide, Ragdoll Worldwide, to sell programmes outside the UK and North America. A North American distributor, Ragdoll USA Inc., was created.
- In 2013, DHX Media (now WildBrain) bought Ragdoll Worldwide for about £17.4 million, and the company became Ragdoll Productions (UK) Limited again.
- In 2015, the live-action/stop-motion series Twirlywoos was produced with DHX.
- In 2018, Ragdoll co-produced a Disney UK short for the Hope Works initiative.
- In 2021, Ragdoll formed a deal with Cake Entertainment to distribute the new series B.O.T. and the Beasties on CBeebies. The company moved to Shenington, and Anne Wood stepped down as person with significant control in December 2021, with her son Christopher Wood taking over as director.
- In 2024, Ragdoll moved its operations to Bloxham, Oxfordshire.

Notes
- Many of Ragdoll’s programmes from 1990–2012 are now owned by WildBrain.
- The company once ran a shop in Stratford-upon-Avon and was known for its rag-doll mascot, though the mascot was retired after the 2000 rebranding.